Chicago’s notorious “Hawk” winter wind didn’t discourage Anchorage, Alaska, native Amy Mestas (CE ’04, M.S. ’06) from venturing into the “lower 48” to attend college and graduate school. In fact, she credits Illinois Institute of Technology for charting a career path that prepared her not only for designing cold-weather projects but also for evaluating buildings that have been subjected to events that happen with greater frequency in Alaska than in any other state: earthquakes. Mestas, senior-level associate and senior structural engineer with PDC Engineers, was recognized for contributions to the profession and to her community as Alaska Engineer of the Year 2018.
What steps did you and other engineers take with clients after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck on November 30, 2018, outside of Anchorage?
We all set to inspecting critical infrastructure first and then working our way to the residential level. Our schools were closed for a full week and many community members were forced to move out of their homes while we endured a barrage of aftershocks, some as large as 5.7. Newer buildings typically did not sustain damage to the main structure, but rather, just to the building components such as the sheetrock or sprinkler heads. We saw failures in older buildings that the design community has learned do not perform well in seismic events. In many buildings we saw little to no damage after the initial earthquake, but after tens and hundreds of aftershocks, we began to see damage that needed repairs. We are still working on repairs and facility inspections eight months later, and it is likely the aftermath will continue at a slow pace for years to come. There has been a huge educational component to working with clients since the earthquake. I truly believe this experience has created a higher level of understanding about earthquakes as well as a desire to build more resilient structures in the years ahead.
What goes into determining a building’s structural integrity after it has been subjected to a seismic event?
The post-earthquake inspection of a facility includes looking for the overall alignment of the structure, looking for substantial damage to finishes indicating possible damage to the primary structure, and looking at the structure itself. We look for evidence of significant ground settlement, especially settlement caused by liquefied soils. (We follow the protocols set forth by the Applied Technology Council ATC-20 document in our preliminary assessments to determine if further investigation needs to take place.) It can be challenging to determine if the main structure has been damaged as most buildings have architectural finishes covering the structure. It is also challenging to determine if there has been damage to the foundation if there are no significant settlements.
How did the local community respond to the efforts of the structural engineers?
As a general rule, structural engineers work with architects, contractors, and other engineers. After the earthquake, we talked with everyone in the community to help them understand the real risks of being in a damaged home, or on the flipside, to explain that the sheetrock cracks in their home were nothing to worry about. It was very difficult to tell a building owner to shut down and do repairs or to tell a homeowner to leave their house, but it was necessary. No one tells you in engineering school you may end up needing to be part psychologist after a big earthquake.
And you’d better not be afraid of spiders! We spent a lot of time in basements/crawlspaces looking for damage. I had more than one eight-legged friend crawling on me over the months of inspections. We took to inspecting right after the main shock, which meant we were often in some dicey situations during aftershocks.
And you’d better not be afraid of spiders! We spent a lot of time in basements/crawlspaces looking for damage. I had more than one eight-legged friend crawling on me over the months of inspections. We took to inspecting right after the main shock, which meant we were often in some dicey situations during aftershocks.
Have you developed any innovative processes for PDC?
On the technical side, I had the opportunity to design a load-bearing cold-formed steel structure in Juneau for the University of Alaska Southeast, which was not a standard construction method at the time. I was also fortunate to work on United States Department of Defense projects that required designing for large blast loads in addition to large seismic, wind, extreme temperature, fully or partially frozen soils, and snow-load criteria. Alaska is unique in that we don’t just have high winds or earthquakes or heavy snow—we can get them all at the same time. We often deal with the constraints of how to get materials to a project site. There are times when you have one shot to get materials to a site; otherwise, items must be flown out by a small float plane or taken up river on a small boat.
On the professional innovation side, I have worked to implement agile project management practices into our design work to keep employees and clients engaged and our workflow efficient. Engineering is fun, and keeping it that way provides the best possible product to our clients and creates the best designs for the longevity of our community. I love mentoring others and love the initial brainstorming phases of projects, and I especially enjoy walking into a newly finished facility that I know will be a safe structure for my fellow Alaskans in the years to come. I also enjoy speaking at local schools and helping with STEM nights so that our youth are exposed to engineering as a real possibility for their future.
On the professional innovation side, I have worked to implement agile project management practices into our design work to keep employees and clients engaged and our workflow efficient. Engineering is fun, and keeping it that way provides the best possible product to our clients and creates the best designs for the longevity of our community. I love mentoring others and love the initial brainstorming phases of projects, and I especially enjoy walking into a newly finished facility that I know will be a safe structure for my fellow Alaskans in the years to come. I also enjoy speaking at local schools and helping with STEM nights so that our youth are exposed to engineering as a real possibility for their future.
When you get up each morning, how do you know that you are really in Anchorage and not in Chicago?
In the winter months there is a calm that comes from the cold and the dark. You look out the window and while we experience months of less than eight hours of daylight, it is rarely dark because we have a blanket of snow that reflects the moonlight and light from the streetlamps. School is not closed for snow, only when it gets too warm and the snowy roads turn into ice rinks. In the summer months we live in the energy of the sun. You go to bed in broad daylight and wake up in broad daylight. We live in sync with the seasons, and the pace of work and life reflects that.
The first summer I spent in Chicago seemed very odd as I had never been in a place that was both dark and hot at the same time! There was always noise in the city, especially since the Illinois Tech dorms were so close to the “L.” When I wake up here, I see the beautiful Chugach Mountains. When I woke up in Chicago, I saw the beautiful manmade skyline. Each is amazing, and I am grateful to have had both experiences in my life.
The first summer I spent in Chicago seemed very odd as I had never been in a place that was both dark and hot at the same time! There was always noise in the city, especially since the Illinois Tech dorms were so close to the “L.” When I wake up here, I see the beautiful Chugach Mountains. When I woke up in Chicago, I saw the beautiful manmade skyline. Each is amazing, and I am grateful to have had both experiences in my life.