Dr. S. K. Ghosh receives Joe W. Kelly Award of the American Concrete Institute

Dr. S. K. Ghosh has been elected to receive the Joe W. Kelly Award of the American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI. This honor was bestowed by the ACI Board of Direction at its Fall 2008 meeting specifically “for your leadership and vision in educating engineers in the use of concrete for construction, and contributions toward the advancement of the design profession.”

Formal announcement of this election will be made at the Opening Session and Awards Program of the ACI Spring Convention, Sunday, March15, 2009, in San Antonio, TX.

S.K. Ghosh and Susan Dowty Present Two-Day Seminars in Dubai .

At the invitation of Ramboll Whitby and Bird, Dr. S.K. Ghosh and Susan Dowty presented a two- day seminar co-organized by CED Trakhees entitled “Seismic Design of RC Structures Using UBC/ACI Provisions” November 17 &18, 2008. Because of overwhelming response the seminar was repeated on Nov 19 and 20, 2008.  CED has issued a document entitled Structural Design Guidelines – Building Structures which adopts by reference the 1997 UBC Volume 2 for seismic loads, ASCE 7-02 for dead, live and wind loads and ACI 318-05 for concrete design and construction. This seminar presented a review and discussion of the seismic design provisions of the 1997 UBC, the wind design provisions and design load combinations of ASCE 7-05, and the seismic detailing requirements for areas of moderate seismicity out of ACI 318-05.  Major emphasis was on a complete worked out design example of a multistory reinforced concrete building which illustrated the computation of gravity loads, wind loads and seismic loads in accordance with the aforementioned documents.  The example also illustrated the derivation of member design forces and the detailed design of structural members including beams, columns and shear walls.  There were valuable question and answer sessions conducted daily.  The sessions were very capably moderated by our local presence in the region, Dr. Farhad Homayoun Shad of Ramboll Whitby and Bird.  Each session was attended by Dr. Mahmoud Taha of CED Trakhees and representatives of other authorities having local jurisdiction (Dubai Municipality and TECOM).  Each two-day seminar was attended by 100 design and regulatory professionals for a total of 200 attendees.

Ramboll Whitby & Bird (RWB) is our technical partner in UAE. They are known throughout the industry for its flair, style and innovation and has a strong track record in landmark and iconic buildings and structures. They have evolved an engineering culture over 25 years that sets industry standards. Since the early days they have been noted for their resourceful and imaginative approach to design. They think it is essential that structure and building services are not only coordinated in spatial terms but work co-operatively and meet energy and emission targets. Their aim is to meet all of the client’s objectives with regard to value, performance and program. RWB thrives to apply latest engineering knowledge and applications into their design. They believe that their quality can only be maintained through fortifying their technical capabilities by staying up-to-date with technical development, supporting R&D and promoting their ties with professional authorities.

Civil Engineering Department (CED) – Trakhees-PCFC is a dynamic organization within the progressive and exciting Dubai World Group. While it serves as the regulatory authority within the Free Zone, Ports and other Business Units, Nakheel being one, overseeing projects and ensuring quality in the projects constructed within the group, it has developed into a flexible and responsive organization to answer to all needs.

To enhance its performance and improve communication with its varied customer base, the CED has also embarked on a project of publishing its regulations and enriching them with design guidelines for the benefit of developers, consultants and contractors. These books include: “Building Regulations and Design Guidelines.” The books are the basis also for an accreditation program that will take the Department’s clients into a new phase of independence and self-reliance and improve the work environment further for all.

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