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   Foundation Performance
   Association

   Houston, Texas

   Webmaster: Liz Stansfeld

STRUCTURAL COMMITTEE

To join the Structural Committee, contact the Committee Chair - Ron Kelm, P.E. 713-468-8100.

Click below for

Mission Statement

Published Papers

Project List

Project Details

Committee Members

Mission Statement

The primary goal of the foundation performance association's committee on structural design is to improve the performance of residential and light commercial building foundations for owners in the Southeast Texas area, and to educate engineers, architects, building contractors, inspectors, and repair contractors on ways to minimize foundation problems, thereby reducing their potential liabilities.

To achieve our goal, we will discuss various design procedures and results based on past and present experience, we will perform the necessary research and evaluate our findings, and we will summarize and publish our results for the use of all parties involved in the design, construction, inspection, repair, and maintenance of residential and light commercial structures, thus creating a public awareness of good foundation performance.

Published Papers

These papers have been peer reviewed in accordance with the FPA Peer Review Procedures

Doc.#/Date Subcommittee Chair Document Title

11/08/2008
Karl Breckon
Structural Committee
Provides guidelines that a foundation design engineer may use in preparation of construction drawing notes and specifications for foundations of residential and other low-rise building projects.
FPA-SC-01-0
6/30/2004
George Wozny/
Michael Skoller
Structural Committee
Foundation Design Options for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings on Expansive Soils
FPA-SC-03-1
5/1/2004
Michael Skoller
Structural Committee
Distress Phenomena Often Mistakenly Attributed to Foundation Movement
FPA-SC-04-0
4/11/2001
Ron Kelm
Structural Committee
Recommended Practice for Geotechnical Explorations and Reports
FPA-SC-05-0
12/11/2002
Lowell Brumley
Structural Committee
Comments on the Use of PTI Method and Suggestions for Further Research
FPA-SC-06-0
10/10/2005
John Clark
Structural Committee
Homebuyers' Foundation Guide for Foundation Evaluation
FPA-SC-07-0
3/25/2003
Jim Austin
Structural Committee
Foundation Maintenance and Inspection Guide for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings
FPA-SC-08-0
7/17/2005
Karl Breckon
Structural Committee
Design, Manufacture, and Installation Guidelines of Precast Concrete Segmented Piles For Foundation Underpinning
FPA-SC-10-1
2/20/2007
Jack Spivey
Structural Committee
Quality Control Checklists for Foundation Inspection of Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings
FPA-SC-11-0
11/11/2007
Michael Skoller
Structural Committee
Specifications and Application of Void Spaces Below Concrete Foundations
FPA-SC-12-0
1/9/2006
Nicole Wylie
Structural Committee
Guidelines for Evaluating Foundation Performance by Monitoring
FPA-SC-13-0
07/15/2007
Lowell Brumley
Structural Committee
Guidelines for the Evaluation of Foundation Movement for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings
FPA-SC-13-0-Calcs.xls
06/25/2008
Nicole Wylie
Structural Committee
Calculation Spreadsheet for FPA-SC-13-0 (For Members Only)
FPA-SC-14-0
6/28/2006
Nicole Wylie
Structural Committee
Comments on the Post-Tensioning Institute's "Design of Post-Tensioned Slabs-on-Ground" 3rd Edition
FPA-SC-15-0
11/08/2008
Karl Breckon
Structural Committee
Foundation Construction Drawing Notes for Residential and Other Low-Rise Structures

(Unless otherwise noted, these papers are in an Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat on your computer, you can download it free from the Adobe web site.)

Active Subcommittees

Subcommitee Subcommittee
Chair(s)
Status
Subject
FPA-SC-02 Al Bustamante
C
Test Methods
FPA-SC-09 David Dorr
C
Standard Design Contract

Status Code:
* H=Hold, W=Writing/Working, C=Committee Review, P=Peer Review

To join the structural committee or to start a new subcommittee, please contact please contact Ron Kelm, P.E. 713-468-8100.

To join a subcommittee, please contact the subcommittee chair.

Project Details

Project # / Title
Project Mission
Project History
FPA-SC-01
Foundation Design Options for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings on Expansive Soils
Write and publish a paper that comprehensively describes pros and cons of the various foundation design options for residential and other low-rise buildings on expansive soils An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee November 1999. The paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 30 Jun 04 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee with co-chairs George Wozny and Michael Skoller and members Ron Kelm, Bill Polhemus, Lowell Brumley, Jon Monteith, Mari Mes, George Cunningham, John Clark, Toshi Nobe, Nicole Wylie, Denis Hanys, and Jim Austin was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-02
Test Methods for Evaluating Existing Foundations
Write and publish a paper that describes the various testing tools available to forensic engineers and consultants for use in the evaluation of foundation performance of foundations for residential and other low-rise buildings.
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Al Bustamante was sanctioned by the committee July 2007.

 

FPA-SC-03
Distress Phenomena Often Mistakenly Attributed To Foundation Movement
Write and publish a paper that summarizes distress phenomena found in residential and low-rise buildings that are sometimes mistakenly attributed to being caused by foundation movement.

An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee October 1999. The paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 1 Dec 00 as Revision 0, although it was later updated by the main committee on 13 Apr 03 again to Revision 0 but with a different title. The ad hoc subcommittee with chair Michael Skoller and members George Wozny, Ron Kelm, Jon Monteith, and Moyeen Haque was dissolved in Dec 00.

A second ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee July 2003 to revise the paper in response to users’ comments. The revised paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 1 May 04 as Revision 1. The second ad hoc subcommittee with chair Michael Skoller and members George Wozny and Ron Kelm was then dissolved.

FPA-SC-04
Recommended Practice for Geotechnical Explorations and Reports
Write and publish a recommended practice that outlines minimum requirements that Geotechnical Engineers should follow when providing a geotechnical investigation and report to be used in the design of foundations for residential and other low-rise buildings An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee October 1999. The paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 11 Apr 01 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of with chair Ron Kelm and members Jon Monteith, George Wozny, Michael Skoller, and Moyeen Haque was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-05
Comments on the Use of the PTI Method And Suggestions for Further Research
Write and publish a paper that summarizes problems found in the use of the second edition of the Post-Tensioning Institute’s design manual, “Design and Construction of Post-Tensioned Slabs-on-Ground,” and provide suggestions for improvement in future editions. An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee October 1999. The subcommittee’s paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 11 Dec 02 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Lowell Brumley and members Ron Kelm, Mari Mes, Jon Monteith, Michael Palmer and Michael Skoller was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-06
Homebuyers’ Guide for Foundation Evaluation
Write and publish a paper to help prepare buyers in understanding the condition of a foundation so that a more informed buying decision can be made.
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair John Clark was sanctioned by the committee November 2002. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 10 October 2005 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair John Clark and members Toshi Nobe, Jack Spivey, Ron Kelm, Nicole Wylie, Mari Mes, Michael Skoller, David Dorr, Karla Kurtanich, Michael Gray, Terry Taylor, Jim Austin, Dick Peverley, and Denis Hanys was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-07
Foundation Maintenance and Inspection Guide for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings
Write and publish a guide for owners and tenants of residential and other low-rise buildings to follow in order to maintain their foundations An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee July 2000. The subcommittee’s paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 25 Mar 03 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Jim Austin and members John Clark, Ron Kelm, Bill Polhemus, Taylor Sealy, Michael Skoller, Jack Spivey, and George Wozny was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-08
Design, Manufacture, and Installation Guidelines of Precast Concrete Segmented Piles For Foundation Underpinning
Write and publish a guideline for procurement of the engineering, manufacture, and installation of precast concrete segmented piles that are commonly used for underpinning foundations during repair.
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair George Wozny was sanctioned by the committee January 2001. Soon after, the subcommittee went on hold for about two years until Karl Breckon was appointed by the committee to chair the subcommittee in March 2004. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 17 July 2005 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Karl Breckon and members George Wozny, Ron Kelm, Michael Skoller, Bill Polhemus, Dan Jaggers, Lowell Brumley, Mari Mes, David Dorr, Nicole Wylie, and Bob Newman was then dissolved.

FPA-SC-09
Guidelines for Structural Design Contracts of Residential and Other Low-rise Building Projects

Write and publish a paper that gives foundation design engineers guidelines for writing a standard design contract for their clients to be used in quoting a potential new project .  An ad hoc subcommittee # FPA-SC-15 with chair Karl Breckon was sanctioned by the committee September 2005. The subcommittee attempted to address the subject of design contracts along with design specifications. In October 2006, the Structural Committee decided to break the design contracts portion into a separate subcommittee no. FPA-SC-09 with David Dorr as chair.  The paper is scheduled for publishing late 2008.
FPA-SC-10
Quality Control Checklists for Foundation Inspection of Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings
Write and publish quality control checklists that can be used in the construction of various parts of foundations to improve the quality of construction.

An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee May 2001. The subcommittee’s paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 9 Oct 03 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Jack Spivey and members Ron Kelm, Jon Monteith, Michael Skoller, Terry Taylor, Mari Mes, Mike Palmer, Lowell Brumley, George Wozny, Dan Jaggers, and Toshi Nobe was then dissolved.

On 27 Jan 05, the committee voted to form a new ad hoc subcommittee, again chaired by Jack Spivey in order to update the current quality control checklists and to add at least two new checklists to the paper.The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 19 Feb 07 as Revision 1. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Jack Spivey and members  Michael Skoller, Ron Kelm, Mari Mes, Dan Jaggers, Jon Monteith, and Dick Peverley was then dissolved.

FPA-SC-11
Specification and Application of Void Spaces below Concrete Foundations
Write and publish a paper that investigates the proper use of void space systems in construction of foundations supporting residential and low-rise buildings in expansive soils. An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee May 2005 with subcommittee chair Michael Skoller. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 11 November 2007 as Revision 0.

The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Michael Skoller and members, Mike Turner, Ron Kelm, Mohamed Moussaoui, Al Maceiras, Mari Mes, Jim Austin, and Karl Breckon was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-12
Guidelines for Evaluating Foundation Performance by Monitoring
Write and publish a recommended practice for forensic engineers and consultants to follow when performing monitoring of foundations as part of forensic investigations.

An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Ron Kelm was sanctioned by the committee October 2003. The subcommittee went on hold shortly afterwards until Nicole Wylie took over the chair in June 2005. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 9 January 2006 as Revision 0.

The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Nicole Wylie and members, Ron Kelm, Dick Peverley, Michael Skoller, Gary Boyd, Dan Jaggers, and Mari Mes was then dissolved.

FPA-SC-13
Guidelines for the Evaluation of Foundation Movement for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings
Write and publish guidelines for the forensic evaluation of foundation movement for residential and other low-rise buildings using the FPC-201-97, FPC-201-99, FPC-201-2001 and FPA-201-2001 papers as a starting point.

An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Lowell Brumley was sanctioned by the committee in February 2003. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 15 July 2007 as Revision 0, (available to all browsers) along with a Calculation Spreadsheet for FPA-SC-13-0 (for Members Only).

The ad hoc subcommittee with chair Lowell Brumley and members John Clark, Michael Gray, Denis Hanys, Dan Jaggers, Mari Mes, Ron Kelm, Dick Peverley, Michael Skoller and Nicole Wylie was then dissolved.

FPA-SC-14
Comments on the Post-Tensioning Institute's "Design of Post-Tensioned Slabs-on-Ground" 3rd Edition
Write and publish a paper that summarizes problems found in the use of the third edition of the Post-Tensioning Institute's design manual, "Design and Construction of Post-Tensioned Slabs-on-Ground," and provide suggestions for improvement in future editions. An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Nicole Wylie was sanctioned by the committee March 2004. In April 2006 the subcommittee's paper was submitted into FPA peer review and was also sent to several PTI Slab-on-Ground Committee members. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 28 June 2006 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Nicole Wylie and members, Mari Mes, Lowell Brumley, Ron Kelm, Michael Skoller, Jim Austin, and Mohamed Moussaoui was then dissolved.

FPA-SC-15
Foundation Construction Drawing Notes for Residential and Other Low-Rise Structures

Write and publish a paper that gives foundation design engineers guidelines for writing standard design notes for use on design drawings.  An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Karl Breckon was sanctioned by the committee September 2005. The subcommittee attempted to address the subject of design contracts along with design notes. In October 2006, the Structural Committee decided to break the design contracts portion into a separate subcommittee (FPA-SC-09). In June 2008 the paper was issued for FPA peer review. The paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 8 November 2008 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Karl Breckson and members, Ron Kelm, Michael Skoller, Mari Mes, David Dorr, Charles Jenkins, and Nicole Wylie was then dissolved.

Committee Members
For a printable a copy of the committee members, click the button below:

Arya, Munishwar  (Kumar)  P.E. 
City of Houston
3300 Main St
Houston TX 77004

Tel: 713-535-7579
Email: kumar.arya@cityofhouston.net
Austin, James  E.  P.E. 
James Austin Engineering, Inc.
2950 North Loop West, Suite 500
Houston TX 77092

Tel: 713-864-4471
Fax: 713 864-6037
Email: jaustininc@aol.com
Bakir, Adam  A.  P.E. 
Descon Homes
3311 Chris Drive
Houston TX 77063

Tel: 281-536-9944
Email: adam@bakir.ca
Breckon, Karl  P.E. 
BEC Engineering
8400 N. Sam Houston Pkwy W, Suite 200
Houston TX 77064

Tel: 281-664-8441
Fax: 281-664-8457
Email: kbreckon@beceng.net
Brumley, Lowell  P.E. 
TSG Consultants, Inc.
7000 Hollister, Suite 350
Houston TX 77040

Tel: 713-996-8101
Fax: 713-996-7706
Email: sandy@catchnet.net
Bustamante, Al  P.E. 
Wiss, Janney, Elstner & Associates, Inc.
10235 West Little York, Ste. 245
Houston TX 77040

Tel: 832-467-2177
Fax: 832-467-2178
Email: abustamante@wje.com
Clark, John  M.  P.E. 
Clark Engineers, Inc.
663 Guildford Park
Conroe TX 77302

Tel: 936-273-6200
Fax: 936-273-6287
Email: jmc@clark-engineers.com
Web Site: www.clark-engineers.com
Cunningham, George  .  P.E. 
Cunningham Engineering Co
3111 Sackett
Houston TX 77098-2016

Tel: 713-526-3193
Fax: 713-526-7270
Email: rgcengr@aol.com
Dorr, David  T.  P.E. 
Law Office of David T. Dorr, Pl
2020 North Loop West, Suite 230
Houston TX 77018

Tel: 713-957-4413
Fax: 713-957-8297
Email: dtdorr@sbcglobal.net
Duhon, Gerard  P.E. 
12402 Copperfield Drive
Houston TX 7703103119

Tel: 281-788-7393
Fax: 281-495-7912
Email: iamgerardj@yahoo.com
Gray, Michael  R.  P.E. 
R. Michael Gray, P.E.
2138 Parkdale Drive
Kingwood TX 77339

Tel: 281-358-1121
Fax: 281-359-7979
Email: r.michael.gray.pe@alumni.utexas.net
Hanys, Denis  G.  P.E. 
Denis Hanys Engineering Service
10107 Inwood Dr.
Houston TX 77042-2439

Tel: 713-783-6110
Fax: 713-783-6110
Email: denispam@aol.com
Jaggers, Dan 
BEC Engineering
8400 N. Sam Houston Pkwy W.
Houston TX 77064

Tel: 281-664-8441
Fax: 281-664-8457
Email: djaggers@beceng.net
Jenkins, Charles  J.  P.E. 
Charles J. Jenkins & Associates, Inc.
P. O. Box 575
Kemah TX 77565

Tel: 281-334-6030
Fax: 281-334-5699
Email: cjenkins68@comcast.net
Kelm, Ron  P.E. 
Forensic Engineers, Inc.
9930 Shadow Wood Dr.
Houston TX 77080-7110

Tel: 713-468-8100
Fax: 713-468-8184
Email: ronkelm@forensiceng.com
Lowe, Gerald  (Jerry)  P.E. 
Terracon Consulting Engineers
11555 Clay Road Suite 100
Houston TX 77043

Tel: 713-690-8989
Fax: 713-690-8787
Email: gflowe@terracon.com
Maceiras, Al  A.  P.E. 
A & R Engineering and Testing, Inc.
323 Martin Street
Houston TX 77018

Tel: 713-290-1912
Fax: 712-290-9089
Email: alfred@a-rengineering.com
McReynolds, John 
Comprehensive Claims Solutions
2315 Rosefield
Houston TX 77080

Tel: 713-461-7181
Email: j-mcr@comcast.net
Monteith, Jon 
Structural Consulting Company
1608 W. Main
Houston TX 77006

Tel: 713-520-8528
Fax: 713-520-8533
Email: jon@scci.cc
Nobe, Toshi  P.E. 
Nobe Consulting Engineer
P.O. Box 460008
San Antonio TX 78246

Tel: 210-379-7915
Fax: 210-342-7393
Email: toshi@nobeinc.com
Oestrike, Matthew  P.E. 
Nelson Architectural Engineers, Inc.
13231 Champions Forest Dr., Ste. 112
Houston TX 77069

Tel: 281-453-8765
Fax: 281-453-8771
Email: moestrike@architecturalengineers.com
Riedel, Rob  P.E. 
Riedel Engineering, LLC
3711 Brookbank Drive
Houston TX 77068-1802

Tel: 832-860-3644
Email: rob@riedelengr.com
Skoller, Michael  A.  P.E. 
National Structural Engineering
710 N. Post Oak Rd., Suite 510
Houston TX 77024

Tel: 713-956-2094
Fax: 713-956-2095
Email: michael@structural.nu
Web Site: www.structural.nu
Spivey, Jack  J. 
J. Spivey & Associates, Inc.
1706 Seamist, Suite 510
Houston TX 77008

Tel: 713-861-6880
Fax: 713-861-1865
Email: jspiveyinspect@aol.com
Stadler, Ken 
Eric L. Davis Engineering
25132 Oakhurst Dr. Suite 110
Spring TX 77386

Tel: 281-863-9420
Fax: 281-863-9425
Email: kens@eldengineering.com
Taylor, Robert  P.E.,  A.I.A. 
Chelsea
3200 Southwest Freeway
Houston TX 77027-7525

Tel: 713-621-5599
Fax: 713-621-5816
Email: taylor@cpdhouston.com
Turner, Michael 
SureVoid Products, Inc.
1895 West Dartmouth Ave.
Englewood CO 80110

Tel: 303-762-0324
Fax: 303-762-9931
Email: mturner@surevoid.com
Web Site: www.surevoid.com
Wozny, George  T. 
Infrastructure Associates, Inc.
6117 Richmond Ave, Suite 200
Houston TX 77057-6257

Tel: 713-622-0120
Fax: 713-622-0557
Email: gw1@iahouston.com
Wylie, Nicole  P.E. 
Forensic Engineers, Inc.
9930 Shadow Wood Dr.
Houston TX 77080-7110

Tel: 713-320-5422
Fax: 713-468-8184
Email: nicole@forensiceng.com

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