• Project Type: Consolidated Wastewater Treatment Plant
  • Location: Powell River, BC
  • My Role: Structural Designer

As a key structural engineering contributor to the Powell River Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), I applied my expertise to this vital community infrastructure project. The facility comprises two main structures: an administration building and a process building. My responsibilities encompassed the detailed design of diverse structural elements utilizing concrete, masonry, steel, and wood-frame construction. I engineered a prominent feature of this facility: a structure incorporating a raft slab foundation supporting a two-storey concrete building, an engineered structural steel roof, and a wood-framed canopy designed for a future green roof.

My structural design was meticulously executed to satisfy the critical and specialized requirements of wastewater treatment facilities. This encompassed ensuring exceptional durability against aggressive process environments, meeting all process and operational needs, providing robust post-disaster seismic resistance, and guaranteeing the water-tightness of process cells and channels.

My Role and Detailed Responsibilities as Structural Designer

In my capacity as the Structural Designer for both the administration and process buildings at the Powell River WWTP, I undertook comprehensive responsibilities to ensure the structural integrity and performance of this critical plant:

  • Comprehensive Structural Design Leadership: I spearheaded the complete structural design for the two primary buildings, effectively translating architectural concepts and complex process requirements into robust and efficient engineered solutions. This involved leading the design from conceptualization through to final construction documentation.

  • Advanced Structural Analysis & Code Compliance:

    • My analytical responsibilities included performing detailed dead load take-offs and rigorously calculating live loads, snow accumulations, wind pressures, and seismic forces, ensuring strict accordance with BCBC Part 4 and Appendix C Climatic Data.
    • I leveraged Dlubal RFEM software for sophisticated finite element modeling and analysis of the concrete superstructure and the shallow raft foundations.
    • I systematically applied design loads, including a bail-out force characterized by $R_d R_o = 1.3$ for the steel roof system, and an elastic seismic force with $R_d R_o = 1.0$ for the foundation design, thereby ensuring structural integrity under a wide range of demanding loading scenarios.

  • Strategic Seismic System Design for Post-Disaster Resilience:

    • My seismic design strategy involved a detailed analysis of the structural hierarchy, where I strategically designated the concrete shear walls within the modular building components as the primary energy-dissipating elements during seismic events. This was crucial for a facility designed to post-disaster operational standards.
    • Through careful design, I ensured capacity protection for all other structural members and the foundation system, thereby safeguarding the plant’s overall structural integrity and continued functionality post-earthquake.

  • Connection Design & Material Specification for Enhanced Durability:

    • I engineered robust and practical connections, including post-installed concrete anchors, slotted steel connections, and self-tapping screws, to accommodate construction tolerances and ensure structural efficacy.
    • My design scope included detailed engineering of heavy timber connections, with a specific focus on mitigating potential moisture ingress—a critical consideration for enhancing durability in the challenging marine atmospheric environment.
    • To ensure long-term structural integrity in aggressive operational and coastal environments, I specified specialized high-performance coating systems for all structural steel components, providing superior corrosion protection.

  • Adherence to Specialized Wastewater Treatment Facility Requirements: I proactively ensured that all aspects of my structural design meticulously addressed and fulfilled the unique and stringent demands inherent to wastewater treatment facilities. This demonstrated a keen understanding of specialized operational needs critical for process integrity and maintaining water-tightness.

  • Rigorous Quality Assurance and Peer Review Process:

    • Design Phase: I actively collaborated with the supervising engineer to conduct thorough reviews of my design sketches and markups. Adhering to our company’s organizational quality management (OQM) program, I prepared and submitted my designs and calculation packages for independent third-party review by a senior engineer within the office. I meticulously incorporated all review comments, revised the drawings accordingly, and conducted a final personal review before issuing them for construction. This rigorous process was consistently applied to all structural components of the project.
    • Construction Phase: I was responsible for the meticulous review of shop drawings to ensure full compliance with the approved design. I conducted frequent field reviews of critical structural elements, including concrete reinforcement, steel connections, and wood connections, to verify general conformance to the design drawings. In instances where site deficiencies were observed, I documented them comprehensively in field review reports and diligently followed up with the contractor to ensure prompt and effective correction. Furthermore, I carefully reviewed all concrete test reports to confirm that materials met the specified design standards.

Key Achievements and Project Outcomes

My contributions to the Powell River Wastewater Treatment Plant resulted in significant positive outcomes:

  • Delivered a Robust and Resilient Design: My expertise culminated in the delivery of a comprehensive, robust, and reliable structural design that fully satisfied all project requirements, performance specifications, and the critical post-disaster criteria for this essential facility.
  • Engineered Integrated Gravity and Lateral Systems: I was instrumental in developing and implementing holistically designed gravity and lateral force-resisting systems. This involved meticulous consideration of all critical design aspects to ensure optimal structural performance, safety, and long-term serviceability.
  • Ensured Successful Project Completion & Quality Assurance: Through rigorous design, comprehensive peer review, and diligent construction phase quality control, the Powell River Consolidated Wastewater Treatment Plant was successfully constructed by September 2022. My engineered structural designs were implemented, meeting all quality benchmarks and regulatory standards for this critical community asset.

Demonstrated Competencies

Understanding of Structural Systems and Components

To illustrate my foundational understanding of how individual structural components form integrated systems, I offer the following example. While this particular case involved a lightweight timber office building, the engineering principles and systematic approach are central to my methodology on all projects, including the complex material interactions and specialized demands of the Powell River WWTP.

Situation: I was tasked with the structural design and construction service provision for a lightweight timber office building. My design incorporated multiple components to create effective gravity and lateral force-resisting systems.

My Actions & Methodology:

  • Gravity System Design:

    • I initiated the process with a thorough load analysis at each level. Based on these findings, I meticulously designed the roof joists and floor joists to safely support all anticipated loads.
    • Referencing architectural drawings, I precisely sized beams and headers to span openings appropriately.
    • I designed posts and built-up studs to efficiently support point loads transferred from these beams and headers.
    • To ensure overall structural integrity, I accounted for cumulative gravity loads at the foundation level and performed critical checks for perpendicular-to-grain bearing capacities at all support points.

  • Lateral System Design:

    • I carefully determined the base shear demands on the structure. Subsequently, I designed the horizontal diaphragms to effectively resist and distribute seismic forces at each floor level.
    • My design process included meticulous checks of the shear capacity of diaphragm sheathing and nailing patterns.
    • I accurately sized chord and strut members to manage the axial forces developed within the diaphragms.
    • I ensured the efficient transfer of shear forces from the diaphragms to the shear walls through appropriately designed connectors.
    • I conducted a thorough verification of the shear capacity of the shear wall sheathing and nailing against cumulative shear forces.
    • I detailed interstorey fasteners to ensure proper force transfer between floors and specified sill plate anchors for transferring lateral loads to the foundation.
    • Finally, I designed the hold-down systems to effectively resist overturning moments in the shear walls, anchoring them securely to the foundation.

This methodical approach to designing both gravity and lateral systems showcases my capability to analyze structures as a cohesive assembly of interconnected components, ensuring overall stability, safety, and performance in line with design objectives. This systematic problem-solving aptitude was directly applied to engineer the more complex and critical systems of the Powell River Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Project Management Principles: Awareness and Application

On the Powell River WWTP project, where our firm served as the structural engineer of record for two concrete buildings and one light-frame timber structure, I actively assisted the Project Manager, applying key project management principles throughout the design and construction phases.

My Contributions to Project Management:

  • Proactive Design Phase Coordination: I consistently participated in regular coordination meetings with the architect and MEP consultants. In these forums, I took the initiative to highlight outstanding items and identify potential bottlenecks, ensuring proactive problem-solving to maintain project momentum. I also prepared scope change forms as required to accurately reflect evolving project needs.
  • Diligent Construction Phase Management:
    • I was an active participant in weekly construction coordination meetings, addressing immediate site issues and providing timely updates on RFI and Shop Drawing review statuses.
    • I prioritized and ensured the prompt return of submittals, particularly for critical path items, thereby preventing delays to the project schedule.
    • For complex or persistent issues, I organized and led separate teleconference calls with all relevant project team members to facilitate efficient resolution.
    • I maintained transparent communication with the Project Manager, keeping him informed of any project changes and providing early notification if the project timeline was at risk of extension. This included providing estimated hours to completion and diligently tracking any additional effort.
  • Client and Contractor Liaison: I fostered close communication with both the client and the contractor by attending weekly meetings, staying abreast of the construction schedule and addressing concerns promptly.
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: I collaborated effectively with the architect, electrical engineer, and mechanical engineer to ensure that RFI responses, shop drawing reviews, and field review feedback were delivered in a timely manner.
  • On-Site Problem Solving: I proactively issued site instructions to resolve issues arising from unforeseen field conditions and meticulously reviewed contract change requests from the contractor, providing informed advice to the client regarding their validity.
  • Quality Assurance and Project Close-Out: I played a key role in identifying and addressing on-site deficiencies, ensuring all issues were comprehensively resolved prior to project sign-off.

Through these actions, I contributed to the successful progression and an effective construction phase for the Powell River WWTP.