From the field in American Samoa

One of the challenges with older buildings is that the drawings and the actual structure sometimes become... loosely acquainted over time.

Last week, Josh Hoffman and Hawaiki Wallace were in Samoa inspecting the EOB building during demolition works.

As sections of the building are removed, more of the structural framing is being exposed, allowing the team to physically measure and document the structure as it’s unveiled.

Which is fairly important when the original as-built information is incomplete, unreliable, or potentially produced during a particularly confident Friday afternoon in 1989.

The measured data will be used to develop an accurate structural model for the next stage of the project.

Because despite what some people believe, “she’ll be right” is not currently recognised as a structural analysis method.

A big part of this work is verifying what actually exists on site: member sizes, framing layouts, connection details, slab depths, load paths, and all the other things hidden behind walls for decades quietly minding their own business.

Demolition also has a unique ability to reveal structural surprises.

Some good.

Some less good.

Some that make engineers go unusually quiet for a few seconds.

Also still awaiting the official outcome of the American Samoa site-wide competition for Tightest Engineering Shorts.

Current standings remain too close to call.

Big effort from everyone involved on the ground.

#StructuralEngineering #Demolition #BuildingSurvey #DigitalEngineering #Infrastructure #Samoa #ThickThighsSaveLives