
January 2, 2024
Engineering Tomorrow: Preparing for 2024!
New Year's for a structural engineer can be a time of reflection, planning, and setting professional goals. Here are some ideas on how you can celebrate the New Year:
In structural engineering, few design challenges are as rewarding—or as unforgiving—as the tall building. While gravity systems and code checks form the backbone of any structural project, once a structure rises beyond ten or fifteen stories, a shift occurs. Wind and seismic forces begin to dominate. Story drift and torsional irregularities become non-negligible. Load paths grow increasingly indirect. And design decisions, if not carefully made early on, can have exponential consequences higher in the structure. Tall buildings are not simply “bigger” versions of short ones. They behave differently. And understanding those differences is essential for any engineer working in an urban environment where building vertically is often the only viable path forward. Modeling for Reality, Not Just Code The foundation of any successful tall building design lies in the model—its assumptions, resolution, and degree of abstraction. Many engineers begin with simplified representations: rigid diaphragms, idealized connections, and linear material properties. This is practical and often sufficient for early design phases. But as the building increases in height and complexity, those assumptions may start to mask critical behaviors. Semi-rigid diaphragm modeling, for instance, allows engineers to capture in-plane flexibility of floor systems—especially important in buildings with irregular cores, open floor plans,…
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New Year's for a structural engineer can be a time of reflection, planning, and setting professional goals. Here are some ideas on how you can celebrate the New Year:
The RISA Customer Portal provides access to all your account information, including installation downloads, licenses, usage stats and the ability to easily manage yearly software renewals.
This time of the year many of us will start singing this season's greatest hits: Let it Snow, white Christmas, and... Winter Wonderland. While these songs bring cheer to all our hearts, they are also a reminder to structural engineers of the unique design challenge posing many regions: Snow Loads!...
The RISA Customer Portal provides access to all your account information, including installation downloads, licenses, usage stats and the ability to easily manage yearly software renewals. Coming soon, you will be able to bulk upload users to the Customer Portal from a CSV excel file!
In the dynamic world of software management, user roles and permissions are crucial for effective and secure account management. The RISA Customer Portal, a user-friendly tool designed to streamline your billing and licensing roles, offers a solution that empowers you with greater flexibility and...
Thanksgiving offers more than just a feast—it's an incredible opportunity to blend the holiday with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Here's how you can engineer your Thanksgiving table with a STEM twist:
The holiday season, synonymous with joy and celebration, can also bring unique challenges for structural engineers. Amidst the festive cheer, professionals in this field often grapple with increased workloads, impending deadlines, and the delicate balance between professional commitments and...
The world of software and licensing is constantly evolving, and as technology advances, so do the methods for managing software licenses. In response to this ever-changing landscape, we're excited to introduce the RISA Silent License Converter Tool – an application tool designed to facilitate a...
In the ever-evolving landscape of software and technology, change is constant. One shift is RISA's upcoming transition from traditional software licensing to only subscription-based licensing. As you prepare for this transition, watch the video below for How To: Change your License Type in RISA...
Our monthly "Structural Moment" newsletter is the best way to keep up with RISA’s product updates, new releases, new features, training events, webinars and more...