Rethinking Tall Building Design
June 24, 2025

Rethinking Tall Building Design

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...

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Understanding Plate and Member Interaction in RISA
June 17, 2025

Understanding Plate and Member Interaction in RISA

When modeling plate elements alongside member elements in RISA, users may notice that member forces—such as bending moments or axial loads—are lower than expected. This behavior is often the result of how loads are shared between plates and members based on their relative stiffness. If the...

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RISACalc in the Field
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...

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How RISA Powers Manufacturing Facility Design from Top to Bottom
May 22, 2025

How RISA Powers Manufacturing Facility Design from Top to Bottom

Case Study: Designing for Strength at Every Level When a Midwest engineering firm was tasked with designing a 120,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, they knew the challenge wasn’t just about steel and concrete—it was about integration. The structure needed to support overhead cranes, custom...

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A Day in the Life of an Industrial Structural Engineer
February 25, 2025

A Day in the Life of an Industrial Structural Engineer

If you've ever wondered what it’s like to be an industrial structural engineer, let me paint you a picture: Imagine juggling a dozen problems at once—steel frames, conveyor supports, pipe racks, tank foundations—all while trying to decipher a set of drawings that look like they were faxed from...

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Ready to Reconnect? How to Make the Most of Returning to RISA
February 18, 2025

Ready to Reconnect? How to Make the Most of Returning to RISA

Whether you’re coming back to RISA after a short break or revisiting it after years away, we’re here to make your return seamless and rewarding. From updated features to enhanced training resources, RISA is more equipped than ever to support your structural engineering needs. Here’s a step-by-step...

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