Peterson Structural Engineers, Inc. has extensive experience working with Commercial and Industrial clients to design economical and unique solutions to meet specified project needs. On the Commercial side we have worked on the design of both new structures as well as the upgrade of existing buildings being remodeled or retrofitted for new uses or occupancies. Commercial buildings we have worked on include office buildings, strip malls, churches, schools, hotels and other multiuse structures.
One particular area of interest in commercial building design relates to the upgrade of Unreinforced Masonry (URM) buildings. URM buildings are common in the Pacific Northwest and pose unique challenges due to their inherent lack of seismic strength. These buildings have been identified as significant life safety hazards. PSE has worked on many URM buildings in the Portland, Oregon downtown and surrounding Pearl District to upgrade them to meet current code requirements. This has allowed the owners to bring new life back to dilapidated and potentially dangerous buildings while restoring the original character of the buildings.
On the Industrial side we have worked on the structural design for various industrial support structures as well as the seismic anchorage of differing equipment that widely varies for each project. This can vary from relatively simple HVAC systems on roofs to heavy mining machinery supported several hundred feet above grade on existing or new structures. We have worked with small local HVAC contractors on local projects all the way up to large multinational corporations on projects on the East Coast and as far away as Qatar in the Middle East. We have also worked on projects in the Semiconductor, Biomedical, Renewable Solar Power, Water Purifying, Mining, Paper Manufacturing and many other industries.
A unique area of expertise in the Industrial field is the structural analysis and design of steel stacks for both guy supported and unsupported configurations in accordance with the latest American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standards for steel stack design. The design of steel stacks often requires the consideration of unique wind effects such as vortex shedding which can create large dynamic forces on steel stacks. We have designed self supporting steel stacks measuring over 100 feet tall.
