Randal Poston
Distringuished Lecture - April 2020
Distinguished LECTURE - Dr. Randy Poston
Thursday, April 9, 2020
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
204 McNutt Hall
PRESENTER: DR. Randall POSTON
ACI (American Concrete Institute) President
NAE (National Academy of Engineers) Member
structural engineer and the founding senior principal of the consulting engineering firm Pivot Engineers in Austin, TX
Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Purdue University College of Engineering
Topic: "Evaluation and Repair of Concrete Buildings: The Tale of Two High-Profile Projects"
Abstract:
The repair of concrete structures presents unique construction challenges compared to new construction. These include the fact that there are often variations in the as-constructed details compared to those shown in design and construction drawings. Moreover, for buildings that have been in service for some time, the aging and deterioration of components can make construction more difficult especially if the building must remain in service during repairs.
To describe some of these challenges, this presentation will focus on the evaluation and repair of two high-profile concrete buildings in – the Courthouse Square mid-rise building complex in Salem, Oregon, and the Austonian high-rise residential tower in Austin, Texas. The presentation will discuss the nature of design and construction defects that were uncovered during investigation, the types of concrete deterioration that had been experienced during service, and the types of repair and strengthening schemes that were utilized to bring the buildings into compliance with building codes.
Bio:
Randall W. Poston, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., is a structural engineer and the founding senior principal of the consulting engineering firm Pivot Engineers in Austin, TX. He is currently also the President of ACI, and is a Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Purdue University College of Engineering.
Poston received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1978, 1980 and 1984, respectively. Poston was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2017.
From 2006 to 2014, he chaired the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 318, which was responsible for the first comprehensive reorganization of building code for structural concrete in 45 years. For his work leading the effort, ENR named him a Top 25 Newsmaker in 2015, and ACI recognized Poston with the 2014 ACI Henry L. Kennedy Award and the 2015 Delmar Bloem Distinguished Service Award.