The Applied Technology Council (ATC) and the Japan Structural Consultants Association (JSCA) are pleased to announce the Preliminary Program for the Tenth U.S.-Japan Workshop on Improvement of Structural Design and Construction Practices, to be held June 30-July 2, 2003, at the Maui Prince Hotel in Maui, Hawaii. Prior workshops in this series sponsored jointly by ATC and JSCA have been held in Honolulu (1998, 1984), Kobe (1996), Victoria (1994, 2000), San Diego (1992), Kailua-Kona (1990), Tokyo (1988), and San Francisco (1986). The workshops have provided unique opportunities for leading engineers from the two countries to discuss state-of-the-art structural engineering issues in both formal and informal surroundings.

The program for the 10th Workshop includes technical presentations by structural engineering design practitioners and researchers from Japan and the United States, as well as working group discussions and several social functions. The special focus of the workshop will be on seismic design and blast effects mitigation. The Workshop program is includes papers on the following topics:

• New Developments in Performance Based Engineering
• Response Modification Devices and Systems: Trends, Codes, and Analysis
• Case Studies in Seismic Design and Upgrade
• Terrorist Attacks: Mitigation and Postdisaster Analysis
• Future Trends in Structural Engineering

Workshop Dates and Location

Registration Information and Preliminary Program

A 1-page brochure containing general information about the workshop, including workshop purpose, dates and location, hotel reservations, proceedings availability, and registration information (with a registration form), can be downloaded here. Also available here is the Preliminary Workshop Program (3 pages), which includes the program schedule, session titles and chairs, paper titles and authors, panel discussion topics and participants, and other program activities.

The Workshop registration fee is $275 per person, discounted $50 for ATC subscribers (daily rates are also available). Interested participants can register by completing and submitting the registration form (downloaded from this site) or by registering online through ATC’s Online Store.

Hotel Reservations

A block of guest rooms is being held at the Maui Prince Hotel at the rate of $158 for a single or double occupancy room. For room reservations, contact the Maui Prince Hotel directly (1-800-321-6284) and reference the Applied Technology Council. A reservation form can also be downloaded here and faxed to the hotel.

The Applied Technology Council (ATC) and Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) are pleased to announce the ATC-29-2 Seminar on Seismic Design, Performance, and Retrofit of Nonstructural Components in Critical Facilities, the third in a series of ATC/MCEER seminars on this subject first held in October 1990. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the purpose of the Seminar is to present current research, practice, and informed thinking pertinent to seismic design, performance, and retrofit of nonstructural components and distribution systems in buildings, with a special focus on critical facilities. The seminar components and systems include: supports and bracing for elevator systems, ceilings, partitions, cladding, glazing, contents, water piping systems, and mechanical and electrical equipment. Nonstructural components or systems in facilities with critical functions (e.g., computer centers, hospitals, manufacturing plants with especially hazardous materials, museums with fragile/valuable collection items) are of special interest.

The 2-day Seminar will be held October 23-24, 2003 in the Los Angeles, California area at a site to be announced later.

The Seminar program has been developed for design professionals, regulators, researchers, manufacturers and contractors, insurers, owners, and facility managers. Themes and topics to be addressed include:

• Current practice and emerging code provisions and guidelines;
• Observed seismic performance and databases;
• Performance evaluation analysis and reliability and fragility estimation;
• Shake table and seismic qualification testing;
• New developments in performance based engineering;
• Use of advanced technologies (isolation systems, damping systems, other);
• Retrofit strategies; and
• Multi-hazard mitigation issues, including the effects of blast.

The Seminar Steering Committee is seeking papers pertaining to the above themes and topics. Verbal presentations are planned but the Steering Committee is also considering the possibility of including poster papers. Persons wishing to present a paper at the Seminar are requested to submit an abstract of their paper to ATC on or before July 29, 2003. Abstracts should be one page, typewritten (single spaced) and not more than 250 words in length. Please indicate in the upper right corner of the abstract the format of presentation preferred (verbal or poster). Abstracts should be submitted to: ATC-29-2 Project, Applied Technology Council, 201 Redwood Shores Parkway, Suite 240, Redwood City, CA 94065;

Fax: 650/593-2320; E-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by August 10, 2003. Written versions of papers presented at the Seminar, not to exceed 14 pages in length, will be due September 26, 2003 in order to publish the Seminar Proceedings for the opening day of the Seminar.

An exhibition space is planned and exhibits are encouraged.