On July 5, 2022, Walker Consultants announced the appointment of four new company principals.

Behnam Arya, Ph.D., PE, (Los Angeles) has over 20 years of experience in the analysis, design, and investigation of structures. He has led investigations to determine the cause of structural damage and failures due to natural disasters, adjacent construction, and design errors. Behnam has published over 30 papers and is a member of the Forensic Practices Committee of the ASCE.

 

 

 

Joe Juzwiak, LC, PE, (Kalamazoo) is Walker’s Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing (MEP) Department Head and has over 20 years of experience in electrical engineering. His knowledge has directly contributed to the design of over one hundred parking facilities throughout the country. Walker also looks to Joe for assistance with retrofit projects and lighting analyses.

 

 

 

Marion Parker, PE, SE, (Atlanta) has been promoted to Managing Principal of Walker’s Atlanta office. She has over 25 years of experience in all aspects of parking, including planning, functional consulting, design, and restoration. Marion additionally has extensive experience performing condition assessments, developing restoration designs, and managing restoration projects for steel, precast concrete, and cast-in-place concrete structures.

 

 

 

Can Simsir, Ph.D., PE, ((Los Angeles) is a Senior Forensics Consultant with over 15 years of experience in the investigation and dispute resolution of structures impacted by human error or natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, design omissions, and performance failures. He has also authored over 35 papers in industry publications.

 

 

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Walker Consultants provides planning, design, engineering, forensics, restoration and consulting for the built environment. Our experts have been advancing industry standards since we began in 1965. We are a 100% employee-owned company that takes pride in the value we provide our clients through integrity, honesty, and excellence.

On January 4, 2021 Walker Consultants announced the appointment of two new Managing Principals in our Northern and Southern California locations. Congratulations Deon Bender and Justin Chang!

Deon Bender, PE (Los Angeles) has been promoted to Managing Principal of the Los Angeles office servicing the Southern California market. Deon’s career with Walker started in 2008 in our Denver office where he developed his expertise in parking consulting, restoration consulting, and structural design. In 2015, he was promoted to manage and grow Walker’s office in Dubai, UAE that took him to work on projects in over 11 countries that included some of the largest and most complex parking facilities in the world. In 2019, Deon relocated back to the U.S. and was promoted to Principal and charged with expanding Walker’s design and restoration services throughout Southern California.

Justin M. Chang, AIA, LEED AP BD+C (San Francisco) has been promoted to Managing Principal of the San Francisco office. Justin has been a project manager and Director of Design for Walker’s Bay Area office since 2006 and brings over 22 years in the design and construction industry. Justin’s wide range of management and client development experience includes conceptual studies, design documentation through construction, Parksmart, and LEED advisory services on large mixed-use facilities. Based in San Francisco, Justin has successfully managed and expanded Walker’s engineering, design and consulting capabilities on parking facilities for airports, education, healthcare, municipal and corporate clients all over California. More recently, he has enhanced our local capabilities with the addition of experts in building envelope and restoration services who are performing condition assessments and testing on new and existing buildings of all types.

“It’s a great pleasure to formally acknowledge Deon and Justin for their success and contributions to the company and we look forward to the benefit of their continued leadership for many years ahead.” says Casey Wagner, Executive Vice President, and Western Region Manager.

An Interview With Walker Engineer Mohammad Moravej, PhD

On March 3, 2020, a series of devastating tornadoes tore through much of Nashville, Tennessee and the surrounding areas. Wind speeds reached 175 mph. In the storm system’s wake, 25 lives were lost, and many structures were destroyed.

Mohammad Moravej, PhD, a forensics and restoration engineer at Walker Consultants, joined a group of fellow engineers and natural hazards researchers to collect data about how the tornado affected structures in the area. The trip is part of a long-term project to improve construction practices and building codes to reduce the risk of catastrophes in future tornados and extreme wind events.

The team acted quickly and arrived in the field only five days after the event, allowing them to collect key data while the effects of the tornado were “fresh.”

The group of academics and practitioners were organized through a nationwide consortium of universities known as StEER (Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance) network. Mohammed was deployed as part of a FAST (Field Assessment Structural Team) to collect data on the performance of various types of structures in the tornado.

Below, Moravej shares his experience.

Walker Consultants: How did you become involved with StEER and their FAST program?

Mohammad Moravej: I first joined in the reconnaissance mission to the Florida Keys following Hurricane Irma. That mission was at the first stages of the formation of StEER. Thereafter, they formed a permanent group, designed a membership system, and created a database of volunteers. The volunteers with relevant expertise and experience become members of Field Assessment teams and are invited for deployment to sites shortly after each event.

WC: What other teams did you interact with? Local government or volunteer groups?

MM: StEER had coordinated with local authorities and officials, primarily TEMA (Tennessee Emergency Management Agency), which allowed us to access the site so soon after the event.

WC: What were the conditions you saw in the field?

MM: Tornados affect a narrow band, compared to hurricanes which cover a vast area. Near the tornado path, there were a lot of uprooted and snapped trees and partially to fully destroyed buildings. Slightly farther, a block or two away, everything was intact.

Outside the affected areas, the situation for the team was generally good. We were staying at a hotel and the only issue we had was a lack of internet connection, as many of the utility lines were severely damaged. In the affected areas, the setting was much harsher. With limited access to restaurants and restrooms, we usually started early, from about 6:30 or 7 a.m., and then continued until sunset. We usually skipped lunch to get the most out of the daylight and cover as many areas as possible.

In the evening, the team gathered in the hotel to review the areas that we had covered, plan for the next day, and write a daily summary, which kept us busy until midnight.

WC: What kind of damage did you observe?

MM: We saw all sorts of damage. We saw total devastation… the collapse of buildings, cladding damage, roof and wall failures–particularly at the roof to wall and wall to floor connections. And those total failures were observed at both residential buildings and large commercial and industrial buildings. There were also occasions of damage due to impact by flying objects like cars and trucks!

WC: The pictures you shared are powerful. Can you speak to the spirit of the Tennessee community and the team in the field?

MM: One of my favorite shots is the picture with the American flag. It was interesting to me how these people who have lost a lot and are suffering the consequences of the tornado unite around this flag and keep themselves strong!

Everybody on the team was very active and it was a collaborative atmosphere. We were trying to collect as much data as we could, so we were moving quickly. All the team members were enthusiastic and serious about the job they were doing, although it was physically very exhausting. It was unpleasant to see people’s properties destroyed and the pain they were going through. We countered this by having dinner together as a team, where we had productive discussions and shared our backgrounds and expertise.

WC: What kind of data was collected and how was it collected?

MM: The entire process was a collaboration between our field team and a remote team.

We made a preliminary assessment based on aerial imagery, estimated tornado path, and information from local collaborators. Using that data, we identified the highly damaged zones, which included all types of structures: residential, commercial, industrial, both new and old.

A mobile app was developed with the Fulcrum platform. Each team member used the app to locate the properties, conduct live inspections, and upload pictures and information about the types of damages and status of the property. The data was synchronized in real-time to a server and marked on a map accessible to all team members, both in the field and remote members who were monitoring and supervising the process.

Besides a door to door assessment, we were also doing drone imaging, street view scanning, and limited Lidar scanning.

WC: Why is timing important?

MM: Fresh damage data are very valuable. Early damage data is perishable, which means the later you go out in the field, the less damage you can observe, as the clean-up and repair efforts begin rapidly. Of course, we always have to wait a certain amount as to not interfere with the activities of first responders and rescue efforts, as well as ensure the site condition is safe enough to gather data.

For example, we arrived at one site earlier than planned, and started the investigation a day sooner than the scheduled time. With a day’s head start, I could inspect a collapsed industrial building. When we went back to that area later, at the originally scheduled time, the whole site was closed and debris was being removed. We would have missed valuable evidence for our data collection.

WC: How might this data be used in the future?

MM: The collected data helps to identify the type of damage a tornado inflicts to buildings, to evaluate the performance of different structural systems, and to identify the weak points in buildings. This data will help improve construction practices and building code requirements to mitigate the hazard from tornados and extreme wind events and to help prevent catastrophic losses in the future. Besides the technical aspects of these studies, social aspects are also very important. When people have a better understanding of the risks that natural hazards can introduce to their property and lives, they become more willing to accept new safety measures for themselves and their properties (in terms of improving their buildings if necessary). To study those aspects, we had social scientists on board as well, who were conducting interviews with the homeowners.

WC: How does this tie into the work you do at Walker Consultants?

MM: There is an interesting relation. With most forensic projects at Walker, we are hired to inspect damaged properties at least one year after the event. In those cases, a lot of clean-ups and immediate repairs are done. Most of the damage is not obvious or readily seen. Our role is to carefully look for the clues and do the investigation with a high level of scrutiny, looking into the very details of everything.

In this case, with the damage reconnaissance occurring immediately after the event when the damage is fresh, there are a lot of visible and bold damage scenarios detectable. Also, in this type of, event aftermath investigation, we usually do not enter the properties and mainly study the overall behavior of the system.

The two types of work do complement each other. Having a good knowledge of the overall performance of the buildings derived from field investigations help to better identify the mechanisms causing damage to building components.

Through this collaboration, I learned about the efforts researchers are making to implement high-tech tools and smart algorithms to process damage data. Back at Walker, our forensics team discussed the ways we may benefit from these studies and findings to enhance our work procedures and adopt more high-tech tools.

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Thanks to Mohammad for your dedication to the research and to the community in Tennessee.  You represent the true spirit of Walker.

On January 6, Walker Consultants announced the appointment of four new company principals. Congratulations team!

Deon Bender, PE (Los Angeles) has been promoted to Principal. Deon is Director of Operations for Southern California and is experienced in parking consulting, restoration consulting, structural design and documentation. He has been involved in various phases of many projects including, structural design, functional design, schematic design, design development, construction documents and construction administration for both new design and restoration projects. Deon also has experience with parking needs assessment, financial feasibility studies, traffic access and circulation, parking configuration, signage design, lighting design, security, waterproofing systems, parking equipment design and parking management/operations.

Kirk Taylor, PE (Denver) has been promoted to Principal. Kirk is a Director of Design in the Denver office with over 18 years of civil/structural engineering experience and has been involved in various phases of many projects including structural design, functional design, schematic design, design development, construction documents and construction administration for new design projects. He additionally has experience with design of new roadway corridors and rehabilitation of existing roadway corridors.

 

Kirby McCleary, PE (Washington DC) has been promoted to Principal. Kirby is the Director of Forensic Restoration and Building Envelope in the Washington, DC office. He has twenty years of experience in the evaluation, design, and associated consultation of new and existing building structures of all types, uses, and construction materials. His experience has been in the forensic investigation, evaluation, and remediation of existing building defects and deficiencies related to various building envelope and structural systems; building envelope consultation for new construction; as well as expert witness services.

Randy Paulson (Irvine) has been promoted to Principal. Randy is the Corporate Director of Marketing providing support to all 23 offices in the company. He has been specialized in the architecture, engineering, and construction sectors for over 25 years where his areas of expertise include strategy development and execution, traditional and digital marketing, brand development, campaigns and project management, and data-driven decision making.

On January 6, Walker Consultants announced the appointment of five new company officers. Walker currently has 31 officers based throughout the company’s 22 nationwide locations providing multi-discipline engineering, restoration, and consulting services. Congratulations to the following leaders for their contributions to the team and success!

 

Al Bustamante, PE (Houston) has been promoted to Senior Vice President. Al is the National Director of Forensic Restoration and is responsible for coordinating the firm’s activities in the evaluation, testing, and design repairs of a variety of structural, architectural, and material distress related projects. His experience includes nondestructive testing of concrete structures, computer modeling and analysis of steel and masonry structures, design of repairs for steel structures, and building envelope assessments, and investigation and repair of parking structures.

 

Todd Lohman, PE (Indianapolis) has been promoted to Senior Vice President. Todd is the Managing Principal for Walker’s Indianapolis office of Walker Consultants and the Managing Director of firm’s Southeast Region. He has project experience in both precast and post-tensioned concrete design and has been involved in the durability design and maintenance recommendations on a wide range of facility types. Todd is responsible for parking consulting, design, and restoration for mixed-use, airport, university, and hospital parking projects.

 

Dave Ryan, PE (Chicago) has been promoted to Senior Vice President. Dave is Managing Director of the Central Region for Walker. Dave oversees Walker’s Chicago, Michigan, and Minneapolis offices and is responsible for overall project planning, budgeting, scheduling, quality assurance and the overall delivery process meeting Walker’s goals and client needs. Dave has experience in all aspects of Walker services including new design, restoration, parking consulting, studies, master planning and car park management systems.

 

Art Stadig, PE (Boston) has been promoted to Senior Vice President. Art Stadig is the Managing Director for Walker’s Northeast Region and Managing Principal for Walker’s Boston office. He is an expert in parking design, parking consulting and master planning and has helped clients throughout the nation optimize their parking possibilities. Art joined Walker Consultants in 1985 after several years of experience with other design firms.

 

Anurag Jain, PhD, PE (Los Angeles) has been promoted to Vice President. Dr. Jain has over 20 years of experience designing, analyzing and investigating structures for extreme loads. His expertise is in the area of earthquake and wind engineering and structural dynamics. He has completed numerous investigations for damage caused by extreme winds, earthquakes, fire, ground movement, construction-induced vibrations, construction defects, design omissions and corrosion. Dr. Jain also uses computer modeling to determine the cause of structural failures.

Parker-X talks with Jonathon Wicks with Walker Consultants

With Jonathan Wicks

http://bit.ly/33sAJ7F

Parker-X talks with Walker’s Jonathan Wicks

It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. Walker’s Jonathan Wicks talks about meeting the goals for a customer-service friendly and seamless parking experience, the underappreciated challenges and opportunities inherent in parking operations, and the big question – where is technology taking us and how will it get us there?

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Walker’s Jonathan Wicks, parking consultants out of the Los Angeles office, discusses the benefits of hiring a parking consultant when considering civic parking improvements to help gather and interpret parking data.

Click here to read more.

In a true mixed-modal mobility paradigm, the curb region is a complex shared environment — perhaps the most valuable public asset in your community.

The curb is the gateway to your city. A gateway is a transition from one mode of travel, or way of life, to another. Gateways set the tone for a traveler’s experience. People intuitively look for clues as to what their new environment will be like as they transition through gateways. First impressions from transitional experiences form lasting assumptions.

Defining User Needs and Priority

Parking professionals have known for years that the parking experience is a first and last impression and can impact a return visit. Does your city’s curb communicate a sense of welcomeness and well-being? Is it walkable?

How many mode shares do you see on a regular basis? Do people want to hang out on your sidewalks and experience community with their neighbors?

User connectivity engages healthy communities and is a welcome relief from too much technology and screen time and saves time looking for parking. Parking is critical, but the destination is the focus. Do people have direct access to your downtown curbed environment? Are they able to park on Main Street, transition to the curb, and cross the street safely?

The Message You’re Sending

At a stroad, where adjacent block faces and the curb is inaccessible, crossing the street is not safe or convenient. Parking and engagement with the curb may occur in a more remote setting, possibly an off-street parking lot or garage.

What kind of message does that send to visitors? Does your downtown provide adequate wayfinding to guide vehicles to available parking and then guide pedestrians back to their vehicles?

Prioritizing the City’s Assets

Like the land uses they serve, street and curb design should be prioritized to the best use of assets. Some state departments of transportation use vehicle miles traveled to prioritize human throughput over traditional level of service (LOS) metrics, which prioritize single-occupancy vehicles over public buses and private transit.

But what does a sensible street design allow development along those streets to do? If priority is for wide avenues with multiple lanes to move people through town, rather than to get them into town, you may have a stroad.

One way to measure this is to think: Can my grandparents cross the street in a reasonable amount of time? Do they need a pedestrian safety zone on a median in the middle of the lanes to complete a crossing?

Determine Your City’s Curbside Goals

Is priority placed on moving people through your town, rather than getting them out of their cars to linger in your town’s destinations?

By design, stroads prevent the ability for people to stop, get out of their cars, and participate with their surroundings. A people-oriented curb design, however, welcomes interaction and wonderment and is good for local business.

Management Practices to Satisfy Needs

When no one pays for access to the curb, everyone pays for access to the curb. Cities often price on-street parking to create desired access and then return parking meter revenue to block faces to improve pedestrian accessibility and increase parking availability.

Similarly, public agencies and private owners are pricing access to the curb, and control how mobility users access the curb, to improve the pedestrian environment and safety.

 

Delivering Transformative Transportation

San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency’s Better Market Street project delivers “transformative transportation, streetscape, and safety improvements along 2.2 miles of Market Street between Octavia Boulevard and the Embarcadero.”

With a goal of creating public space for people to linger and interact, transportation network company vehicle activity, such as Uber and Lyft, have been managed away from one of the city’s busiest arterials.

Market Street is geofenced so riders seeking service must be picked up on a side street so they don’t impede human throughput on the arterial. Similarly, drivers cannot drop passengers off in lanes that would block transit or bicycle paths of travel.

Planning Congestion Relief

The San Francisco International Airport takes geofencing one step further by pricing TNC drop off s at the terminal curb at a higher trip fee than drop off s within the terminal garage. Pick ups at the curb are also priced higher as a way to incent users to assist with congestion relief.

Universities, stadiums, and large concert events also use geofencing to control desired TNC traffic. A driver who violates the assigned pick up and drop off zones could be banned from the app per the terms of service with the venue.

Implementing New Ideas

With the pending onset of autonomous vehicles, optimizing the curb now for future use is critical. Prioritizing human throughput and access may follow some of these guidelines:

• Wide sidewalk = pedestrians and delivery bots
• Lane 1 = bike/ scooter lane
• Lane 2 = transit (HOV)
• Lane 3 = TNCs and private vehicles (SOV)

Cities are faced with increased demand for public assets while often simultaneously challenged by loss of revenues, including from parking. Looking ahead, one thing is certain: Designing for the greatest transition period facing transportation in the last 100 years will be interesting. Parking will play a critical role in the city experience.

This article was originally published in the December 2018 issue of Parking Magazine 

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Jonathan Wicks, CAPP, is a consultant at Walker Consultants. Email him at JWicks@ walkerconsultants.com.

BEHNAM ARYA, PE JOINS WALKER CONSULTANTS AS SENIOR FORENSIC CONSULTANT

Dr. Behnam Arya has more than 20 years of experience in analysis, design, and investigation of structures. He has directed a large number of investigation projects to determine the cause of structural damage and/or failures due to earthquakes, extreme winds, and construction defects and design errors, as well as extensive experience in conducting and directing destructive and non-destructive structural testing.

Behnam has performed post-earthquake damage assessments and analysis of buildings following the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California and 2010-11 Canterbury earthquake sequence in Christchurch, New Zealand. He has conducted wind damage assessments and analysis of building structures for numerous residential and commercial buildings after hurricanes Andrew, Charley, Wilma, and Irma in Florida, Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, Hurricane Ike in Texas, and CAT-90 Sandy in New Jersey.

Behnam actively participates in professional and technical committees and has published more than 30 papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings. He is currently a member of Forensic Practices Committee of ASCE through which he recently coauthored “Guidelines for Forensic Engineering Practice (Second Edition)” a publication of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).