From Research to Real-World Application: Pioneering Mass Timber Innovation

Brian DeMeza’s journey from pursuing his Master of Science degree at Oregon State University (OSU) to his current role as a Senior Field Engineer at Simpson Strong-Tie has brought him full circle with his recent involvement in the six-story NHERI TallWood project. His hands-on experience in this project played a pivotal role in shaping his passion and focus on mass timber as a potential career path.

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3, 2, 1. . .Countdown to Earthquake!

This week, I’d like to introduce Jeff Ellis as a guest blogger for the Structural Engineering Blog. Jeff is the Manager of Codes, Standards and Special Projects for Simpson Strong-Tie. Jeff will be posting occasionally on topics that are relevant to our work, especially related to cold-formed steel (CFS) construction. 

When was the last time you knew an earthquake was coming and witnessed its effects on a building without feeling any shaking yourself? Since the mid- to late ‘90’s, several uni-axial and tri-axial shake tables have been built and used to better understand whole building performance under actual earthquake ground motion in order to improve code requirements and, in some cases, develop performance-based design methods.Continue Reading