Sampoong Department Store Collapse

Being faced with a decision to decide between money and safety, is a tough decision. Most people say that safety is way more important than making or saving money, but when the decision is on you and dealing with millions of dollars, what would you decide? Is it really that easy of a decision? On June 29, 1995, the largest peacetime disaster in South Korean history occurred in Seoul; this disaster resulted in 502 deaths and 937 injuries and was the result of a decision of money over safety.

Construction for a four floor residential apartment building began in 1987. The land being built on was previously a landfill. During construction, the future chairman of the building Lee Joon, changed the design to a department store. Part of this design change included cutting away some of the support columns to install escalators. The original contractors refused to make the changes; Lee Joon fired them and hired his own company to build the store.

The building was completed in 1989 and opened on July 7, 1990. During the 5 year existence of the building, it is estimated to have around 40,000 people a day. After a while a 5th floor was added to the structure. Originally, the design was to have it be a skating rink so it complied with zoning regulations that prevented the whole building to be a department store. Lee Joon changed the plans for the fifth floor to house eight restaurants. Again, the construction company advised Joon that the structure would not support the additional structure, and again Joon fired them and brought in a new company.

The fifth floor was made of concrete, and was made thicker to hold hot water pipes for heating since tradition is for people to sit on the floor while dining. The air conditioner unit was installed on the roof, which added four times the design load. Two years before the collapse, the air conditioner units were moved across the roof by dragging them. This caused the roof to start cracking, and the column on the 5th floor which sat under the units also showed signs of initial cracking.

In April 1995, cracks started to show in the ceiling and Joon's response was to move the stores from the fourth floor to the basement. On June 29, the cracks increased dramatically. The response this time was for the managers to close the stores on the top floor and shut the air conditioner off. Executives refused to shut the building down or issue an evacuation because the number of customers was unusually high that day and they didn't want to lose the revenue, but the executives left the building as a precaution.

Eight hours before the collapse, civil engineers inspected the building and revealed there was a risk of collapse, yet the building was still not shut down. Five hours before, loud bangs were heard from the top floors and vibrations from the air conditioner caused the cracks in the floor to grow to 10 cm wide. At 5:00 pm Korea Standard Time, the fifth floor of the building started to sink. With all this occuring, the owner of the store still refused to close or carry out orders for repair. At 5:50 pm, cracking sounds were apparent and store workers sounded the alarms and issued an evacuation. Seven minutes later, the roof gave way, the AC unit came crashing through the floor, and the main columns of the building collapsed.

The collapse took 20 seconds, and after that short amount of time 1,500 people were trapped and 502 were dead. The property damage cost was $216 million (US dollars).  The investigation showed that poorly laid foundation, incorrect application of technique, and an additional fifth floor were the main causes of the collapse. A concrete mix of cement and sea water, and reinforced concrete was used for the ceiling and walls; the number of steel reinforcing bars embedded in the concrete were half as many as needed. The columns and a number of other things were not up to par with the number or size of what was necessary. Additional causes included building on unstable ground, dragging the units across the roof destabilizing the surface, and the vibrations from the air conditioner unit.

After the event, multiple trials took place to give consequences for those who were part of the collapse. Lee Joon was charged with criminal negligence and ten and a half years in prison. In April of 1996, his sentence was reduced to seven years; a few days after being released, Lee Joon pasted away due to poor health. The store's president, Lee Joon's son, was charged and spent seven years in prison for accidental homicide and corruption. Twelve city officials that were found guilty of taking bribes of as much as $17,000 to conceal the illegal changes in the design of the store and the poor construction, were also jailed for seven years, with the store executives and the company that completed the building process. The settlement involved a total of 3,293 cases.

The damage done to the building and the people of Seoul, South Korea could have been prevented at every measurement. A four floor department store could still be standing today and racking in the won. A man's want for money overpowered his ethical morals. The contractors and construction workers that were originally hired for the jobs had enough sense to put aside the money aspect to step up and say, "This is unsafe." Sadly, their advise was thrown aside all for money. Lee Joon was focused only on how much he could save for this development, and what could maximize his profits. During the build, if safety had been the number one aspect, like it always should be, then hundreds of lives could have been saved.

Hastings Bridge

The average life span for a highway bridge is 70 years. Hastings, MN has gone through three bridges since 1895; the first two lasting less than 60 years before it was decided to rebuild. The most current bridge is being built right next to the existing one that was built in 1951, crossing the Mississippi River (Hwy 61).

Original Spiral Bridge

The original bridge, built in 1895, had a spiral design, and featured a Parker through truss bridge for the main span, with two wooden and steel trestle approaches. Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Works Company designed and built the bridge with a spiral approach on the south end of the bridge, so the bridge could be high enough to clear the height clearance for ships and barges passing through.

The Main Span of the new bridge
next to the existing Hastings Bridge.

The Spiral Bridge became a historic icon and an icon for other engineers. In 1951, it was blown up and replaced by the bridge that is currently standing, a tied arch bridge. This bridge is the longest bridge in the Western Hemisphere. This standing bridge is also being replaced. The new bridge is being built right next to the tied arch bridge, so there is no major interference with traffic. The reason for the new build, besides the wear and tear that is becoming apparent, is the tied bridge was built by Sverdrup and Parcel (the same company to build the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis).

Current Hastings Bridge

The bridge in Hastings was built with a similar design, and after the I-35W collapse this bridge became a huge concern. The reason for the I-35W collapse was the gusset plates were too thin and therefore buckled and the bridge collapsed. It is said that the Hastings bridge has the correct thickness of gusset plates, but is still a concern. This is not the only reason the rebuild is being done. Signs of wear and tear from increased traffic and extreme weather have done damage to the bridge. Even the salt used for roads during the winter have eaten away at the structure.

With two past icon bridges, the new Hastings Bridge has a reputation to withhold. In 2008, less than a year after the I-35W collapse, Minnesota legislature passed transportation funding that allowed for the acceleration of construction to begin in 2010. The Minnesota Department of Transportation will pay $2.1 million to ensure it will be open by December 13, 2013. In the spring of 2011, the construction was delayed 12 months due to the Mississippi River flooding and the 20-day state government shutdown in July. The goal is to open the first two lanes of traffic on the new bridge in early to middle 2013, and all four lanes be open by the set date. The total construction cost is $120 million.

Main Span being floated in on the
Mississippi River.

When I was living in Cottage Grove, MN this summer, construction was making way. The amount of work that had been done since construction started was impressive, and the work continues to be hitting deadlines. The Main Span of the bridge was floated and lifted into place through September 22 and 24.

The current bridge has two lanes and carries over 30,000 vehicles daily. Although officials ensure that the current bridge is safe, the width and clearance is not high enough for what the traffic count is. The new bridge will be another one for the history books spanning 545-ft long with free-standing tied arches and an expected life span of 100 years.

This development, as well as the previous bridges that have taken place in Hastings, MN, directly affects the community as well as the thousands of people that travel that path everyday. The design of the new bridge after the I-35W collapse shows that the safety of the people are a key aspect in the field of Civil Engineering. This is one aspect that will not change from now until I become a Professional Engineer. The Hastings Bridge changes shows that there are many aspects a Civil Engineer needs to stay on top of including inspections, safety, design, materials, and environment. The materials of a design are key to a development that will last a long time. Developments like this one are a constant reminder of what changes and advancements are made in the field every day. Throughout the three bridges materials, design, machinery, and processes have improved and have made better, longer-lasting structures. 

These improvements are what makes me excited to learn all I can in school so I can get out there and make advancements and history icons that make a difference in the lives of people that use my designs everyday. Roads, Bridges, and even structures are a part of everyone's every day life and the developments like the Hastings Bridge, shows us how they can be developed without decreasing the quality of life for a community. 

The Big Dig

The Central Artery/Tunnel Project of Boston (CA/T) was a mega-project that consisted of multiple projects in one: re-routing Interstate 93 (the Central Artery or the main highway through the heart of the city) into 3.5 miles of tunnel, constructing the Ted Williams Tunnel, Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, and Rose Kennedy Greenway, and initially, connection the rail lines of Boston’s two main train terminals.  The completion of the entire project was scheduled to be in 1998 and total cost was supposed to be around $2.8 billion.

After escalating costs, leaks, design flaws, criminal arrests, charges of using substandard materials, continuous missed deadlines, and four deaths, the project became known as America’s Greatest Highway Robbery and is the most expensive highway project in the United States. Boston Globe estimated the total cost of the project to be $22 billion, including interest, and says it won’t be paid off until 2038; the people of Boston have paid for this construction through traffic accidents, almost daily, due to speed limits being extremely high and will continue to pay for it through taxes.

Boston, Massachusetts use to have a “world-class traffic problem.” The elevated six lane highway running through the center of downtown known as the Central Artery opened in 1959 and cut off Boston’s north end and waterfront neighborhoods from downtown. This alone, was affecting the city. The Central Artery carried approximately 75,000 vehicles a day when it first opened, and in 1990, that number rose to 200,000 vehicles a day. The accident rate on this elevated highway was four times the national average for urban interstates, and the same problem was occurring in the two tunnels underneath Boston. Without making any improvements to this major problem, it was expected that Boston would experience stop and go traffic jams for up to 16 hours a day by 2010.

The plans included changing the six lane highway into an eight to ten lane underground expressway, extending Interstate 90 to the Logan International Airport by a tunnel, constructing an additional bridge over the Charles River, and using the area from the previous Interstate 93 elevated highway for the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

The Ted Williams Tunnel was completed in December of 1995, and was named after a Massachusetts Congressman and Speaker of the House (1977-1987) that was an instrumental piece of getting the funding for the CA/T.

At the beginning of the project, the area from the elevated highway was a grey area as to what to do with it. There were continuous debates; no one wanted to take responsibility for the future, the government wasn't stepping up to make decisions, and of course, the money was a huge issue. Even though the project should have been completely planned before making any physical changes, such as tearing down the highway, the project was started and a void space was left for further decisions. Today, the area is known as Rose Kennedy Greenway and is owned by a non-profit corporation financed by state and public donations.

CA/T is a project that is considered to be on the same scale as projects like the Panama Canal, the Chunnel, and the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline. Each of these projects had their own challenges: The Panama Canal has earth slides, malaria, yellow fever, and Central American jungles; the Chunnel was dug 31 miles from opposite ends and met in the middle; The Alaskan Pipeline dealt with huge distances, freezing temperatures, and major environment concerns. The challenge of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project was trying to change the main highway going through the heart of the city without hurting the city in anyway; to do this, mitigation costs were one-fourth of the project’s budget.

During the peak of the construction (1999-2002), $3 million of work was completed each day, and 5000 construction workers were on the job. When the project was all said and done, the project totaled 7.8 miles of highway, 161 lane miles (half of that in tunnels), 14 on and off ramps (the elevated highway had 27), 3.8 million cubic yards of concrete, more than 16 million cubic yards of soil was excavated, and 29 miles of gas, electric, phone, sewer, water, and other utility lines were moved. On top of all this extreme design and actual work of the project, problems seemed to constantly occur, including: cost overruns and delays due to poor planning, insufficient materials, corruption within the project resulting in many people being charged, and investigations into these charges. Reasons that were reported for the cost overruns included inflation, the failure to asses unknown conditions of what was beneath the ground, environmental and mitigation, and expanded scope. With each of these issues came agreements that needed to be made and contracts between companies.

Although this project has a negative history and caused many problems through the extended time it took for completion, increased project cost, additional flaws, it is one of the largest, most technically difficult and environmentally challenging infrastructure projects ever in the U.S., includes the widest bridge ever built, and the first bridge to use asymmetrical design.

The achievements of this project vastly outweigh the flaws. The total vehicle hours of travel was reduced by 62% between 1995-2003 which provides approximately $168 million annually in time and cost savings to drivers, carbon monoxide levels were reduced city wide by 12%, mobility downtown was incredibly improved, neighborhoods that were cut off from downtown have been reconnected, and Boston’s quality of life has been increased. These are just a few of the benefits of tearing down the Central Artery and making the improvements for the city of Boston. Without these changes, Boston would not be what it is today; it would be over crowded and unsafe, if it even would still exist. 

Civil Engineering

The twin towers stood standing for several
minutes after being hit by the plane. This saved
many people's lives and is due to the design and
structure developed by civil engineers.

Civil engineers touch many aspects 

of everyday life; from the water you 

use in the morning to brush your teeth 

and shower, to the roads you drive 

on and the houses and buildings you live 

and work in, and the power that 

charges your phone. Without civil 

engineers, our national parks wouldn't 

have their infrastructures, parks 

wouldn't be preserved, and wetlands would 

flood and destroy cities. Our roads, trains, 

and other forms of mass transit would 

not be as they are today. Civil engineers 

are constantly looking toward the future 

and are improving aspects of our everyday lives.

The Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, and Panama Canal are just a few of the amazing accomplishments in the civil engineering field. These three accomplishments are also known as the Seven Wonders of the Modern World

In addition to the Seven Wonders, there are a variety of other amazing achievements civil engineers created. Some creations are so obvious that you probably have never thought about who worked on it or what really went into creating it. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Great Wall of China, Panama Canal, and Golden Gate Bridge are just a few. Some other not so well known wonders that civil engineers had a hand in include: China's Bird Nest (pictured below), Millau Viaduct (video below), and the Venice Tide Barrier Project. 

Being a civil engineer is just more than sitting in an office all day drawing things on a computer or being in the field all day supervising the construction work going on. Responsibilities and duties of an engineer include a wide range of things. The first duty of a civil engineer is to inspect and analyze the construction project and location.

They do not only designing and analyzing the plan, but they inspect the plan, go to the project site to make sure that the plan fits the location, and have insight that everything is going smoothly. After analyzing, they write detailed reports stating what is working and what needs to be changed. The next step is then reviewing the plans to fit the changes needed, and again making sure everything is in order to proceed with the construction phase. Most people may think the engineer’s job ends here, but that is not true. Civil engineers are a part of the project from start to end, making changes as necessary, making sure everything is going through the appropriate procedures for permits and legalities, and checking and double checking on safety of the project and the people working on the project.

As a civil engineering student at NDSU, our lessons are based on ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) objectives. As NDSU describes it, “civil engineering includes the planning, construction, maintenance, and operation of large and permanent engineering projects [and] work [closely] with engineers and scientists from other fields.” 

NDSU Engineers Without Borders in Guatemala 

What do you think of when you hear Engineer? Most will respond with, “Math…a lot of math.” This is true, but it is not the only aspect of engineering. Civil engineers use many different equations to develop a project and make checks periodically on measurements and design. Design is also a huge part of the career. Many programs are available for civil engineers; this list includes SolidWorks, Pro-Engineer, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D.

Civil engineering is one discipline in the engineering field, and is broken into sub-divisions including environmental, geotechnical, transportation, water resources, materials, surveying, construction, bridge, hydraulic, and structural. A lot of civil engineering firms focus on surveying, construction, transportation, water resources, and structural.