Investigations For more information, contact investigations@wai.com. Filter Projects By Investigations Type View All Investigations Types View Construction and Design Issues View Damage Evaluation View Seismic Rehabilitation View Wind Engineering View Risk Assessment 2009   120 Ocean Drive Miami Beach, Florida The Congress Group Bermello Ajamil and Partners South Beach 20-story apartment building with luxury condos and 5-story parking garage podium. Wind engineering, wind tunnel testing.      Pitt River Bridge Vibrations Study Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada British Columbia Ministry of Transportaiton West Wind Laboratory Preliminary study of wind-induced vibrations of bridge stay cables; recommendations for mitigation with mechanical dampers.. 2008   Sika Corporation-FRP Design Multiple Cities, California Sika Corporation WAI Prime Design services and assistance with jurisdictional approval for structural strengthening enhancements using fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP's). 2007   Cameron Parish Schools Cameron Parish, Louisiana Cameron Parish School Board WAI Prime; Cossich Sumich & Parsiola Determination of hurricane wind speeds and building loads for damage investigation of several school buildings to support insurance claim.      Casino Magic Biloxi Biloxi, Mississippi Pinnacle Entertainment MA Engineering Inc Structural evaluation of hurricane damage to casino, hotel, and garage. Wind analysis.      Drommi Residence Beverly Hills, California Private Owner WAI Prime; Loewenthal Hillshafer & Rosen Investigation of earthquake damage to 2-story wood-framed single-family dwelling constructed in the 1920s. Risk assessment.      Eldorado Towers Aventura, Florida Eldorado Towers WAI Prime; Zevuloni & Associates Investigation of extensive exterior and interior damage caused by Hurricane Wilma (2005) to twin 27-story, 258-unit concrete-frame towers.      Faith Tabernacle Church and School Building Franklinton, Louisiana Faith Tabernacle Church WAI Prime; Tremaine Enterprises Wind engineering for large wood-framed church and adjoining school building. Mediation.      Gonzales vs. Farmers Santa Monica and Los Angeles, California Private Owner WAI Prime; Hunt Ortmann Blasco Palffy & Rossell Investigation of effects of 1994 Northridge earthquake on 4 apartment buildings. Site-specific ground motion estimated using in-house method used on 100-plus similar cases .      Omega Protein, Abbeville Plant Abbeville, Louisiana Omega Protein Corporation WAI Prime; Cossich Sumich & Parsiola Investigation of hurricane damage to 17 buildings constructed of steel, masonry, and wood. Mediation.      Omega Protein, Cameron Plant Cameron, Louisiana Omega Protein Corporation WAI Prime; Cossich Sumich & Parsiola Investigation of hurricane damage to about 46 concrete masonry and pre-fabricated steel buildings. Determination of hurricane wind speeds at site and wind loads on buildings.      Omega Protein, Moss Point Plant Moss Point, Mississippi Omega Protein Corporation WAI Prime; Cossich Sumich & Parsiola Investigation of hurricane damage to approximately 45 concrete masonry and pre-fabricated steel buildings. Mediation.      Robert College of Istanbul - Sage and Gould Halls Istanbul, Turkey Robert College WAI Prime Risk assessment of non-ductile plain concrete building with interior composite frame system. Seismic retrofit with advanced carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers.      Soho Tower Miami, Florida The Congress Group Bermello Ajamil and Partners Waterfront residential complex with parking on first 4 of 17 stories. Wind tunnel testing 2006   Academy of Sacred Heart New Orleans, Louisiana Academy of Sacred Heart WAI Prime; Tremaine Enterprises Investigation of Hurricane-Katrina-related damage to historic brick masonry building built in the late 1800s that houses a Catholic girls' school.      Belmont High School Study Echo Park, California Belmont High School WAI Prime; Bergman & Dacey Evaluation of structural damage to reinforced-concrete school building due to coring through reinforcement in beams and slabs.      Bockhacker vs. Farmers Los Angeles, California Private Owner WAI Prime; Hunt Ortmann Blasco Palffy & Rossell Investigation of 5 properties, including 34-unit apartment building, in North Hollywood, Sepulveda, and Van Nuys to determine effects of 1994 Northridge earthquake.      City Front Terrace Condominiums San Diego, California City Front Terrace Home Owners Association WAI Prime; Walsh & Furcolo Expert witness services on behalf of defense regarding possible construction defects in 3 structures of a condominium complex.      DEP Rockaway WPCP Fender Collapse Queens, New York NYC Department of Environmental Protection WAI Prime; Camp Dresser & McKee Forensic study, condition assessment, inspection supervision, analysis, and concept designs for repair of partially collapsed fender system.      First Church of Christ, Scientist, Historic Retrofit Pasadena, California First Church of Christ Scientist Architectural Resources Group Seismic retrofit and risk assessment of historic reinforced-concrete Greek-Ionic-style building with 30-foot-high, 60-foot-diameter dome.      Holiday Shores Beach Club Daytona Beach Shores, Florida Holiday Shores Beach Club WAI Prime; Childress Duffy Goldblatt Structural investigation of effects of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne in 2004 on 2-story, 34-unit building..      LNG Storage Tank Rocky Hill, Connecticut Natural Gas Provider SEA Consultants Blast analysis to assess vulnerability of LNG storage tank facility to explosives detonated at various standoff distances.      Logan Airport Terminal Area Roadways Boston, Massachusetts Massport WAI Prime; Donovan Hatem Expert witness in support of Massport regarding overruns on construction of elevated and at-grade roadway system. Review of design drawings.      Orange Coast College - Watson Hall Seismic Retrofit Costa Mesa, California Coast Community College District Roessler Design Group Award-winning structural analysis and seismic retrofit design for 4-story reinforced-concrete building.      Pantex Plant - AGV Rack Design Amarillo, Texas US Department of Energy SA Robotics Seismic analysis and design of nuclear material pallet staging racks, including layout, details, and connections. Fast track.      Sail Point Bay Apartments Daytona Beach, Florida Continental Property Services WAI Prime; Dietz International Structural engineering investigation of damage caused by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne in 2004 on 272-unit building.      St. James' Church Antiphonal Organ Los Angeles, California St. James' Church WAI Prime Development of supports for new antiphonal organ.      Steinway Street Bridge Emergency Damage Assessment Queens, New York NYC Department of Transportation WAI Prime; WAI Prime Forensic investigation and condition inspection of collapsed bridge structure over Grand Central Parkway. Shop drawing review of temporary bridge.      SuperMarine Building Renovation Santa Monica, California Volkswagen/Audi Wolcott Interior Planning and Design Structural retrofit and expansion of long-span structure with 2 wings and large open central space. Nonlinear modeling of additional decks and required braces. 2005   Baltimore Convention Center Hilton Hotel Study Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Development Corporation RTKL Associates Wind tunnel testing to evaluate pedestrian-level wind flow around proposed convention center hotel occupying 2 city blocks.      Brooklyn Bridge - Pedestrian Vibrations Study Brooklyn, New York NYC Department of Transportation WAI Prime Analysis of pedestrian-induced vibrations (synchronization) caused by unprecedented exodus from Manhattan during largest blackout in US history. Monitoring, testing, mitigation.      Franciscan Hill Condominiums Valencia, California Franciscan Hill Condominiums WAI Prime; Harrington Foxx Dubrow & Canter Computer model of large wood condominium complex to determine earthquake performance and effects of recognized construction defects. Testified in California Superior Court.      Gemini Damage Evaluation Ormond Beach, Florida Gemini Management Association WAI Prime; Childress Duffy Goldblatt Site investigation of damage caused by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne in 2004 to 12-story building with 6 towers .      Inlet Condominiums New Smyrna Beach, Florida Inlet Condominium Association WAI Prime; Childress Duffy Goldblatt Wind engineering analysis to determine wind speeds and loads for correlation with hurricane damage to 18-story 124-unit condominium complex.      Route 9A - Cut and Cover Tunnel Study New York, New York NYS Department of Transportation Earth Tech/WAI (JV) Study of 3 alternatives for 1,100-foot-long cut-and-cover tunnel adjacent to World Trade Center. Protection of PATH tubes, retaining wall, and tie-backs.      Silver Creek Golf Clubhouse Pipeline Protection San Jose, California Silver Creek Golf Club WAI Prime; William Lyons Homes Risk analysis of likelihood and consequences of accidental break in buried gas pipeline. Recommendations for mitigation of blast and heat loading.      Watermark Hotel Collapse San Antonio, Texas The Watermark Hotel WAI Prime; Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld Investigation of collapse of historic brick masonry facade during hotel construction. 2004   Promenade West Garage Los Angeles, California Promenade West WAI Prime; Castro & Associates Structural engineering investigation of cracking in elevated concrete structural slabs of parking garage. Development of computer model to study stress.      Rangar Hangar Investigation Kissimmee, Forida Kissimmee Private Plane Airport WAI Prime; Friedman Rubin & White Investigation of airplane hangar collapse in Florida caused by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne.      Route LA 319 Drawbridge / Louisa Bridge Port of West St. Mary, Louisiana Louisiana Department of Transportation HNTB Investigation of failure of temporary supports of bascule leaf during erection. Evaluation of damage to bascule girder, counterweight box, tension supports. Repair recommendations.      St. George Ferry Terminal - Pier Repair Staten Island, New York NYC Department of Transportation WAI Prime Post-collision fast-track underwater inspection and evaluation of timber-pile-supported pier, remediation recommendations, design, and construction support for repairs.      Ventura Harbor Wind Study Ventura, California Sondermann Ring Partners WAI Prime Preliminary wind engineering study to determine whether $60 million residential and retail development with marina could have adverse effects on sailing winds in Ventura Harbor.      World Trade Center - Structural Engineering Investigation New York, New York Silverstein Properties WAI Prime; Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz Lead structural engineer for investigation that determined that the collapse of one WTC tower did not cause or contribute to the collapse of the other. 2003   Empirical Earthquake Damage Models of Standard Building Types Multiple Cities, California California Geological Survey (CSMIP) WAI Prime Study and development of computer models to correlate observed building performance with measured ground motion under earthquake loading.      Fairhaven Bridge (F-01-014-3T7) Fairhaven, Massachusetts Massachusetts Highway Department WAI Prime Forensic investigation of prestressed-concrete box-beam deck bridge to determine causes of deflection and negative camber in various beams. Field and laboratory testing.      Kaiser Permanente Hospital Woodland Hills, California Kaiser Permanente WAI Prime Risk assessment of steel building including earthquake response; rehabilitation recommendations based on sophisticated computer models.      La Jolla Galleria - 7777 Fay Avenue La Jolla, California The Shidler Group WAI Prime Remediation of floor-slab deflections in 4-story reinforced-concrete office building with high-strength fiber-composite materials. Testing program, computer analysis.      Marcy Pedestrian Bridge - Forensic Investigation Marcy, New York NYS Department of Transportation WAI Prime Forensic investigation of pedestrian bridge that collapsed during construction. Field research, design and code compliance review, sample testing, structural analysis, report.      New York Times Printing Plant Queens, New York New York Times WAI Prime; Jones Day Reavis Pogue; Proskauer Rose Failure investigation of underslab piping system in settling soil. Represented designer (settled before trial) and plaintiff at trial in Supreme Court of the State of New York.      Sakhalin Island Dome Sakhalin Island, Russian Federation Conservatek WAI Prime Seismic and nonlinear buckling analysis of 93-meter diameter aluminum domed roof to cover crude oil storage tank.      Starbucks Headquarters Seattle, Washington Nitze-Stagen WAI Prime; KCE Matrix Structural investigation, risk assessment, computer analysis, and repair recommendations for historic 9-story building and garage damaged by 2001 Nisqually earthquake. 2002   Brooklyn Tabernacle Investigation Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn Tabernacle WAI Prime; Kostogreenwood Architects Evaluation of perceptible motion experienced on balcony during exuberant portions of the service.      Channing House Senior Residence Palo Alto, California Channing House BH Bocook Architects Nonlinear analysis and engineering review of non-ductile concrete building. First California hospital facility to be retrofitted with base isolation.      Long Island Health Campus Boston, Massachusetts City of Boston WAI Prime; Vanderweil Facilities Assessment Inspection of 16 buildings for structural and state building code deficiencies; evaluation of facade conditions.      Metreon Multiplex San Francisco, California Metreon WAI Prime; Friedman Wang Bleiberg Investigation of failure to meet design requirements and of claim delays. Prepared statement, testified at binding arbitration (Court of the State of California).      Unidome Fabric Roof Cedar Falls, Iowa Unidome WAI Prime; Zetlin & DeChiara Investigation of fabric roof that replaced previous one that failed, for lawsuit concerning negligible defects. Report, deposition, testified at trial. 2001   Fargo Dome Fabric Roof Minneapolis, Minnesota Fargo Dome WAI Prime; Meagher & Geer Investigation of football stadium air-supported fabric roof. Review of corner mechanical structures and parapet walls.      Holy Cross Medical Center - Weld Repair Los Angeles, California Holy Cross Medical Center WAI Prime; GMA Insurance Monitoring of contractor who performed field inspection and repair of welds in steel-moment-frame hospital structure with severe earthquake damage.      Oquirrh Park Olympic Speed Skating Rink Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee WAI Prime; Jones Waldo Holbrook & McDonough Investigation of collapse of roof section during construction. Determination of cause, review of proposed repairs, litigation.      Pyramid House Roof Collapse Illinois Private Owner WAI Prime; Edward T Mallek & Associates Investigation of collapse of fabric roof installed to protect unique pyramid-shaped house with gold leaf panels. Analysis of cause for litigation.      Sydney Superdome Olympic Stadium Roof Sydney, Australia Sydney Superdome WAI Prime; Clayton Utz Lawyers Review of original design and approval of reinforcing plan for steel-truss roof after several steel members buckled during construction. Tight Olympics deadline, litigation.      Tara Hills Condominiums Culver City, California Tara Hills Condominium Association WAI Prime; Quisenberry & Kabateck Field investigation and computer analysis of earthquake damage and shrinkage effects. Testified in California Superior Court. 2000   199 Fremont Street San Francisco, California Fremont Properties Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz Wind tunnel study of 385-foot-tall Class A downtown office building featuring glass-and-granite curtain wall with metal accents.      Atlanta Arena Stands Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta Arena WAI Prime; Sutherland Asbill & Brennan Investigation of failure of precast-concrete stands of arena in Fulton County. Report, deposition. Case settled before trial.      La Guardia Airport - Garage Framing Analysis Queens, New York Port Authority of New York & New Jersey WAI Prime Study to determine underlying causes of recurring structural problems in 1-million-square-foot, 2,800-car garage built in 1973.      Montreal Olympic Stadium Investigation Montreal, Canada Montreal Olympic Stadium WAI Prime; Pierre Gareau Investigation of cause of failure of fabric panels during snowstorm and recommendation of remedial measures.      Nordhoff Townhouses Van Nuys, California Nordhoff Condominium Association WAI Prime Field investigation and computer model of earthquake response of large condominium complex. Testified in California Superior Court.      Presidential Heights Canopy New Bedford, Massachusetts City of New Bedford Domenech Hicks & Krockmalnic Structural investigation and repair of failed overhead wood canopy, affecting approximately 200 other entrance canopies for housing units.      Radisson Hotel Investigation Los Angeles, California Radisson Hotel WAI Prime; Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro Computer modeling for investigation of damage to high-rise concrete building from adjacent subsurface excavation.      Royal Palm Resort Collapse Agana, Guam Royal Palm Resort WAI Prime; Holland & Knight Determination of cause of earthquake-induced collapse of newly constructed hotel; presentation of results in US Federal Court. 1999   Honolulu International Airport - Ventilation Study Honolulu, Hawaii Hawaii Department of Transportation CDS International Wind tunnel study to quantify and enhance natural ventilation and air flow in Overseas Terminal.      NY Aquarium Tension Structure Coney Island, New York NYC Department of Design and Construction WAI Prime Structural-integrity inspection of existing silicon fabric roof structure erected in 1995 for the Oceanic Tank. Repair and replacement recommendations.      VA Main Hospital - Seismic Rehabilitation Comparison Designs Brooklyn, New York FEMA/BSSC (Building Seismic Safety Council) WAI Prime Evaluation of NEHRP guidelines for seismic rehabilitation of buildings through development of comparison designs based on prevailing practice.      Yankee Stadium Rehabilitation Bronx, New York NYC Department of Design and Construction WAI Prime; Lehrer McGovern Bovis Structural stability review to ensure public safety after major failure. Immediate repairs to baseball stadium and connecting garage, subsequent inspections and repairs. 1998   4 Times Square Failure New York, New York 4 Times Square Corp Stroock & Stroock & Lavan Determination of likely cause of scaffolding collapse during construction of high-rise office building. 1997   California State University - Administration Building Los Angeles, California California State University WAI Prime Seismic retrofit of non-ductile concrete building using viscous dampers and advanced fiber composite materials.      Eleventh Avenue Viaduct at 34th Street New York, New York Consolidated Edison Company WAI Prime Design and construction supervision of repair to 4-block-long viaduct over railroad yard after accidental cutting of structures. In-depth inspection, utilities, paving, lighting.      Getty Art Museum and Research Center - Wind Study Los Angeles, California J Paul Getty Trust WAI Prime; Richard Meier & Associates Wind flow and comfort study of $1.6 billion museum and research center on 110-acre hilltop site to improve outdoor use and dining for patrons.      Shubert Theatre Complex - Wind Study Century City, California American Broadcasting Corporation WAI Prime Wind tunnel study and statistical analysis of local wind patterns to limit discomfort to plaza and food court patrons. Recommendations for advertising on wind break.      University of California - Royce Hall Los Angeles, California University of California Barton Phelps & Associates Seismic retrofit of historic non-ductile concrete building with brick masonry infills. 1996   28 State Street - Wind Analysis and Garage Addition Boston, Massachusetts Congress Group/Equity Office Properties WAI Prime; Elkus/Manfredi Architects Wind comfort study and retrofit of 40-story office building to reduce motion in high winds. Addition of underground garage with fill-in framing to create new floor space.      Garden View Terrace Condominiums Northridge, California XL Services WAI Prime Prediction of earthquake response in residential condominium complex damaged by 1994 Northridge earthquake. Use of high-tech fibers in suggested repair scheme.      Hughes Aircraft Building El Segundo, California Hughes Aircraft Company WAI Prime; Stephen Woolley & Associates Peer review, using nonlinear analysis, of final design for seismic retrofit of non-ductile concrete building with base isolation.      Olympic Stadium Peer Review and Litigation Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta Stadium Design Team Heery/Rosser/Ellerbe Becket/WRJ (JV) Investigation of all major structural components of new $230 million, 85,000-seat stadium after fatal collapse of precast stands during erection. Repair review and litigation.      University of California - Kerckhoff Hall Los Angeles, California University of California WAI Prime; Widom Wein Cohen Seismic retrofit using base isolation of landmark non-ductile concrete building with brick masonry infills. 1994   Hotel Nikko Beverly Hills, California Kawasho Corporation WAI Prime Seismic repair and retrofit of damaged 7-story luxury hotel. First use of advanced fiber-composite jacket system.
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