Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck with Parking Structure Maintenance

Most people, including professionals in the commercial property industry, are either unaware or refuse to accept that parking structures require maintenance. The truth is, they begin to deteriorate before they are open to the public and do so exponentially after just a few years. Unlike the structure of the building or buildings they serve, which exist in a controlled environment, parking structures are exposed directly to the elements. Exposure to precipitation, road salt, thermal expansion and contraction, and vibratory loads, all contribute to the exponential degradation of a parking structure. As can see in the graph below produced by the National Parking Association, simply kicking the maintenance can down the road only results in higher maintenance costs. You will notice that performing maintenance early at A to A’ costs less than performing it later at B to B’. And delaying maintenance too long can result in an unsafe structure or worse, failure.

Biggest Bang for Your Buck

The top level of your parking structure typically serves as the roof of the facility. Focusing on this level will provide the largest return on your maintenance investment. Since water is the number one enemy, causing the largest repair expenses, it is important to remove water from this surface quickly and efficiently. This can be accomplished by managing precipitation runoff from the surface so that it does not have a chance to soak into the concrete or leak through the joints to reinforcing steel below and cause corrosion and spalling of concrete. Maintenance of surface sealer and joint sealant will provide the biggest bang for your buck.

Read more on our website.

Innovative Engineering Specializes in Parking Structure Maintenance

Innovative Engineering helps owners with parking structure maintenance and reducing restoration costs. Unlike most other building systems that are protected by a conditioned building envelope, parking structures are directly exposed to the elements which results in exponential or accelerated deterioration.

Our engineers are glad to walk your facility and let you know about any conditions that require immediate attention. Since the back of IEI business cards contain a crack gauge, you can easily evaluate any cracks within your structure to determine if it is of concern. Give us a call today!

 

The IEI Physical Security Advantage

More than 4,000 pedestrians, patrons, and employees are severely injured each year, and tragically preliminary data show as many as 500 deaths result from these largely preventable accidents.

Additionally, commercial buildings such as schools, hospitals, and office buildings have such a constant inflow of visitors that security requires more planning than ever.

How can you be sure that your employees, customers, and clients are protected?

Ensuring building security and complying with regulations is essential to making sure your assets are protected. A strong security system can help protect from theft, vandalism, and other types of damage. Many industries also have specific physical security requirements that must be met.

CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design)

 CPTED focuses on creating safe environments by using architectural design, lighting, and other factors to reduce criminal activity. The core principles of this approach are:

1. Natural surveillance: Placing architectural features, activities, and people in spaces to maximize visibility. This includes landscaping in such a way that it reduces hiding places for intruders, and allows clear visibility through fences and windows.
2. Natural access control: Having designated ingress and egress points, shaded areas near entrances that allow for more surveillance, and visible hallways and foyers are examples of natural access control.
3. Territoriality: This tactic discourages crime by clearly marking the boundaries of an area, such as transitions between private, semi-private, and public areas, and signage that designates private vs. public spaces.
4. Activity support: Discouraging actions such as loitering, and having a design layout that promotes an open field of view.
5. Maintenance: Keeping up with broken windows, overgrown landscaping, inadequate fencing, and worn or malfunctioning locks.

Learn more about physical security engineering on our website!

The IEI Physical Security Advantage

IEI routinely conducts peer reviews of both structural and physical security designs on behalf of the federal government. Our expertise not only matches that of world-renowned experts in the physical security field, our extensive engineer of record experience brings a unique blend to the project team.
IEI takes a wholistic approach that includes all disciplines. We know what it takes to ensure the physical security requirements get incorporated into the construction documents regardless of discipline. Contact us today to find out how we can help you!

The Importance of Physical Security for Commercial Buildings

Did you know that according to storefrontsafety.org, “every year in the United States there are as many as 22,000 crashes into stores, offices, bus stops, shopping centers, post offices, restaurants, and storefronts?

More than 4,000 pedestrians, patrons, and employees are severely injured each year, and tragically preliminary data show as many as 500 deaths result from these largely preventable accidents.”

How can you be sure that your employees, customers, and clients are protected?

Security Bollards

Security bollards are large posts you often see at the doorways of stores. These are used as both physical and visual barriers, and can protect lives and property by controlling traffic settings.

Vehicle ram-raids have been a security concern for stores for decades, and threaten the safety of employees as well as customers. The damage caused in these incidents is often very extensive and costly, so security bollards are a must for your commercial property.

Blast Resistant Engineering

Make sure your physical security engineer considers blast resistant building practices! In 2020, the city of Beirut suffered a tragic explosion at a port warehouse, which resulted in 150 dead and 5,000 injured.

Buildings are meant to shelter the people inside of them, but when they’re in such close proximity to an explosion, the building materials themselves become the weapons.

You can prevent this type of tragedy in a few ways:

1. Standoff distance – This is the distance to the source of the blast. If the potential blast zone can be predicted based on what kind of hazards are in the area, death and injury can be avoided.
2. Blast-resistant materials – Like in the case of the surprise Beirut explosion, if the location of blast source can’t be predicted, the second most effective protection is choosing building materials that can resist explosive force. Certain materials are made to resist a blast, and cut down on the number of flying shards and debris in the event of an explosion.

Learn more about physical security engineering on our website!

The IEI Physical Security Advantage

IEI routinely conducts peer reviews of both structural and physical security designs on behalf of the federal government. Our expertise not only matches that of world-renowned experts in the physical security field, our extensive engineer of record experience brings a unique blend to the project team.
IEI takes a wholistic approach that includes all disciplines. We know what it takes to ensure the physical security requirements get incorporated into the construction documents regardless of discipline. Contact us today to find out how we can help you!

Avoid Costly Repairs with Water Intrusion Engineering

Have you scheduled an inspection of your facility yet this year? 

Don’t put off inspections, especially if your facility has experienced a high amount of rainfall this year, or if you’ve had water intrusion issues in the past! 

Some water damage is visible to the human eye (discolored walls and ceilings; cracking roof, peeling paint; warped and rotten wood on floors; mold growth), but structural damage inside your walls and floors are harder to spot.

Hiring engineering professionals to investigate water damage is key. Water intrusion engineers have modern technology like thermal imaging, and equipment to detect excessive moisture or mold spores in the air.

IEI specializes in water intrusion inspection and repair for parking structures. Water is the number one cause of parking structure deterioration. Water-saturated concrete can freeze, expand, and spall.

Combined with oxygen, water can also cause corrosion of the concrete reinforcing. Exposure to deicing salts accelerates this process. As reinforcing steel expands as it rusts, this process also leads to concrete spalling. Spalled concrete provides less cover or protection of the reinforcing which leads to further (and accelerated) deterioration if not repaired in a timely manner.

Read more about water intrusion engineering on our website.

The IEI Structural Engineering Advantage

Our engineers at IEI specialize in water intrusion engineering in Atlanta and the surrounding areas. If you suspect you have water damage, give us a call. We’ll walk through your property and let you know of any conditions that require immediate attention and what maintenance activities you can perform now to extend the life of your facility. 

Dangers of Water Intrusion

Water intrusion can impact the structure of your building as well as its occupants. Besides presenting structural issues, water intrusion issues left untreated can result in:

• Structural deterioration
• Development of toxic mold
• Negatively impacting the indoor air quality
• Wet concrete, puddles, and weakened floors could potentially cause slip and fall accidents

Avoid Costly Repairs with Water Intrusion Engineering

Some water damage is visible to the human eye (discolored walls and ceilings; cracking roof, peeling paint; warped and rotten wood on floors; mold growth), but structural damage inside your walls and floors are harder to spot. 

Hiring engineering professionals to investigate water damage is key. Water intrusion engineers have modern technology like thermal imaging, and equipment to detect excessive moisture or mold spores in the air.

Read more about water intrusion engineering on our website.

The IEI Structural Engineering Advantage

Our engineers at IEI specialize in water intrusion engineering in Atlanta and the surrounding areas. If you suspect you have water damage, give us a call. We’ll walk through your property and let you know of any conditions that require immediate attention and what maintenance activities you can perform now to extend the life of your facility. 

Why Careers in Structural Engineering are in High Demand

Have you been considering a career in structural engineering?

If you’re looking for a career with a high level of problem solving and using cutting-edge technology, this field may be for you.

Not only do engineering careers provide stability for you and your family, but you’re working on challenging projects that solve problems for the community you live in. Structural engineers work on projects with long-lasting community impact and ensure buildings are safe and structurally-sound.

According to Newsweek, engineers are in high demand because “Engineers are highly valued not only for their problem-solving and innovative abilities, but also for their capacity to visualize the big picture and design and facilitate forward-thinking solutions – vital for the creation of a successful knowledge-based economy.”

Getting your foot in the door at a great structural engineering company can be intimidating and challenging. What should you look for in an engineering company before submitting your resume?

1. Relationships with the community – Does the company you’re considering have partnerships with local government officials, state and federal reviewing agencies, or local elected officials?
2. Professionalism – Look for a firm that always treats their clients and projects with respect and professionalism. A company that strives to maintain a good standing in the community and that has a great reputation is a good place to start. 

Learn more about looking for a career in structural engineering on our website!

A Growing Team at IEI

We are privately owned and don't have a board of directors to answer to which means we can run the firm for the benefit of all. There are not many firms that can say this. This being said, we are very selective when adding staff which has led to a very cohesive and supportive team of professionals.

We also offer internships for those still getting their education and who want first-hand experience in the field.

“My first few months at Innovative Engineering Inc. have been my most valuable college experience. I did not have any experience with structural engineering outside of the classroom but with the help of the engineers at Innovative Engineering, I have come to have an understanding of the basics. […] The engineers are more than happy to answer any questions throughout the day, but encouraged the use of the available resources as a first resort. Though intimidating at first, this is a very rewarding system as it allows you to learn about everything you’re doing and provides a sense of accomplishment after completing the task on your own.” – former intern at IEI

If you can picture yourself as part of the future leadership of this growing firm and would like to be a part of our team of professionals, please see the opportunities on our careers page!

Looking for a Career in Structural Engineering? Read This First

Getting your foot in the door at a great engineering company can be intimidating and challenging. What should you look for in an engineering company before submitting your resume?

1. Relationships with the community – Does the company you’re considering have partnerships with local government officials, state and federal reviewing agencies, or local elected officials?
2. Professionalism – Look for a firm that always treats their clients and projects with respect and professionalism. A company that strives to maintain a good standing in the community and that has a great reputation is a good place to start.
3. Track record – Great firms promote quality in the workplace with every project, no matter the size. Projects should be completed on time and on budget. Look for a strong track record of experienced firms that have been successful in working with local contractors and have a reputation of helping their clients over a long period of time.
4. Stability – If there’s a lot of employee turnover at the firm you’re interested in, that might be a red flag. Consider applying to firms that maintain their core team of engineers, architects, and surveyors.

Innovative Engineering Inc. is a trusted structural engineering resource of facility owners and managers of all sizes, including those with the nation’s largest real estate portfolios. Learn more on our website!

A Growing Team at IEI

We are privately owned and don't have a board of directors to answer to which means we can run the firm for the benefit of all. There are not many firms that can say this. This being said, we are very selective when adding staff which has led to a very cohesive and supportive team of professionals.

We also offer internships for those still getting their education and who want first-hand experience in the field.

“My first few months at Innovative Engineering Inc. have been my most valuable college experience. I did not have any experience with structural engineering outside of the classroom but with the help of the engineers at Innovative Engineering, I have come to have an understanding of the basics. […] The engineers are more than happy to answer any questions throughout the day, but encouraged the use of the available resources as a first resort. Though intimidating at first, this is a very rewarding system as it allows you to learn about everything you’re doing and provides a sense of accomplishment after completing the task on your own.” – former intern at IEI

If you can picture yourself as part of the future leadership of this growing firm and would like to be a part of our team of professionals, please see the opportunities on our careers page!