Stearns Engineering provides a full range of consulting structural
engineering services to architects, owners, builders, and sub-contractors
for residential and commercial projects. The services we provide include
structural design, investigations, and specialty engineering.
Structural Design
Analysis, design, and detailing of conventional and tension structures
Preparation of structural Construction Documents including plans, sections, details, and specifications
Evaluation of geotechnical data and selection of foundation and structural systems
Contract administration and structural inspection during the construction phase
Structural analysis and design for new construction and renovations for
Comprehensive on-site surveys and documentation of structures
Evaluation and analysis of existing conditions
Preparation of reports describing observations, findings, and conclusions
Repair and rehabilitation design and preparation of contract documents
Common problems investigated include:
Preparation of calculations
Construction monitoring
Foundations inspections
Shoring and bracing design
Preparation of erection drawings, piece drawings, and material lists for:
Exchange Office Building
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland
This seven-story steel-framed building includes about 80,000 square
feet of framed area. The floor system is a 2-1/2" concrete slab
on metal deck supported by open-web steel joists. An extremely light
steel framing weight of 6.5 pounds per square foot was achieved, in
part, by increasing the traditional two feet on center spacing of
the steel joists and by optimizing the bay sizes. The exterior skin
of the building is made up of sloped EIFS panels and sloped windows
which required exceptional plumbness tolerances for the exterior columns.
HOC Deerpark Office/Warehouse
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Project Cost: $1.7 Million
This project involved the structural design of a two-story office
building. The structure consists of steel frame and steel joist construction
with light gage metal roof trusses. The rear portion of the structure
is a pre-engineered metal building for which we provided a performance
specification, steel framed mezzanine design, and foundation design.
The National Conservation Center
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Project Cost: $2.5 Million
The project was the design of a three-level 34,000 square foot office
building for the Izaac Walton League of America. The structure consists
of a steel frame and steel floor joists with wood roof trusses to
provide support for the predominantly glass facade. Provisions were
made for supporting a large stone fountain on the second floor using
steel beams. A similar fountain on the exterior of the building is
supported by concrete grade beams.
Woodmont & Elm Office Building
Bethesda, Maryland
Project Cost: $1.6 Million
The project involved the structural design of a four-story 11,218
square foot office building. The structure consisted of a steel frame
and precast concrete planks. Extensive underpinning was required for
the adjacent building
Germantown Post Office
Germantown, Maryland
Project Cost: $4 Million
The project included the structural design and preparation of drawings
and specifications for a 34,000 square foot post office building consisting
of steel framing, bar joists, and masonry construction.
Goshen Branch Post Office
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Project Cost: $2.5 million
We provided the structural design of a 20,000 square foot post office
building consisting of steel framing, bar joists, and masonry construction.
Neelsville Presbyterian Church
Germantown, Maryland
This project involved performing a structural investigation of an
approximately 200 year old historic church. The church is a timber
framed building supported by a brick foundation to which structural
steel and masonry block were added to reinforce the structure. These
steel and brick retrofits were not professionally designed repairs.
We performed a comprehensive survey of the existing structural components
and subsequently evaluated and analyzed these components.
The report submitted to the client contained our structural assessment
of the property. Remedial repair details for distressed areas of timber
framing and structurally inadequate portions of the steel and masonry
block retrofit were included. Our field observations were documented
with detailed sketches and photographs showing the as-built framing
conditions and indicating areas of distress and/or deterioration.
Photographs of selected areas were also included in this report.
Residence Inns and Fairfield Inns
15 Different States
Project Cost: $50 Million
This project involved the structural design of 65 hotel buildings
of two- and three-stories for the Marriott Corporation. The construction
consists of wood framing with reinforced concrete foundations. We
prepared structural contract documents and performed construction
monitoring inspections over approximately three years. The project
locations included the states of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida,
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Riverstone Condominiums
Germantown, Maryland
Project Cost: $7.5 Million
We provided the structural design of three- and four-level condominium
buildings using wood framing with reinforced masonry and concrete
foundations. We prepared contract documents and provided monitoring
inspections throughout the construction of the twelve condominium
buildings.
Colorado Building
Washington DC
Project Cost: $20 Million
The project consisted of the horizontal expansion in plan and the
vertical addition of two stories to an existing nine-story, historic
(1903) commercial office building in downtown Washington DC. The existing
structure consisted of brick bearing walls, cast iron columns, steel
beams, and an arched clay tile floor system. No structural drawings
were available for the existing structure, although preliminary basement
and first floor plans were found.
The design process consisted of investigating, surveying, and measuring
the existing building and its structural components to determine the
existing conditions. Practical problems encountered were that the
building remained occupied during much of the investigation and survey
phase and that the primary first floor tenant, a restaurant, remained
open for business throughout the construction period. The structural
framing layout for the new addition closely followed the framing of
the existing building in order to minimize differential settlement
between adjacent column footings. Steel framing was selected for the
project because the dead loads of this system imposed less of an increase
in load on the existing structural and foundation systems.
St. Joseph's Provincial House
Emmitsburg, Maryland
Project Cost: $9 Million
This project involved renovations and additions to the existing c.
1960 provincial house, owned and operated by the Sisters of Charity
of St. Joseph's. The additions to the structure included a 7,000 square
foot single level pavilion, two four-level elevator and stair towers,
and an extension of the existing chapel. The pavilion consists of
steel framing with open web roof joists and includes a complex skylight
area in the center of the structure. Other additions involve steel
framing with either brick veneer or curtain wall facades. One tower
required the steel framing be designed to support a four-story curved
curtain wall which cantilevers over the new pavilion structure.
Brighton Dam Intake Tower
Montgomery County, Maryland
Project Cost: $350,000
Our firm was engaged by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
as the prime consultant to prepare contract drawings and specifications
for repairs to the Brighton Dam intake tower, located in Montgomery
County, Maryland.
The project involved the removal and replacement of severely corroded
steel trash racks on the face of the tower; modifications to the existing
racks; removal and replacement of sluice gate operators, stems, and
stem guides; installing new aluminum ladders and platform; dredging
around the base of the tower; and miscellaneous concrete repairs.
Most of the tower is below the water line. We engaged a corrosion
engineering consultant to assist in determining the most suitable
methods of corrosion protection for submerged and partially submerged
components. Our commercial diving operations gathered data on existing
underwater conditions during the design phase, and prepared video
tape of underwater conditions for WSSC.
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