Services
Concrete, steel, masonry or timber, WLA will have all the relevant design or remedial expertise.
Engineering
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Construction Engineering
The construction phase is often the most complex part of a project. Structures are more vulnerable to failure during construction. Equipment and resources must be marshalled effectively to adhere to budget and schedule constraints. Constructability issues must be efficiently mitigated, and worker safety is the top priority. Owners and contractors rely on WLA’s specialized construction knowledge to properly detail and sequence construction work to maximize labour and resources, successfully execute the design documents, and avoid costly delays.
WLA engineers have experience performing a wide range of construction engineering services for buildings and other structures. These services include the development of erection and demolition procedures, rigging design, sequencing for repair or replacement, bracing, and stability in order to safely maintain the partially completed structure throughout the construction process.
Material Engineering
Design versus function. Laboratory data versus real-world application. With each new project, WLA engineers seek to balance and align these considerations. Time, weather, exposure, and use, all affect the performance and durability of construction materials. The goal is to mitigate those factors, guard against failure mechanisms, and improve the quality of materials we use in the built environment.
Our professionals have significant experience assessing the strength, durability, and behaviour of materials, including concrete and steel. Using extensive in-house chemical and physical testing and field assessment capabilities, WLA engineers can evaluate a wide variety of construction materials integrated into virtually any structure type or environment.
Structural Engineering and Design
When the integrity or condition of a structure is in question, clients can rely on WLA for answers. WLA Structural engineers can solve challenging problems ranging from small buildings to large projects. Whether the structure is sound or substantial repairs are needed, our expertise, and creativity result in efficient use of client resources.
Successful solutions are developed from a better understanding of the problems. WLA applies hands-on diagnostic studies using the latest technologies to investigate distress and deterioration and evaluate their effects on structural performance. With our in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles of structural engineering and materials behaviour, our structural engineers develop creative and efficient options to accommodate each client’s particular needs.
Structural Concrete and Steel Evaluation and life cycle modelling
Evaluating current structural integrity of structural elements, forecasting future integrity of elements and through statistical and analytical models, we derive conclusions to the risks and when intervention will be required.
Corrosion models are developed to illustrate the loss of cross-sectional area due to corrosion over the structure’s life span.
Repair, Strengthening and Rehabilitation
WLA professionals are skilled at preparing clear and effective repair and rehabilitation designs (from patch repairs to crack injections) based on a sound understanding of the client’s budgetary and schedule restraints as well as the project’s technical challenges. WLA professionals deliver practical repair and rehabilitation services based on the Client’s expectations or requirements that maximize the structure’s useful life while minimizing overall costs.
Architectural
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Waterproofing and Facades
WLA specializes in solving water ingress problems into buildings. Whether it is facades, reinforced concrete slabs or steel roof structures, we can assess and determine the origin of water ingress and provide efficient and effective remedial solutions. Specialized services are utilized or contracted in determining specific areas where repairs to the waterproofing system might be required i.e. thermal imaging to determine leaks in waterproofing systems, saving the Client money and time.
WLA further assesses facades and provide effective remedial solutions to provide a safe and durable environment with a prolonged structural façade service life.
In-Field Services
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Condition Assessments and Evaluation
Better solutions come from a better understanding of the problems. When presented with a new challenge, the first objective is to establish a baseline. WLA draws upon experience to accurately decipher the conditions present and determine how they may contribute to present or future problems. WLA applies the lessons learned from previous projects to provide clients with a full picture of their structure’s or component’s condition. From visual assessments to complex service life modelling studies, we provide clients with the answers they need.
Non-Destructive Testing and assessment
When there are uncertainties surrounding a structural, architectural, or materials issue, testing is a crucial step toward understanding its scope and source. Traditional testing methods, though often effective, can be physically intrusive, time-intensive, and costly. Alternately, non-destructive evaluation methods allow for the assessment of as-built conditions, material properties, and distress in a component or system without altering or damaging its form. Used in tandem with traditional testing, these methods can provide valuable information.
From identifying complex reinforcement placement and internal flaws in structures to detecting moisture infiltration in building envelopes, WLA offers a wide range of non-destructive evaluation options or advise on suitable options to be taken to efficiently diagnose issues that otherwise may require expensive and disruptive exploratory openings and testing to detect and correct.
Structural Load Testing
For clients in need of detailed information about the current capacity of their structures, WLA provides accurate, actionable answers through a spectrum of in situ load testing specifications and supervisions.
Adhering to relevant industry and international testing codes and standards, WLA engineers supervise field tests to provide clients assurance that their structural components and maintenance equipment meet critical requirements for capacity and design loads.
Forensics
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Failure and Damage Investigation
WLA offers a full range of investigative, analytical, and out-sourced laboratory techniques to determine the cause and extent of damage. These resources enable WLA engineers to better understand how structures and architectural systems respond to extreme events and to develop repairs and replacement systems that meet future performance expectations. WLA can also assist clients with recovery by providing temporary solutions that quickly return damaged structures to service.
Litigation Consulting
WLA professionals provide expert testimony, effectively conveying complex technical concepts in mediations, depositions, and trials. Our experts offer opinions based on state-of-the-art investigation and practical knowledge in all areas of construction technology. We are prepared to consult on standard of care, property damage, causation, code compliance, required repairs, and construction defects.