The Structural Engineering Podcast

Episode 126 - Your Design Works… But Can It Be Built?

In this episode, we step outside the design office to explore what structural engineers often get wrong about construction. We discuss the disconnect between design inten

Episode 125 - The Building Doesn't Match the Drawings

In this episode, we explore the unique challenges of structural engineering in existing buildings, where the drawings don't always match what's actually in the field. We

Episode 124 - Your Concrete Numbers Are Wrong. Does It Matter?

In this episode, we take a closer look at the concrete mixture requirements structural engineers encounter in ACI 318. We explore where the familiar values for water-to-c

Episode 123 - What's Next for Structural Steel?

In this episode, we explore what's next for the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the future of structural steel. We discuss how AISC's role extends bey

Episode 122 - The Role of Structural Engineers in Resilience

In Episode 122, we explore a question that goes beyond how we design buildings: how do we make our communities more resilient before disaster strikes? We discuss the grow

Episode 121 - Are Structural Engineers Too Dependent on Codes?

In this episode, we explore the future of structural engineering and what it will take to continue pushing the profession forward. We discuss why innovation can be diffic

Episode 120 – How Glass & Grid Shells Make the Impossible Possible

In this episode, we sit down with Joshua Schultz, Ph.D., P.E., to explore the engineering behind grid shells and structural glass. We discuss how grid shells achieve rema

Episode 119 - Can Great Engineers Be Bad Leaders?

In Episode 119, we sit down with Travis Slisher to discuss what great leadership looks like in the engineering profession and why technical expertise alone isn't enough t

Episode 118 - Do You Really Need Rebar?

In this episode, we sit down with Claire Gandee from Bekaert to explore how steel fiber reinforced concrete is changing the way engineers design slab-on-grade and industr

Episode 117 - When Design Becomes Evidence

In this episode, we sit down with forensic structural engineer Mark Duckett, PE, SI, from Robson Forensic to explore what happens when engineering decisions are examined

Episode 116 - Nonlinear Twists: An Easy Path into Complex Structure

In Episode 116, we explore the world of nonlinear structural analysis and performance-based seismic design. We discuss when nonlinear methods become necessary, how pushov

Episode 115 - The Gap That Saves Buildings

In this episode, we dive into facade engineering and explore how building skins are designed to accommodate wind, seismic drift, thermal movement, construction tolerances

Episode 114 - Yielding for a Better Brace

In Episode 114, we dig into buckling restrained braced frames with Brandt Saxey, SE, of CoreBrace. We talk through how BRBFs work, what makes them different from tradit

Episode 113 - How Software Leaders See the Future of Structural Engineering

In this episode, we dig into the future of structural engineering software with the North American CEO and Chief Product Officer of IDEA StatiCa. We talk through why co

Episode 112 – Good Connections Make Great Structures

In this episode, we dig into structural connection design and explore why connections are far more than just the final step of a project. We talk through how engineers ap

Episode 111 - Can Glass Really Be Structural?

In this episode, we dig into structural glass design and explore why glass in buildings can be far more than a transparent enclosure. We talk through how engineers approa

Episode 110 - Venues Aren't "Just Code": Vibration, Rigging & Mall Reuse

In this episode, we dig into entertainment and retail design and explore why venues can't be engineered by code compliance alone. We talk through how structural engineers

Episode 109 – How Coastal Structures Hold Back the Ocean

In this episode, we dig into flood and wave design and explore when water transitions from a site consideration into a true structural load case. We talk through how engi

Episode 108 - What LEGO Can Teach Structural Engineers

In this episode, we explore structural engineering through an unexpected lens: LEGO. What starts as a simple building toy becomes a powerful way to explain fundamental co

Episode 107 – The Structural Logic of High‑End Residential Design

In this episode, we explore the realities of high‑end residential structural engineering, using custom homes in the Hamptons to examine how architectural ambition, homeow