June 5, 2025

RISACalc in the Field

RISACalc in the Field: A Case Study in Confidence and Convenience It was a typical Thursday morning for Emma Ruiz, PE, a structural engineer at a small consulting firm in Colorado. Her day started with a site visit to a rural school renovation—a project where her team was assessing whether a portion of the existing structure could support new rooftop HVAC units. The original framing plans were incomplete, and as Emma inspected the roof framing, it became clear that the contractor’s proposed unit placement didn’t line up with the assumed beam layout. A decision had to be made, and quickly—the rooftop unit was scheduled for delivery the following day. The Problem: Time-Sensitive Field Check Emma didn’t have time to return to the office to rebuild a full model or dig through spreadsheets for older framing checks. She needed to verify—on the spot—whether the existing W10x22 steel beam could support the new loads at the proposed spacing. The contractor waited, the facilities director asked for reassurance, and Emma pulled out her tablet. The Solution: RISACalc in Action Emma opened RISACalc, selected the beam design template, and input the beam size, span length, and newly calculated roof loads, including snow and equipment…

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