Massive amounts of timber. Tons of structural steel. Envisioned as the centerpiece of a revitalized fairgrounds complex in Washington County, Oregon, the Wingspan Conference And Event Center due to open in summer 2020 includes a high-tech 39,000-square-foot expo hall with 30ʹ ceilings, a rooftop solar array, a 13,000-square-foot conference center to accommodate trade shows, corporate meetings, and seminars, and a materials list of building products to rival any commercial or civic construction project.
Author: Jesse Russell
The Simpson Strong-Tie Excellence in Engineering Fellowship, A Grateful Adventure
Before starting my fellowship, a year seemed like a very long time to be away from my day-to-day life, my clients, and my comfort zone. I started with many questions about how I could support the Build Change team to make the biggest possible impact with this fellowship. Once I started, however, I found more than a great team; I found a family. I would like to start this blog by praising the support of every member of the teams that I worked with, including the Build Change headquarters staff, as well as the staffs of the programs in Colombia and the Philippines.
Questions Answered: Deck Ledger Connections for Wood and Masonry
In this post, we follow up on our July webinar, Safer, Stronger Decks: Ledger Connections for Wood and Masonry, by answering some of the interesting questions raised by attendees.
During the webinar we discussed code-compliant ledger connection
options for both wood and masonry construction. In case you weren’t able to join our discussion, you can watch the on-demand webinar and earn PDH and CEU credits here.
Designing Resilience: NEESWood Capstone a Decade Later
In 2009, Simpson Strong-Tie participated in an unprecedented research event to highlight the importance of earthquake-resistant wood construction.
The event, the world’s largest earthquake test, was a collaborative Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation project. It teamed academics, engineers, and industry researchers from around the world to subject a structure to what engineers refer to as the “maximum considered event” (MCE), a large, rare earthquake projected to occur, on average, approximately every 2500 years.
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5 Ways the Quik Stik™ Tool Raises the Bar on Overhead Fastening
Our “Quik” line of tools now has jobsite efficiency covered from subfloor to drywall to rafters. The Quik Stik overhead assembly fastening system is our most recent innovation in a line of fastening systems that also includes the Quik Drive® PRO250G3 subfloor system and the Quik Drive PRODW drywall system. It provides contractors with a versatile solution that makes fastening rafter and truss connections faster and easier than ever. Here are five ways the Quik Stik raises the bar on overhead fastening.
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Building Connections: Getting Social with Simpson Strong-Tie
Simpson Strong-Tie was built on the idea of making strong connections. That concept extends beyond our structural innovations for raising or supporting strong, resilient buildings and communities. We use social media and our two company blogs to have conversations not only about our products and services, but also about the values and mission of our company. Here are several of the ways you can tell us about your experiences with Simpson Strong-Tie, learn more about our company or ask us questions.
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Timber Strong Gives Engineering Students Real-World Experience
Structural engineering, like every other research field, advances by educating new generations of students in the principles and practice of the discipline. Knowing that, Simpson Strong-Tie has teamed with the Binational Softwood Lumber Council and the American Wood Council to co-sponsor and coordinate the Timber Strong Design-Build Competition, an annual design contest held at the ASCE Pacific Southwest Conference in Tempe, Arizona.
Engineering students will test their civil and environmental engineering skills this spring when they compete in the annual Timber Strong Design-Build Competition. Eighteen universities will send teams of students to Tempe, Arizona, to participate at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC).
The objective of the competition, taking place April 12–14, is to give students valuable real-world engineering design experience:
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