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The new chancery building for the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC is located on Scott Circle and replaces the existing embassy building built in the 1970s. SGH was the structural engineer of record and also provided facade consulting on this new six-story, concrete framed building, featuring a custom glass and copper-clad facade, mimicking the copper hues of the landscape of Australia. In this session, we will discuss the structural, security, and facade design of the project from concept design through the end of construction. We will present various design challenges involved with the building's structure and facade as well as discuss constraints of building on the footprint of the existing embassy.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the structural design challenges involved in the design of the project considering the constraints of building on the footprint of the existing building and security design requirements.
• Understand the design challenges of a custom façade system, including challenges associated with the use of copper on building facades and thermal performance.
• Understand the challenges during construction of the concrete superstructure, including foundation construction and coordination of trades.
• Understand the process of procurement of a custom façade system, including laboratory performance mockups, fabrication, installation, and field quality control.

Presented by:

Jeff Viano

Jeff Viano is a Senior Project Manager and structural engineer SGH's Washington, DC office. Jeff and has more than fifteen years of experience providing consulting structural engineering services for a broad range of design, investigation, rehabilitation, projects. He possesses a keen understanding of the structural behavior of various construction materials, including concrete, steel, post-tensioned and prestressed concrete, masonry, wood, and cold-formed steel. Jeff is a member of the District of Columbia Construction Codes Coordinating Board (CCCB) and is the chair of the structural TAG.

John Jackson

John Jackson is an Associate Principal with SGH's Building Technology group in the Washington, DC office. John graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with degrees in architecture and structural engineering and has more than nineteen years of experience in building-enclosure design. He applies his creative and technical skills to the design and engineering of innovative enclosure systems, having worked on a wide variety of projects domestically and abroad, with particular expertise in curtain walls, custom glazing systems, structural glass, and glass investigations. In addition to his work in building enclosure design, John is an active member of SGH’s Glass Special Interest Group, ASTM Subcommittee E06.52 – Glass Use in Buildings and regularly lectures on building enclosure design.

Organized by:

Simpson Gumpertz & Heger