Anatomy of a Failure: Engineering a Collapse Investigation

Last May, eight hundred WJE employees gathered at our corporate headquarters campus for the final day of our all-company conference. Inside our structural laboratory, staff were greeted by a two-story, steel-framed structure dubbed the “Building in a Building.” Designed as a hands-on learning opportunity, the full-scale building mockup was constructed with more than a hundred intentional defects demonstrating the structural and enclosure-related issues we encounter on real projects. At the close of the conference, after all staff had thoroughly explored the Building in a Building, we load-tested the structure to failure.

Then, the real fun began.

Over two days, seven members of our failure investigation practice group worked together, using the skills they’ve developed from past projects, to investigate the structure’s failure—which (spoiler) did not go exactly as planned. And a film crew captured it all so we can all learn from their experience.

This webinar is a deep-dive inside a 'typical' failure investigation, beginning with a documentary-style video following the team’s progress—from design, construction, and collapse through the initial site safety assessment to field documentation using a variety of advanced technologies The video is followed by a live panel discussion and Q&A with the project team. This is a great opportunity for students, educators, and other interested parties to delve into the failure investigation process and mindset—complete with all the practical constraints, unexpected challenges, and key decision-making points that engineers encounter on real-life projects.

more to learn

View this webinar in our interactive audience console to earn 1 AIA HSW learning unit, access related resources, submit questions to the presenters, and download a certificate of completion.