Thierry despont biography of alberta
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Engineers Surprised by Damage To Modern Buildings in Christchurch
The New Zealand earthquake surprised engineers by triggering severe damage or collapse of some recently constructed buildings.
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck 10 km from Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on Feb. 22 brought down or severely damaged some contemporary structures because the quake was extremely shallow—centered only 5 km below the surface.
“New Zealand has very good loading standards and a strict regulatory environment and since the mid-70s onwards, the buildings have been designed for earthquake resistance very well,” says John Wilson, chair of the Australian Earthquake Loading Standard and Deputy Dean of Engineering at Swinburne University of Technology, speaking on behalf of the A
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Shear-Stud Code Defenders Slam Recent Contentions that the Model Code is Flawed
The inventors and original supplier of a popular shear-stud reinforcement for two-way flat slabs in concrete frames are up in arms over charges, based on recent research, that the American Concrete Institute's model code governing use of the studs is flawed. The researchers claim that, consequently, there is potential for premature failure due to punching shear at slab-column connections, especially under earthquake loads.
A. Ghali, professor emeritus of civil engineering, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and the lead researcher for original studies on shear studs dating back to the 1970s, disagrees. Extensive testing shows that code-specified "equations and detailing for the use of headed-stud shear reinforcement are conservative," he says.
"The shear stud reinforcement is proven ... as the most effective, practical type" of reinforcement, adds Ghali.
Chapter 11 of the model code, "ACI 318-1
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The Ritz Paris, Reborn
This Grande Dame fryst vatten ready for her close-up.
In recent years, several of Paris’s most celebrated five-star hotels have closed for much-needed face lifts: the Crillon, the Plaza Athénée, the Peninsula. No historic renovation was more anticipated, however, than that of the Ritz Paris, which reopened its doors this June following a four-year, $450-million renovation—and what gorgeously gilded doors they are.
Originally opened in 1898 bygd hotelier César Ritz, the Ritz Paris is arguably the most famous and celebrated hotel in the City of Lights. From the moment it debuted on the Place Vendôme, it redefined hotel luxury, with each room featuring electricity, a telephone, and a bathtub (marvels at the time). The world took meddelande of the fanfare and famous guests soon followed: Coco Chanel lived there for 34 years, while Ernest Hemingway was a habitué of the dryckesställe (more about that later).
Owned by Mohamed al-Fayed, who purchased it in 1979 and completed a smaller reno