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President’s Message

VOL. LXIII, NO. 1 FOUNDED 1930 January 2008

575 MARKET STREET SUITE 2125 415/974-5147 WWW.SEAONC.ORG Editor: Ephraim HirschSAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105-2870 editor@seaonc.org

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In the January News:

Meeting Notice

SEAONC Monthly Meeting Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008

The City ClubSan Francisco

Registration Deadline: 12:00 p.m. Jan 3rd (Details to the right, registration form on back

of news)

January 8th San Francisco Dinner Meeting

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690 Market Street By Navin Amin and Vivian Wan, Middlebrook and Louie and Andrew Scott, Degenkolb Engineers

Program Chair Hamid Fatehi

690 Market Street, once known as San Francisco’s Chronicle Building, has undergone a large scale renovation and expansion, converting the build-ing from office use to residential occu-pancy for the Ritz Carlton Residences. The architect is Charles F. Bloszies, AIA, of San Francisco.

Built in 1888, the original 8-story struc-ture was designed by the Chicago firm of Burnham and Root. It was the West Coast’s first steel-framed skyscraper, and was considered an innovative, trend-setting structure. The building was in the process of being expanded with a new 16-story structure when the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake struck, damaging the original build-ing. It was rebuilt immediately with a three-story addition. The existing gravity system consists of hollow clay tile floors supported by built up steel beams, columns and cast iron columns. Perimeter unreinforced ma-sonry walls, steel moment frames with wind gussets connections were used as the lateral resisting systems. Then, in the 1960’s the entire complex was renovated, at which time the original building’s central bay windows were removed and the exterior brick clad-ding was covered with metal panels.

The current project further expands the building vertically by 8 stories, resulting in a 24-story structure. Ap-proximately 123,000 sf of new floor area has been added to the existing 135,000 sf building, making the total project 258,000 gsf, excluding basement areas. The project also includes the removal

of the 1960’s metal cladding, restora-tion of the original façade, and recon-struction of the original building’s bay windows. The building is designed to meet the 1997 Uniform Building Code, and now features a new lateral load re-sisting system: a dual system of shot-crete walls, SMRF and SCBF.

SEAONC Business ForumWednesday Jan. 16, 2008

The City Club155 Sansome St. 9th Floor

Registration Deadline: 12:00 p.m. Mon. Jan., 14th

(Details on page 8)

President’s Message..........................January Meeting.................................SMCs in Northern CA.....................New & Pending Members..............In Memoriam: Alex Scordelis.......Existing Buildings.............................In Memoriam: Eric Elsesser...........In Memoriam: Robert Wildman..SEAOC Call for Abstracts...............Corrections...........................................January Business Forum.................Job Forum.............................................

Two New Initiatives for the MembershipBy Bret Lizundia

The heart of SEAONC is its active com-mittees filled with hardworking volun-teers. This month I’d like to highlight two committee activities that promise to be of great benefit to the membership and the wider design community.

Statement of Special Inspections: As you are aware, local jurisdictions must adopt the 2007 California Building Code (CBC) by January 1, 2008. The 2007 CBC contains a requirement in Section 1704.1.1 for a “Statement of Special In-spections” (SSI) to be prepared for each project. Because of our concerns that each building jurisdiction would pre-pare different forms, SEAONC’s Con-struction Quality Assurance Commit-tee has completed a sample SSI form. This effort was led by Mark Gilligan. The document has been sent to local building officials with the recommen-dation that they use the sample form in their communities.

The SSI must cover all special inspec-tions, not just those typically thought

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Continued from page 1A Message from the President

Continued from page 1January Meeting

Middlebrook and Louie will present the evaluation of the existing building, as well as the analysis and design of the retrofitted structure and foundation to meet the rehabilitation objective.

Degenkolb Engineers will present the Construction Means and Methods En-gineering design for the project, which facilitated the installation of the new structural elements while maintaining the original high-rise URM facades and portions of the original cast iron and steel framing. This included bracing of the facades during significant struc-tural demolition, temporary support of existing footings during excavation for the new mat foundation, under-pinning of the perimeter URM walls, and sequencing of the new structural work to maintain safety and stability throughout the construction project. Continued on page 8

Supplementary Cementitous Materials in Northern California

By Alfred Kaufman PE, FACI

During the past 50 years there has been a gradual shift away from Ordi-nary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete toward use of Supplementary Ce-mentitous Materials (SCM) for normal structural concretes. The judicious re-placement of OPC with SCMs can in-crease durability and provide a more ecologically friendly building mate-rial. SCMs are essential to production of the high performance concretes that are demanded in modern structural designs.

Natural pozzolans were used in North-ern California as early as the 1940’s. Type IP cement with interground poz-zolan was used in the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge foundations and Golden Gate Bridge piers. Fly ash made its way into the market in the early 1980’s, followed by Silica Fume and Metakaolin in the 1990’s. Slag was introduced into the market around 2000 and used on the new East Bay re-placement of the Bay Bridge.

I am certain that from the viewpoint of a Structural Engineer and Specifier that the plethora of information avail-able does not solve the dilemma of how and when SCMs are most effec-tively used. In order to use most effec-tively any SCM it is necessary to have specific information for the concrete mix. When an SCM is allowed or re-quired, constructability issues need to be addressed. The finishing and early strength characteristics of high volume fly ash or slag mixes require different field practices from normal concrete. For example, care must be exercised when using these concretes for appli-cations requiring a one day form strip-ping cycle.

Cementitous materials are bulk com-modities that are sensitive to freight rates. At the present time there are essentially no SCMs produced in our local area, which means a substantial portion of their cost (as much as 50% or more) is freight related. Long supply lines affect the timeliness of delivery of material, and this needs to be factored into job planning. In each of the last 5 years there has been at least once that slag and/or fly ash were in limited sup-

of as structural. It must be signed by the “Registered Design Professional in Responsible Charge”. This will typi-cally be the prime consultant, which is usually the architect. It is also signed by the owner and the building offi-cial. It lists the firms responsible for performing testing and inspection, de-fines the seismic and wind force-resist-ing systems, and contains a detailed schedule of special inspection items for all materials. This list is consistent with the 2007 CBC requirements. The sample SSI form is available on the SEAONC website. Eventually, it will become an appendix in the updated SEAONC Guidelines for Special Inspec-tion and Structural Observation. The current Guidelines were developed for use with the 1997 UBC, and are being revised now to be compatible with the 2007 CBC. For more information, con-tact Tim Hart, Chair of the SEAONC Construction Quality Assurance Com-mittee, at Hart@dasse.com

Building Performance Ratings: The sec-ond initiative I want to mention is an ef-fort by a subcommittee of the SEAONC Existing Buildings Committee (EBC) to develop a Building Performance Rat-ing document. This subcommittee is led by Kate Stillwell and Ron Mayes.

The subcommittee has completed Phase 1 of their effort and presented it to the SEAONC Board at their Decem-ber meeting. The Board concurred that the EBC should continue on to Phase 2.

In Phase 1, the subcommittee defined the objectives and audience of a poten-tial rating system, what information would be in the rating, which build-ings would be covered, when it would be performed, and who would be qual-ified to make the rating; and they es-tablished goals for Phase 2.

The objectives of developing a rating system are to provide a better means of communicating seismic risk to non-en-gineers and to spur action that will re-duce seismic risk. Currently, the com-mittee believes the rating should have a qualitative and a quantitative compo-nent. Examples of a qualitative rating could be letter grades like “A”, “B”, “C”; terms like the University of California rating system (“Good”, “Fair”, “Poor”, “Very Poor”); or a takeoff on the LEED system (such as “Platinum”, “Gold”, “Silver”). The quantitative compo-nent would include parameters such as safety (“deaths”), durability (“dam-

age”), and continuity (“downtime”).

The subcommittee wishes to include all building types in the rating sys-tem. It may be necessary, though, to make a separate effort for single family residences, given some of their unique characteristics.

Ratings are envisioned to be voluntary and would be disclosed as part of a real estate transaction as part of pre-purchase due diligence information acquisition.

Ratings would be performed by civil or structural engineers. A standard-ized methodology would be used, but would allow for a range in the scope or detail of the evaluation effort. One thought is to cap the rating at a poten-tial level below the best rating avail-able, unless a more detailed evaluation is done.

In Phase 2, the subcommittee plans to choose a trial group of building types, better define the process of obtaining a rating, define the rating content and format of presentation, and select an underlying rating methodology. In Phase 3, testing of the draft rating sys-tem would be performed and feedback solicited from potential users.

The Phase 1 rating summary report can be viewed on the SEAONC website. For more information, contact Kate Stillwell at stillwellkate@yahoo.com.

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Welcome New Members

Associate Georgi Hall, CEMCO Engineering, Director of Engineering

Yu-Chen Lin, Biggs Cardosa, Assistant Engineer

Kyle Chatman, Degenkolb Engineers Designer

Holly Schaubert, Verco Decking Inc. Engineer

Eden Tessema, Biggs Cardosa Associates, Associate Engineer

Katrina Hagg, Watry Design, Inc., Staff Designer

Bahman Ghassemzadeh, Nishkian Menninger, Staff Engineer

Juan Valdes, Sierra Engineering Group

Francis Franco, Sierra Engineering Group, Staff Engineer

Antonio Luo, Sierra Engineering Group, Junior Engineer

Wei-Bin Xie, Baseline Engineering, Staff Engineer

Enoc Lira, DES Architects and Engineers, Engineer in Training

Janyce Morimoto, KPFF Consulting Engineers Christopher Harris, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Associate

Irene Heung, Arup, Graduate Engineer

Member

David Chan

Ruchika Kaur, Dasse Design, Staff Engineer

Mark Level, Level Structural Engi-neering Principal

Bradford Blaise, Blaise Engineering and Consulting President

Anthony Richardson, Biggs Cardosa Associates, Senior Engineer

Jonathon Wong, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Project Engineer

Associate

Jasper Chau, DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Alan Morales, Staff Engineer, Sierra Engineering Group

Lilian Leung Engineer, DMJM Harris

Lorraine Young, Engineer, DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Elizabeth Gordon, Allana, Buick & Bers

Eliah Kim, Staff Engineer, DASSE Design

Jessie Cruz, Sierra Engineering Group

Cesar Valle, Staff Engineer, Hohbach-Lewin, Inc.

Azadeh Bozorgzadeh, Structural Engi-neer, Moffat and Nichol

Pieter Mattelaer, Structural Designer, Tipping Mar & Associates

Derek Pham, Structural Designer, Camp Dressler & McKee

Jonathan Lui, KPFF

Adrian Gotauco, Structural Designer, URS Corp

Christine Baudier, Staff Engineer, URS Corporation

Pending Members

Behrooz Ghorbani, Biggs Cardosa As-sociates, Inc., Project Engineer

Jesse Jaramillo, Biggs Cardosa Associ-ates, Inc ., Senior Engineer

Member SE

Anna Marie Ayroso, ConXtech, Manager

Tony Wu, Rimkus Consulting Group

Student

Michael O’Connell, San Francisco State, Graduate Student

James Enright, Cal Poly SLO Ying Sze, UC Berkeley

Member

Masami Hatano, Civil Engineer

Julio Silva, Senior Engineer, Sierra Engineering Group

Adam White, KPW Structural Engi-neers, Inc.

Nick Alexander, Designer, Degenkolb Engineers

Brad, Altman, Altman Consulting Engineers

Joseph Cain, President, Structural & Energy Solutions, Inc.

Lisa Podesto, Technical Director, WoodWorks

Marco Broccardo, Senior Project, Engi-neer, DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Clara Ting, Civil Engineer, Gordon-Prill, Inc.

Member SE

Mary-Sonja, Beasley, Structural Engineer, Rinne & Peterson

Dennis Wobber, Forensic Structural Engineer, Allan Buick & Bers, Inc.

Kambiz Moradkhani, Principal, Advanced Technical Consulting

Student

Yin Sze Yeo, HPA

Eric Wilkins, Student - Intern, UC Berkeley

Wayne Whitney Davison Chanda, MBA Student, CRIG School of Business

Michelle Cadieux, Disaster Housing Inspector, PB/Parr

Pending Members cont.

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By Mark Ketchum

UC Berkeley Professor Alex Scordelis, known to generations of Cal-graduate structural engineers for his teaching of analysis and design, died on August 27, 2007 after a long illness. He will be remembered for his insightful Socratic teaching style, his important research contributions, and his commitment to the structural engineering profession, which have contributed to the success of many of his students’ careers.

Alex Scordelis was born in 1923 in San Francisco to Greek immigrant parents who owned a grocery store in the Ma-rina District. He graduated from Gali-leo High School at the age of 16 and enrolled at UC Berkeley, but he inter-rupted his studies to join the U.S. Army in World War II. He served in Europe in the 84th Infantry Division, was in the Battle of the Bulge, and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star before being discharged from active duty as a captain. After the war, he completed his bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley in 1948 and his master’s de-gree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1949.

Scordelis joined the Civil Engineering faculty at UC Berkeley in 1949, where he was a teacher, researcher, and engi-neering consultant for 41 years. He re-tired in 1990 as Professor Emeritus and holder of the Nishkian Chair in Struc-tural Engineering, but he retained his ties to the university and remained ac-tive in the engineering profession.

As a researcher, Professor Scordelis had remarkable focus and intuition, and made fundamental contributions in his core field. The research he con-ducted and supervised at Berkeley in-cluded both theoretical analysis and large-scale experimental testing. His concrete box girder bridge research program extended from the 1960s through the 1980s and contributed computer programs for elastic and in-elastic analysis of bridges, along with well-documented tests-to-failure of large-scale bridge models. Many Cal graduates will recall the 75-foot-long concrete box girder bridge models that took over the Davis Hall test floor on three occasions in the 1970s, and at-tracted crowds when they were each loaded to ultimate collapse.

Other interests included prestressed concrete and shell structures. Professor Scordelis and colleague Professor T.Y. Lin cooperated on prestressed concrete research at Berkeley; later Scordelis was instrumental in the success of several of Lin’s most daring shell structures, cable-supported roofs, and bridges.

Scordelis was recognized as a leader and pioneering researcher of inelastic finite element analysis of reinforced concrete. He and his students devel-oped benchmark technology for pre-dicting behavior and performance of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. Focusing on beams, box girders, and shells, his research now enables engineers to incorporate in-elastic and time dependent behavior in structural analysis. The computer pro-grams developed under his supervi-sion, and several commercial computer programs that incorporate his research, today allow engineers to use the prin-ciples of performance-based design to assure better structural performance and economy.

His research notwithstanding, Profes-sor Scordelis’ most important contribu-tion to structural engineering may have been his teaching of structural analysis and design. He was devoted to teaching and to the well-being of his students. He regularly brought students to SEAONC meetings to introduce them to the pro-fession. He strongly urged students to incorporate new methods in their pro-fessional work, and to understand the behavior and performance of the struc-tures they engineer. Generations of Berkeley structural engineers learned

structural analysis at his hand, in his structural analysis class that was a core course in the master’s program. Focus-ing on a strong grasp of fundamentals, Scordelis imbued an ability to analyze and understand structural behavior. His Socratic approach assured the full attention of all students, providing a rational understanding of both prin-ciples and procedures. Thus enabled, many of his students have gone on to distinguished careers as engineers, builders, or researchers.

Consulting on design projects gave Professor Scordelis another avenue for disseminating and promoting im-proved structural engineering tech-nology. He contributed to the success of many long-span bridge and roof projects around the world. Always the teacher, he would frequently bring his students into these projects to both ap-ply their expertise and introduce them to his approach to problem solving.

After his retirement from the UC Berkeley faculty, Scordelis remained an active contributor to the profession. He was a member of the Board of In-quiry into the Loma Prieta Earthquake, which in 1990 issued a report that helped shape California’s policy on the seismic safety of its public infrastruc-ture. He served on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission advisory panel on designing the new eastern span of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, and he chaired the Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Instrumentation Advisory Panel.

Scordelis was also famous for his “sound byte” words of wisdom that embody many important lessons for structural engineers and the popula-tion at large. As keynote speaker at UC Berkeley’s engineering graduation in June 1992, he offered these:

Based on my experience as an old teacher and engineer, I would like to take the privi-lege of giving the graduates some random words of advice. Keep your ears open. I may ask you questions after the ceremony is over.

1. You’ve gotten a good education. Use it, and remember your fundamentals.

2. The location of the decimal point is im-portant in the real world.

IN MEMORIAM: Professor Alex Scordelis

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Continued on page 5

3. You no longer get 9 out of 10 points for the right method but the wrong answer.

4. Your reputation follows you wherever you go. Do a good job.

5. Learn from your mistakes, but don’t re-peat them.

6. If it doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t.

7. Try to understand the big picture as well as your own part of each project.

8. Make sure that whatever you design can be built or produced.

9. At the end of a project, always ask your-self, “How could I do it differently and bet-ter next time?”

10. Don’t make an engineering decision on something you don’t understand.

11. Don’t believe your boss is always right − but don’t tell the boss you are smarter than he or she is.

12. Use your common sense to check re-sults. If you don’t have common sense, you’d better develop some.

13. Exercise your body as well as your mind regularly.

14. There is more to life than engineering − have some fun.

15. Money isn’t everything, but it helps.

16. Always remember your alma mater. You are a Berkeley engineer. It’s all out there waiting for you.

He is survived by his wife Georgia Scordelis, of El Cerrito, Calif.; son, By-ron Scordelis of Saratoga, Calif.; daugh-ter Karen Holtermann of Berkeley; and four grandchildren.

Existing Buildings Committee

Colin Blaney-ChairRussell Berkowitz- Vice Chair

On behalf of the Existing Buildings Committee, we wanted to take this op-portunity to pass on a little informa-tion about our committee and some of the activities that we are currently engaged with.

Our committee meets almost monthly as a group on the 3rd or 4th Monday of the month. Meetings generally last about 1 1⁄2 hours and cover a multi-tude of topics related to the evalua-tion, rehabilitation and regulation of existing buildings. A light dinner is included and new members are always welcome.

While the main meetings are informa-tive and promote great dialog, a bulk of our work actually gets accomplished in smaller groups or subcommittees. A sampling of these subcommittees includes:

Building Performance Ratings: As Bret Lizundia mentions in his “President’s message”, many EBC members have spent considerable time over the last year working on the first phase of a proposed rating system for existing buildings. The intent is to provide a system which would provide valuable decision making guidance for non-en-gineers on the cost and duration of re-pair (dollars and downtime) as well as the more familiar assessment regarding structural performance. With Phase 1 recently completed, we are now excited about starting Phase 2 which includes the development of the actual rating system for potential use. If you are in-terested in participating in this next phase, please contact Kate Stillwell at stillwellkate@yahoo.com. A report covering the findings of phase I can also be found on the SEAONC website under Existing Buildings entitled “Fi-nal Draft Phase 1 Summary.”

Prescriptive Cripple Wall Retrofit and Oakland Transfer Tax: Members of the Existing Buildings Committee are also working closely with the City of Oak-land (and ABAG) on their recently ad-opted home transfer tax initiative. This ordinance is exciting as it provides new homeowners a financial incentive to strengthen the two critical weaknesses found in older homes which include the attachment of the house to the existing foundation, and the strengthening of wood cripple walls that include only

non-conforming finishes for bracing. This assistance has been in the form of modifications to their existing code language and presentations to the gen-eral public covering fundamental ret-rofitting concepts. These presentations also cover the intent and use of “Plan Set A-Residential Seismic Strengthen-ing” Plan which was originally com-pleted in October 2004 by a group of organizations including SEAONC Existing Buildings. The emphasis in this area is largely due to the alarming statistics regarding the extent of unin-habitable homes which ABAG has esti-mated to exist after a large earthquake on the Hayward Fault and the lack of general structural engineering exper-tise and participation in this area.

Future work anticipated by this sub committee include addenda to “Plan Set A” and the development of “Plan Set B” to cover a greater number of existing homes. Other related topics that the City of Oakland has contact-ed us and appear to be on the horizon include prescriptive requirements for hillside homes and a possible ordi-nance for residential buildings with tuck under parking (soft stories). If you are interested in working with this subcommittee, please contact me at colin@crosbygroup.com.

Example Comparisons: One final en-deavor worth mentioning includes ongoing work that will ultimately compare seismic assessment and reha-bilitation procedures for various docu-ments including the 2007 CBC Chapter 34, the 2006 IEBC, ASCE 31, ASCE 41, the CHBC, and the SFBC. As an initial step, this committee is currently work-ing to identify and compare the trig-gers and requirements mandated by each document. The second phase will include examples that compare the en-gineering requirements and solutions required by each of these document. If you are interested in participating, please contact Russell Berkowitz at russell@forell.com.

If this committee sounds interesting, please feel contact me to get on the EBC distribution list and attend our next meeting. I would also encourage you to skim through some of the past agendas and meeting minutes to get a better feel for our topics and as list of our past presentations. These can be found under the Existing Buildings link of the SEAONC website.

“Alex Scordelis Continued from page 4

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partment, demonstrating his unique skill in conveying engineering to non-engineers. He presented numerous lectures about architecture, structure, and seismic performance through the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Federal Emergency Management As-sociation (FEMA), and Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC). This culminated in a notable series of lectures about engineering at Stanford University in 2005, where, he said, “I started at 2500 BC” and pro-gressed to the present time. He looked to the future as well, as culminated in his Distinguished Lecture for the Earthquake Engineering Research In-stitute (EERI) in February 2007, entitled “What’s Around the Corner in Seismic Design?” Soon afterwards, I had the opportunity to have a series of conver-sations with him, which will be incor-porated into the EERI “Connections” Oral History Series.

Salt Lake City & County Building

Eric was a skilled mentor at Forell/El-sesser Engineers, Inc. Many of us re-call how, early in our careers, he would sit with us and cartoon an evolution of structural systems, a drawing set, and critical details. His ideas on a project never stopped, whether it was to opti-mize the structural system, the draw-ing presentation, the implementation of an idea to a detail, or in how the Ar-chitect or Owner would benefit from a particular approach. His reach is broad – over the decades of his career he influenced many of us at Forell/El-sesser Engineers and many in the pro-fessional community.

Eric was very active in the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC), particularly with the seismology committee during the formative years of seismic code de-velopment. He served on the Board of Directors for several years, was Presi-dent of SEAONC in 1979, was selected as a SEAONC Fellow in 1996, then

He excelled at seismic design. Early in his career, he designed a building in Northridge, California; a project, which Eric recalled, had several dis-cussions about structural systems with the architect and owner. After the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, the build-ing suffered virtually no damage, and as Eric arrived on site to confirm this, the owner came out, hugged him, and declared that he was the “best damn engineer” in the world.

His engineering acumen was enhanced by an ingrained sense of aesthetics and appreciation of nature. While speak-ing, he always brought out his pen and sketched in lightning strokes, dis-tilling his ideas in graphic form. His sketches were often quick study dia-grams of buildings, their architectural features, and their structural systems. Often they reflected his inspiration from forms found in nature. Dur-ing brainstorming sessions he would summarize lengthy conversations into a few sketches that illustrated the es-sence of a design. The sketches were quickly produced, reflecting his facile thinking, whimsy, and skill.

San Franicsco City Hall

His ideas never stopped, whether on a project with a deadline, a lecture prep-aration, or in general conversation. As noted by Chris Arnold, longtime archi-tectural colleague, “his style was quiet, relaxed, patient, reasonable in tone, with an occasional raised eyebrow and aggrieved comment on something he thought foolish or incompetent. His relaxed manner belied an iron deter-mination to push his ideas.”

Eric shared his ideas with the design community–in the 1970s he lectured at UC Berkeley in the architecture de-

IN MEMORIAM: ERIC ELSESSER

By Grace S. Kang, Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc.

Eric Elsesser, structural engineer and founding partner of Forell/Elsesser En-gineers, Inc., died peacefully at home in Sausalito on Thursday, December 6, 2007, after a seven-month battle with a brain tumor. He was 74 years old.

Eric’s structural engineering career re-flected his passion for innovation and creativity. He loved structural engi-neering, architecture, and the integra-tion of the two disciplines through building configuration and the collab-orative design process. He strived con-stantly to enhance the seismic perfor-mance of buildings. Active in his firm and in the profession until his final illness, Eric was a leader in the imple-mentation of new approaches to seis-mic design with his partners and with the structural community in California and other seismic areas such as Turkey, Italy, and Japan.

Eric was a native San Franciscan. As a young child, he was intrigued with the development of the city and with buildings as he watched them under construction. This sparked his passion for structural engineering, which he knew he would pursue from the time he was ten years old. After graduat-ing from Stanford University in 1956, he began his engineering career with John Blume in San Francisco. In 1960 he opened his own practice, and in 1969, he and Nicholas Forell joined forces and opened Forell/Elsesser En-gineers, Inc. Continued on page 7

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Continued on page 7

made an Honorary Member in 2001, and was the recipient of the SEAONC 2002 H. J. Brunnier Lifetime Achieve-ment Award, which is awarded by the Board of Directors for outstanding achievement in structural engineering focusing on an individual’s entire body of work. In 2001, he was also named a Fellow of the Structural Engineers As-sociation of California (SEAOC).

Eric was a cutting-edge leader in the advancement of seismic isolation and energy dissipating seismic systems. His contributions to the built environ-ment consist of numerous complex new building projects and a large number of important historic building renova-tions and seismic retrofits. Among the new buildings are the San Francisco State University Student Union Build-ing, USGS Federal Building in Menlo Park, San Jose Courthouse and Fed-eral Building, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the San Francisco State Office Building at the civic center complex. The seismic retrofits include historic landmarks such as the Salt Lake City and County Building, Oak-land City Hall, Pacific Gas and Electric Company Headquarters Building, Pas-adena City Hall, San Francisco Asian Art Museum, and San Francisco City Hall.

Along with the rigor of creative engi-neering, Eric had a passion and a won-derful eye for sculptural and visual arts, and pursued this interest with his wife, Sylvia, to whom he was devoted and whose support made it easier for him to pursue his career and make his mark as an innovator and educator.

Eric is survived by his wife Sylvia; daughter, Linnea Weiss; son, Adam El-sesser; son-in-law, Paul Weiss; daugh-ter-in-law, Martha Siegel-Elsesser; and six grandchildren. The family will hold a private service. The family re-quests that tributes be sent to the “Syl-via and Eric Elsesser Fellowship Fund” at “Stanford University - Structural Engineering Program,” c/o Kim Von-ner, CEE Department 4020, Stanford, CA 94305.

From his partners, colleagues, clients, and friends, Eric will be greatly missed and long remembered.

“Eric Elsesser” Continued from page 6 IN MEMORIAM: Robert F. Wildman SEAONC Life Member Robert F. Wildman passed away peacefully at 85 years of age on October 10, 2007. Bob, born in Ogden, UT, moved to the Bay Area when young and at-tended Berkeley High School and the University of California. His Civil Engineering studies were in-terrupted in his third year by World War II, during which he served in the Army Air Corps. After the war he finished his studies and initially worked as an engineer with the City of Oakland.

In 1953, he and his long time friend and fraternity brother Robert Mor-ris founded the San Francisco engi-neering firm of Wildman & Morris, in which he continued working until December 2006, when illness pre-vented his continuing. The firm was responsible for projects around the world, including Guam, the Philip-pines, Diego Garcia Island, as well as in California and the Western United States.

He was a past President of SEAONC in 1966-67. He also belonged to many other professional and social organizations, among them: ASCE, SAME, Chi Epsilon, Cal Alumni As-sociation, and Club Curry. Among other activities, he was an avid ten-nis player and skier, giving up the latter only at age 80. He is survived by Virginia (“Jimmy”), his wife of 60 years, his son Michael (Toshiko) and daughter Kim (John Thornton) and numerous grand-children. He will be greatly missed by family, friends, and professional associates. Contri-butions in his memory may be made to College of Engineering, UC Berke-ley.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC)

77th Convention September 23-27, 2008

Fairmont Orchid on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii

Abstracts are requested for papers to be presented at the technical sessions of the 2008 SEAOC Convention.

We encourage submissions on recent projects, best design practices, new seismic systems and components, tall buildings, next generation and im-provements to codes/guidelines, high performance materials, wind engineer-ing, and results of recent experimental testing.

Abstracts of not more than 250 words are due by 5 pm March 3, 2008, and should be sent via email to the 2008 SEAOC Convention Technical Program Committee at the contact information provided below. Authors will be noti-fied of abstract acceptance by April 1, 2008. Papers ready for publication in the proceedings are due by 5 pm June 9, 2008. Authors will be provided with detailed guidelines regarding paper format after acceptance of abstract. Pa-pers not conforming to the guidelines will not be published and may not be eligible for presentation at the conven-tion.

Walterio A. López, S.E.Technical Program Committee Chair

T: (415) 568-4400F: (415) 618-0684E: wlopez@ruthchek.com

The December SEAONC News in-cluded an insightful article from one our members titled, Earthquakes and Tsunamis In the Developing World: The Challenges of Designing Schools in Post-Disaster Sumatra. We regret that we inadvertently neglected to include a byline with the article and would like to let membership know it was written by Forrest Michael Lanning, PE. Our apologies and thanks to Mr. Lanning who is with the United Nations Office for Project Services, Banda Aceh, Indo-nesia. If you missed the article it can be accessed on our website at www.seaonc.org.

CORRECTIONS

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January Business Forum Luncheon

Meeting Topic:Calmentor Program

DATE & TIMEWednesday, January 16, 2008

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm: lunch/Program

LOCATIONCity Club – San Francisco

155 Sansome Street. San Francisco

Please join us for a presentation of the mentor-protégé program, called “Calmen-tor”, recently implemented by Caltrans District 4. The Calmentor program pro-motes the participation of small business in the pursuit of meaningful District 4 Architectural & Engineering (A&E) contract work. In conjunction with promot-ing partnerships with the private consulting industry, Calmentor supports the participation of certified Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Disadvantaged Busi-ness Enterprise (DBE), and Disabled Veterans Business Enterprises (DVBE) firms. The mission of the Calmentor Program is to increase the pool of certified firms participating in transportation projects by providing them opportunities to net-work and partner with established firms.

Calmentor is consistent with the recent Governor’s Executive Order No. S-11-06 to encourage new businesses, grow existing businesses, and promote small and emerging business contracting with the State. Voluntary participation in the pro-gram is through acceptance and screening of completed applications from men-tors and protégés. Our speaker will be Ms. Trinity Nguyen, Chair for the Caltrans District 4 Mentor-Protégé Program. Ms. Nguyen serves as Chief of the Consultant Services Unit for Caltrans District 4. She is a graduate of U.C. Davis and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of California. She has also been a certified Project Manage-ment Professional since December 2004. As a 15 year veteran with Caltrans she has worked in various functional capacities including design and construction on both roadway and structures projects.

Her experience with consultant contracts began in November 2001 when as a Se-nior Contract Manager she worked to establish contracting policies and processes for the newly formed CSU group in District 4. Prior to taking on her present role, she spent a six month period with the San Francisco County Transportation Authority managing grants and contracts in the Capital Projects Division and an-other six months as the District 4 California Transportation Commission Liaison resolving project delivery and funding issues.

Her notable project participation includes the Cloverdale Bypass, Devil’s Slide Tunnels, and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge East Span.

Cost: $25 Business Forum Members $35 SEAONC Members $40 Other Attendees

Meal Selections: Lunch will be provided. If you prefer a vegetarian meal please specify this when you send in your registration.

RSVP: Contact the SEAONC office at office@seaonc.org or 415/974-5147 (RSVPs sent via e-mail will receive e-mail confirmations)

Registration Deadline: Friday, January 11th at 12:00pm

ply locally because of delays in rail and ship movements. Provision for use of alternate sources or even OPC mixes is prudent if job delays are to be re-duced.

Concrete construction is driven by eco-nomics. Producers use SCMs, particu-larly fly ash and slag, as a way to both improve concrete quality and control costs. Effective use of SCMs is often hampered by prescriptive specifica-tions that either restrict or do not allow SCMs. Conversely specifications that dictate proportions of SCMs without the proper trial batch or job data often do not result in the most economic con-crete. Efficient utilization of fly ash is attained by allowing a 56 or 90 day f’c strength criterion. With a 28 day crite-rion, the cementitous materials content of a mix may be higher when fly ash is used as opposed to OPC only. It is of-ten possible, based upon locally avail-ability, to achieve synergy by using more than one SCM in a mix.

SCMs have enabled many specialty high performance concrete applica-tions as well as allowed more efficient use of materials in normal concrete applications. The greatest benefits are realized when the specifications are based upon structural performance requirements and on the prescriptive requirements developed by a concrete technologist with specific local knowl-edge of the materials available. Since retirement as Director of Quality Control for Northern California Cemex in May 2007, Al has started ConcreteRx, a Civil Engineering practice that specializes in concrete and concrete related problems. Email akaufman@concreterx.

ATC Training

A training course for seismic rehabil-itation of one- and two-family dwell-ings will be held Monday 4 February 2008 in Fremont. Further informa-tion is available on the ATC web site: www.atcouncil.org

“SMCs” Continued from page 2

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Job Forum

Biggs Cardosa Associates has immediate openings in our San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland, CA offices! Are you interested in a long-term career with an exciting and growth-oriented firm? In San Jose, we are looking for three Senior Engineers or Project Managers (one with min. 10 years experi-ence in building design and California SE required; and two with min. 10 years expe-rience in bridge design and California CE required). In Oakland, we are looking for Project Engineers or Staff Engineers, and a Senior Engineer or Project Manager with a min. 10 years experience in building and/or bridge design (California CE is required, SE is preferred). Please email your resume to mharms@biggscardosa.com. Find out more about our firm at www.biggscardosa.com. EOE.

The City of Fremont seeks a Building In-spector Specialist (Structural) to enforce the provisions of the Uniform Building, Plumb-ing, Mechanical, and Electrical Codes by inspecting additions and alterations to, and new residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. Requires the equivalent of a high school diploma and two years of experience in building inspection work, including one year in a structural field of inspection or equivalent specialized training or journey level experience. ICBO Certification as a Combination Inspector or equivalent certifi-cation from a recognized agency is required within one year of date of hire. Possession of a valid Class C California Driver’s License at date of hire is required. A Bachelor’s degree in civil or structural engineering, and struc-tural design experience is highly desirable. Monthly salary is $6,208 - $7,546 + excellent benefits. The first review of applications is January 4, 2008. For more information, visit our website at www.fremont.gov or call (510) 494-4660. THE CITY OF FREMONT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Crosby Group is looking for self-motivated project engineers and project managers with a minimum of 5 years of experience for our of-fices in Redwood City, Sacramento, and Colo-rado. The Crosby Group offers its engineers excellent growth opportunities with a solid career path, a highly collaborative environ-ment, and exposure to a variety of large and challenging projects. At the Crosby Group, you will get the opportunity to participate on an exciting mix of new design-bid-build and design-build projects that average more than $300 million annually. A sampling of current project types include: Convention Centers, Libraries, Community Colleges, Hotels, Elementary Schools, Justice Facilities, and Manufacturing Plants. The Crosby Group offers generous compensation packages including Full Health coverage, 401K, profit sharing, and generous educational stipends. If you are looking for the company with enough flexibility to suit your demanding life-style, please view our website at www.crosbygroup.com and send a cover letter and resume to resumes@crosbygroup.com. Both fulltime and part time positions will be considered.

DASSE Design, seeks experienced Staff and Project Engineers for our SF and Oakland offices who want to step in to a rewarding

career in the design of diverse and techni-cally challenging building structures, while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Our projects include new construction and retrofit, in education, health care, civic, mountain resort and life sciences buildings. Requirements are BSCE (MSCE preferred), 2 -10+ years relevant design experience; DSA or OSHPD experience a plus. PE or SE license required for Project Engineers. Positions require strong technical and com-munication skills, with a desire to grow and contribute in a professional environment. Our mentor and continuing education programs help you reach your potential. Email resume with cover letter to William Andrews, andrews@dasse.com. Visit us at www.dasse.com

DESIMONE Consulting Engineers, a lead-ing international structural engineering firm with a staff of over 200, has immediate openings in our growing San Francisco of-fice for engineers at all levels. Presently, we are designing a diverse mix of interesting and technically challenging projects with a primary focus on new design, including win-eries, museums, resorts, residential projects, and high-rise buildings. Ideal candidates should have strong technical, management and communications skills. We offer a competitive benefits package, coupled with a dynamic work environment. Additional opportunities are available in our New York, Miami, New Haven, Las Vegas and Hong Kong offices. Please send your resume via e-mail to rpolivka@de-simone.com.

FORELL/ELSESSER ENGINEERS, INC., IS SEEKING TALENTED, REGISTERED ENGINEERS WITH 5 OR MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE to be members of our team. Are you looking for that “dream job” that will allow you to work in a dy-namic downtown San Francisco office with a collaborative, fun group of engineers on some of the most challenging and exciting structural and seismic projects in California and around the world? If so, FORELL/EL-SESSER ENGINEERS, INC., is eager to hear from you! Join an exciting and thoughtful team in a dynamic work environment that actively encourages and supports individual professional growth through ongoing edu-cation, training, and mentoring. Our firm offers a competitive compensation package that includes major medical, dental, vision, life/disability insurance, 401(k) match, profit sharing plan, incentive compensation plan and a flexible spending account. Find out more about FORELL/ELSESSER at www.forell.com Please contact Mason Walters at (415) 837-0700 or send resumes to Mason Walters, FORELL/ELSESSER ENGINEERS, INC., 160 Pine Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111 or e-mail mason@forell.com

Holmes Culley is part of the Holmes Group – based in New Zealand, with a reputation for pushing the boundaries. Pushing bound-aries means we put no limits on individual potential, basing rewards and advancement on achievements and entrepreneurship, not just seniority. This also means taking an imaginative and resourceful approach to projects, challenging established convention,

and using cutting-edge technologies. If you, too, are a person who pushes the boundar-ies – in your achievements, interests, and abilities – then we want you as part of our energetic and collegial SF team. Minimum qualifications include a PE license, experi-ence in seismic structural design, and an appetite for challenge and fun. Check us out at www.holmesculley.com and send your resume with cover letter to Denny Kwan (dkwan@holmesculley.com).

Ireland Engineering in Fremont, CA has an immediate full time position available for a Civil / Structural Design Engineer with 2-10 years experience in Structural / Seismic Engineering. We are looking for a positive, self motivated, Project Engineer with good communication, computer, & CAD skills (B.S.C.E. Required., P.E. License preferred). Send resume and cover letter to Jobs@IrelandEng.com or fax resume to 510-438-0689. EOE

KPFF Consulting Engineers is seeking engi-neers at all levels for full time employment in our San Francisco and Walnut Creek offices. KPFF offers a supportive business environ-ment unencumbered by bureaucracy that allows you to chart your own career devel-opment. Our culture supports personal and professional growth, education and training, and the freedom to pursue individual career goals. Applicants must be motivated and possess excellent communication skills. If you have at least 2 years of design experi-ence, (PE license and an advanced degree in structural engineering preferred) and an interest in Structural Design, we want to hear from you. Send cover letter and resume to KPFF at jobapp@kpff-sf.com. EOE

A career at MIDDLEBROOK + LOUIE means a great opportunity to work on new, world-class facilities and other important buildings in a supportive, team-based environment. Currently, we’re inviting experienced candidates for STRUCTURAL DESIGN ENGINEER and OVERSEAS FIELD ENGINEER positions to contact us at CAREERS@MPLUSL.com. We’re seeking Engineers with MSCE degrees and 2+ years experience. We offer competitive salaries, outstanding benefits and exciting project assignments. More information about our firm is at www.MPLUSL.com

Optimal Design Group is a small multi-dis-ciplinary firm in San Francisco specializing in structural & civil engineering and architec-tural design. Our projects range from wood & concrete low-rise structures to municipal creek retrofits & small bridges, to design support for our patent applications. If you like independent work (part-time/contract) and creative projects, please email resume & cover to Val@OptimalDesignGroup.com. We have ongoing need for designer/engineer proficient in Acad.

RPSE Seeking Resumes for Structural Engi-neers:Rinne & Peterson Structural Engineers (RPSE) seeks and executes diverse, challeng-ing projects. Are you customer-focused, detail-oriented, flexible, with great commu-

Continued on page 10

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Job Forum

DISPLAY ADSFull Page $900/mo.2/3 Page $600/mo.1/2 Page $480/mo.1/3 Page $360/mo.1/4 Page $270/mo.1/6 Page $225/mo.

Inserts/Flyers1 sided $1000/mo.2 sided $1200/mo.

Rates are for finished camera-ready black and white ads or proofed picture files with embedded fonts. Full pay-ment is required at time of insertion order. For advertising contract, size specifications, and special rates for running an ad for multiple months, contact the SEAONC Office at by e-mail at: anantell@hp-assoc.com or phone at 415/974 -5147.

Routinely recognized as one of the best places to work, Degenkolb Engineers is actively

recruiting structural engineers looking for a long-term career with a clear path to

leadership and ownership. We encourage lifelong learning and support professional and

community-based activities. Degenkolb engineers have the opportunity to follow their

interests and develop their own book of work. And when we’re not doing that, we are

playing…sometimes in one of four company cabins in Tahoe, Big Bear, Monterey, and

Sunriver. As renowned leaders in seismic and structural engineering, we offer a

diverse, challenging mix of projects on both new and existing structures. Minimum

requirements are an MS in Structural Engineering, excellent communication skills, and

a desire to work in a challenging, collaborative environment. We have offices in San

Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland and Seattle and are seeking

engineers with all levels of experience. EOE

If you’re interested in joining our award-winning firm, please contact:

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$150 for up to 450 characters / spaces

$15 for each additional 45 characters / spaces

All Job Forum ads will be printed in the newsletter

and posted on the SEAONC web site.

JOB FORUMInsertion Fees

nication skills? Want growth opportunity, flexible hours, competitive salary, great benefits and superb working environment? Please send cover letter and resume to Hu-man Resources, via fax at 650.428.2861, or e-mail HumanRes@rpse.com.

Rutherford & Chekene, recognized as a leader in structural and seismic engineer-ing, has career opportunities in response to our considerable backlog of challenging projects. Positions involving innovative structural design and analysis are currently open to engineers and designers of all ex-perience levels who want to become part of our dynamic and collaborative team. If you wish to apply for one of these positions or learn more about them, please contact Peter Revelli by phone at 415/568-4400 or e-mail at prevelli@ruthchek.com. Also visit our web site at www.ruthchek.com.

Structural Design Engineers is seeking a bright, self – motivated structural engineer who would enjoy working in a creative, collaborative environment on diverse, chal-lenging projects in both new construction and renovation. Strong analytical skills important. Minimum preferred qualifica-tions: MSCE + 2 YR structural analysis/3-D computer analysis experience. Design experience helpful. PE license helpful. Let-ters/resume to SDE, 120 Montgomery St, Suite 1410, SF, CA 94104, fax 415-781-2718 or email:jack@sdesf.com.

Tipping Mar + Associates seeks an ener-getic, creative individual to join the staff of a dynamic, emerging structural engineering firm. If you have imagination in addition to technical expertise, and would enjoy work-ing in early collaboration with architects

and contractors to provide exceptional seismic and sustainable design, please send a resume and cover letter to Tipping Mar + associates, 1906 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704; fax to 510-549-1912; or e-mail steve.tipping@tippingmar.com.

Watry Design, Inc. is looking for just the right individuals to join our highly skilled team of architects, engineers and parking consultants. Are you interested in forging new territory? Our firm is doing just that . . . We currently have openings for entry to mid-level structural designers who would like to work for clients such as Pixar, Stanford, BART, Kaiser, IKEA and Marriott. Email resumes to jobs@watrydesign.com or fax 650.298.8151.

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JAN

8th SEAONC Dinner Meeting City Club, San Francisco

16th SEAONC Business Forum City Club, San Francisco

Cost - Monthly Meeting Pre-Regisration Late Reg. SEAONC o $39 o $44 Junior Mbr. o $33 o $38 Student o $15 o $15 Non-Mbr o $44 o $49

NAME

COMPANY

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

PHONE FAX

RSVP by Fax: 415/ 764-4915, e-mail: office@seaonc.org, Phone: 415/974-5147

SEAONC - January 8th San Francisco Dinner Meeting: “690 Market Street”

Registration Deadine: Noon, Thur. Jan 3rd.

• Paying by check make payment to SEAONC.• Paying online (monthly meeting only) go to: http://www.seaonc.org/member/member_s/events/order_form.asp • Paying by credit card provide the following: (SEAONC Accepts VISA, MC, AMEX)

Register early, seating is limited. No cancellations after deadlines listed above. No-shows are still responsible for full attendance fee.

Reg

istra

tion

5:30 pm Assemby6:15 pm Dinner7:15 pm Program

City Club, San Francisco155 Sansome St. San Francisco, CA 94104

Monthly Program 1/08

Credit Card#:

Expiration date:

Signature:

Get Your Newsletter ElectronicallyThe SEAONC News is available electronically to all

members. You can choose the electronic option at any time and help SEAONC save costs on printing and

mailing. Please contact the SEAONC office at office@seaonc.org with “electronic subscription” in the

subject line, and your name and contact info in the body of the email.