Remarkable Engineering - Near Disaster - Citicorp Tower, NYC / October 16, 2015 by Bob Ybarra

Location: 153 East 53rd Street, Manhattan, 10022, United States

Construction started: 1974

Completed & Opened : 1977

Cost: $195 million (USD)
(in adjusted inflation $758,904,448)

Height: Architectura l915 ft (279 m) Floor count 59

ArchitectHugh Stubbins / KlingStubbins, Emery Roth & Sons

Structural engineer: Le Messurier Consultants, James Ruderman

Ever see a building and ask, "How did they do that?" The Citicorp Building in NYC, now called the Citigroup Center, is one of those. Most recognized by its 45 degree top that stands out over the NYC skyline its base is what prompts the question.

As an architectural work the building has little to say but as an engineering work it has lots to say. The structural engineer was the foremost William LeMessurier. Due to a requirement by the sellers of the property, St. Peter's Lutheran Church, a new church building was required to be built along side the new tower. This resulted in a design where the typical corner columns would instead be centered with the sides of the building with chevron bracing (diagonal bracing) to the corners.

But then the intrigue of 1979 has added to the engineering story. After the the completion of the building a Princeton engineering student, named Diane Hartley, chose the CitiCorp Building to write her thesis on. In her research she contacted the office of William LeMessurier and spoke to an associate engineer. With her evaluation of the materials she was given she asked about the building being evaluated for quarterly winds. These are winds that travel diagonally against the building pushing against two faces at the same time. She never learned more about her inquiry or what resulted because of it until she watched the documentary linked below and a meet up with her old professor.

The issue was that the connections between diagonal members and the corner members of the building were changed from welding to bolts while under construction. This was suggested by the contractor to save money and recalculated by Mr. LeMessurier's office. However, they did fail to consider the quarterly wind reactions. The inquiry by Diane Hartley triggered a recheck of the calculations and discovery of a potentially catostrophic failure of the bolted connections in a 70 mph plus wind. In NYC this had a 1 in 16 chance of happing and storm season was approaching. The response was an immediate action to weld those connections at night when the offices were closed. The added intrigue was that the tenants were not told of the potential danger nor the character of the repairs. Meanwhile the city put in place an emergency evacuation plan with the RedCross in case there was an imminent threat of 70 mph winds. Fortunately, it never was needed.

As the story was later told by Mr. LeMessurier, he was called by a young man that was an engineering student who revealed to him the error of the calculations. It wasn't until Diana Hartley later spoke to her retired professor that she realized she was that student. This makes the story all the more remarkable and maybe even a miracle. So today the CitiCorp Building remains standing with its neighboring buildings.

Projects remembered - Disneyland Big Thunder Ranch / October 10, 2015 by Bob Ybarra

It's not every day that you get to work for the "Happiest Place on Earth." Back in 1986 I was producing plans for a contractor in California. Besides the typical residential and commercial projects they were a distributer and builder for Rocky Mountain Log Homes based in Montana. Disneyland in Anaheim California was planning to expand part of the Big Thunder Mountain attraction in Frontier Land. This was in addition to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad that opened in 1979. The small expansion included the Big Thunder Ranch Cabin with a petting zoo and the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ.

When Rocky Mountain Log Homes was contacted by Disney they refered them to the contractor I was working for and they were happy with me producing the plans. So I was fortunate to work with a great group of people in the Disney Imagineering department and using their designer's sketches and preliminaries produced plans for the cabin. Attention was taken to hide any modern structural hardware, bolts recessed and wood plugs used to hide them. But the logs are real.

The cabin was intended to simply be a replica to be looked at by visitors then later was used as a gift store and I believe now is a kids crafts center. It remains today with the BBQ but according to news reports Big Thunder Ranch will be closed come January 2016 and removed to make room for the new Star Wars attraction. I love Star Wars but am sad the ranch must go.

Fortunately I still have the original plans I drew of the Cabin. Below are a few of the sheets.

9/11 Remembered - Explosives destroyed WTC / September 11, 2015 by Bob Ybarra

In commemoration of the attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11/01 I thought it best to remember the failure to do a thorough and complete and accurate evaluation of why the Twin Towers and Building 7 failed and collapsed in the manner they did.

The linked video is produced by a group of well respected, educated and profession scientists, engineers and architects who present remarkably credible evidence and arguments that nanothermite explosives were the cause of the failure and collapse of the Twin Towers. They have published their findings called "The Toronto Report."

An added note: Days after 9/11 I traveled with fellow pastors and firefighter friends to do what we could to comfort and care for the hurting of New Your city. We served along side so many wonderful people from all over the US. I will always remember those I prayed with, conceded and cried with and the brave first responders I was so privileged to meet. May the Lord comfort them all this day.

The Water Fence - Residential solution to water collection / August 27, 2015 by Bob Ybarra

The Water Fence is the idea of 15 year old Steven McDowell. The 6 foot high water storage fence is capable of collecting 240 gallons of water in each tank section from the rain run-off of your roof.

According EPA.gov, "the average American family uses 320 gallons of water per day, about 30 percent of which is devoted to outdoor uses," (http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/pubs/outdoor.html). That would be an outdoor use averaging 96 gallons a day. A 240 gallon unit could supply water for 2.5 days depending on the use and size and type of landscaping. Doesn't sound like much but when you add 32 of these together (the length of fencing on a standard residential lot of 60'x100') you have reduced your water usage by approximately 80 days, nearly a quarter of a year. Take in consideration rainy and cool months where less or no water is needed in the garden you have a generous supply to supplement your outdoor irrigation. Add drip a system or high efficiency sprinkler heads and you have succeeded to increase the usage. You could maybe even sell it to your neighbors and help offset the cost.

There are a variety of decorative treatments for the sides and it seems that the typical white vinyl look would be most in demand thought they do not have any photo's on their sight. Most Home Owner Associations approve the white or tan vinyl fencing over other types.

I am waiting on the some cost information from the company and will add that to this post. For more information go to http://www.waterfence.com. Also, do the young man a favor and repost this post or any of the companies other videos.

Bob

Frank Lloyd Wright - Community Christian Church in Kansas City / April 17, 2015 by Bob Ybarra

Frank Lloyd Write is the most celebrated American architect. He is most known for his Usonian homes and Prairie homes and many famous commercial and industrial works as the Samuel R Guggenheim Museum or the Johnson Wax Building. But I like finding those works of Wright that are less known and are seldom mentioned. The Community Christian Church in Kansas City is one of those.

My daughter travels a lot with her job and is becoming an accomplished photographer. She also has her dad's love of architecture. (Visit her website www.littlec.me) When she travels to a city I will do a little research to find what Frank Lloyd Wright works may be there. This week she was in Kansas City and took time to visit the Community Christian Church.

What I most like about the architecture is Wright's use of white. Both exterior and interior are white. The pulpit area with its trapezoid windows (trapezoid shapes being a distinctive characteristic of Wright's) flood the pulpit with light that creates a magnificent focus.

Enjoy

Bob Ybarra

BAR Association Refurbishing project / March 26, 2015 by Bob Ybarra

There are those times I get to work on a unique project. The Riverside County BAR Association building in downtown Riverside is one of those. The building was built in 1929 for the Montgomery Ward Co. A newspaper clipping is attached. The project was to design and draw remodeling of the interior and a refurbishing of the exterior close to its original look. See more drawings on the project HERE. . .

Refurbished front elevation with sash windows, wood double glass doors, tile wainscot and replaced medallions.

Riverside Daily Press article on Montgomery Ward Co. grand opening 1929. — Riverside Daily Press article on Montgomery Ward Co. grand opening 1929.

Amazon further infiltrates your life. Creepy? / December 30, 2014 by Bob Ybarra

We all think Tony Stark's cyber assistant Jarvis is cool. But it was developed and programmed by the fictional character and wasn't connected to a corporation with the dastardly intent to sell you everything under the sun whether you want it or not. In the case of Amazon's Echo it makes me feel a bit creepy that a company is aggregating more than what I might search for on the website. Would I want a corporate capitalistic behemoth as Amazon to know this much information about me and my family? A bit Orwellian in a commercial kind of way?

This brings me to another thought and that is how we humans are letting others or letting technology think for us and chose for us. We are seeing more and more tech stuff, such as Echo, that are not tools as much as they are geeky umbilical cords. This is why it's creepy to me.

By Jarvis (on behalf of Bob)

Don’t make them like they use to - The Livermore Light Bulb / December 11, 2014 by Bob Ybarra

History continues to pass by, fire fighters come and go and horse drawn fire wagons have been replaced by trucks at the Livermore fire station in California but will this 113 year old light bulb ever pass?

Created in the early days of electricity this light bulb was donated to the Fire Station by the owner of the local Livermore Power and Lighting Company. it was an improved design of the incandescent bulb manufactured by the Shelby Electric Company.

To lean more about his historical bulb go to http://www.centennialbulb.org/index.htm

BYBuildingDesign