Structural systems, tenant improvements and heavy equipment for commercial, institutional and industrial buildings in BC.
Commercial and industrial projects turn on decisions made early: which structural system suits the building, whether an existing structure can take what a tenant wants to put in it, and what happens when heavy equipment lands on a slab that was never designed for it. This section covers choosing between cold-formed steel, wood frame and mass timber for BC mid-rise, the point at which a tenant improvement stops being cosmetic and starts needing a sealed structural review, and how machinery foundations are designed for dynamic loads, vibration limits and seismic anchorage in an active seismic region.
An even-handed comparison of cold-formed steel and wood framing for four- to six-storey BC buildings, from code limits and foundations to movement, envelope and panelisation.
More articles on commercial & industrial are scheduled. In the meantime, these cover adjacent ground.
Non-structural components drive much of the damage and downtime after an earthquake. What BC expects for anchoring and bracing mechanical equipment, and who takes responsibility for the design.
A suite adds openings, not weight. What actually changes structurally when you add a secondary suite, garden suite or laneway house to a property in British Columbia.
Not every crack is a problem. How to read pattern, width and movement in a Greater Vancouver foundation, the local soil and water causes behind cracking, and what an engineer's assessment covers.
