To join the Structural Committee, contact the Committee Chair - Ron Kelm, P.E. 713-468-8100.
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Mission Statement
Published Papers
Active Subcommittees
Project Details
Temporary Construction Bracing
Mission Statement
(Revised 12/1/10)
The primary goal of the Foundation Performance Association's committee on structural design is to advance the knowledge, performance, and standards of engineering, construction, and repairs related to foundations, soils, and structures.
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 other low-rise structures.
Published Papers
These papers have been peer reviewed in accordance with the FPA Peer Review Procedures
(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
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 Ron Kelm, P.E. 713-468-8100.
To join a subcommittee, please contact the subcommittee chair.
Project Details
Project # / Title
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Project Mission
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Project History
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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 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
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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 and held its first meeting 7 November 07. The paper passed FPA peer review and was published 29 November 2010 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Al Bustamante and members Gerard Duhon, Denis Hanys, Ron Kelm, Gerald Lowe, Bob Newman, Michael Skoller, George Wozny and Nicole Wylie, was then dissolved.
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FPA-SC-03
Distress Phenomena |
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 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 passed FPA peer review and was published 1 May 04 as Revision 1. The second ad hoc subcommittee with chair Michael Skoller and members Ron Kelm, Michael Palmer, Lowell Brumley, Jack Spivey, Toshi Nobe, Karl Breckon, George Wozny, Nicole Wylie and Mari Mes was then dissolved.
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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 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 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 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 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
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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 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.
A second ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee May 2012 with the goal of updating the paper to Rev. 1 to comply with current industry codes and standards. The revised paper passed FPA peer review and was published 5 Mar 14 as Revision 1. The second ad hoc subcommittee with chair Karl Breckon and members Ron Kelm, Michael Skoller, Dan Jaggers, Nicole Wylie, Stephen Newberry, Gerard Duhon, JR Hernandez, Jim Dutton and Steve Schilder was then dissolved
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FPA-SC-09
Examples of Consulting Services Agreement
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Write and publish a paper that offers contract examples that can be used by a consultant to develop a standardized agreement in typical consulting projects . |
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 was submitted into peer review in December 2011.
The subcommittee's paper passed FPA peer review and was published 2 January 2013 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair David Dorr and members, Ron Kelm, Michael Skoller and Rob Riedel was then dissolved.
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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 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 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.
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FPA-SC-11
Specification and Application of Void Spaces below Isolated Concrete Foundations |
Write and publish a paper that provides guidance in the design, specification, and installation of void space systems under residential, commercial, light industrial, and civil structure Foundations, typically called lightly loaded Foundations, which are built on expansive soil.
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An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee May 2005 with subcommittee chair Michael Skoller. The subcommittee's paper 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.
A second ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee September 2012 in order to update the Rev. 0 paper with recent changes in the isolated foundations industry. The subcommittee's paper passed FPA peer review and was published 18 July 2014 as Revision 1. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of co-chairs Michael Skoller and Greg Carr and members, Ron Kelm, Larry Lanz, Rob Riedel, Mike Turner and Nicole Wylie was then dissolved.
A third ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee May 2022 with co-chairs Michael Skoller and John Snyder in order to update the Rev. 1 paper with recent changes in the isolated foundations industry and address planned changes in the upcoming ICC codes. The subcommittee plans to circulate its proposed draft for peer review in the second half of 2023. |
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 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.
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FPA-SC-13
Foundation Performance Guidelines 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 passed FPA peer review and was published 15 July 2007 as Revision 0, under the title, "Guidelines for the Evaluation of Foundation Movement for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings" along with a Calculation Spreadsheet for FPA-SC-13-0 (for Members Only – this software has been superseded by the below-linked Calculation Spreadsheet for FPA-SC-13-1). 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.
A second ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee August 2012 with the subcommittee co-chairs Lowell Brumley and Michael Skoller in order to update the Rev.0 paper to current industry standards. The subcommittee is open to new members and plans to have its paper in peer review in the Fall of 2014.
A second ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee August 2012 with the subcommittee chair Lowell Brumley and later adding co-chair Michael Skoller in order to update the Rev. 0 paper to current industry standards. The subcommittee's revised document passed FPA peer review and was published 11 April 2015 as Revision 1 under the title, "Guidelines for the Evaluation of Foundation Movement for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings" along with a Calculation Spreadsheet for FPA-SC-13-1, which is non-peer reviewed software offered for FPA members only.
The revised document was presented to the FPA in May 2015 by co-chair Lowell Brumley after which the ad hoc subcommittee composed of co-chairs Lowell Brumley and Michael Skoller, and members Gary Boyd, Darrell Bowles, Gerard Duhon, Rick Hale, Denis Hanys, J R Hernandez, Dan Jaggers, Ron Kelm, Stephen Newberry and Nicole Wylie was then dissolved.
On 28 Sep 2022, the committee approved and published Errata Sheet for FPA-SC-13-1 No. ES1 clarifying the document’s Glossary definition of Deflection. |
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 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 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. |
FPA-SC-16
Design Procedure for Drilled Concrete Piers in Expansive Soil |
Write and publish a paper and spreadsheet software that gives foundation and geotechical design engineers a design method to estimate matric suction and corresponding concrete pier dimensions where expansive soils exist and no suction and hydrometer testing is available.
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An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Nicole Wylie was sanctioned by the committee March 2012. The subcommittee’s document passed FPA peer review and was published 17 November 2017 as Revision 0 along with a Calculation Spreadsheet for FPA-SC-16-0, which is non-peer reviewed software offered for FPA members only. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Nicole Wylie and members, Steve Bache, Greg Carr, Raghu Dass, Ron Kelm, Larry Lanz, Bob Lytton, Rob Riedel, Steve Schilder and Michael Skoller was then dissolved. |
FPA-SC-17
Drainage Guidelines |
Write and publish a paper that gives engineers, architects, developers, builders, owners, inspectors and code officials comprehensive guidelines for establishing good drainage techniques in and around foundations to improve foundation performance. |
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Gerard Duhon was sanctioned by the committee March 2009. In October 2011 the paper was issued for FPA peer review. The paper passed FPA peer review and was published 5 March 2012 as Revision 0. Gerard Duhon presented the paper to the general FPA membership on 14 March 2012. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Gerard Duhon and members, Kumar Arya, Gary Beck, Francisco Carrillo, Dan Jaggers, Ron Kelm, Mike Qaddumi, Michael Skoller and Nicole Wylie was then dissolved. |
FPA-SC-18
Standard of Care for Engineers and Other Professionals Working in Texas. |
Write and publish a guideline providing the user with tools to identify the relevant standard of care for Texas Professionals in a given situation.
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An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee February 2010 with attorney Bob Newman as chair. Before the subcommittee was able to hold its first meeting, Mr. Newman fell ill and relinquished his chair position. Attorney William Morfey was approved by the committee in July 2010 and accepted the chair position. The subcommittee held its first meeting in September 2010, passed peer review and published its paper as Revision 0 on 15 May 2014. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair William Morfey and members Adam Bakir, Francisco Carrillo, David Karimi, Ron Kelm, Lucas Mauro, Michael Skoller, Robert Taylor, Raghu Dass, and Andrew Martin was then dissolved.
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FPA-SC-19
Guideline for Design and Evaluation of Concrete Slab-on-Ground to Receive Moisture Sensitive Flooring
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Develop a guideline for the design of new concrete slab-on-ground and evaluation of existing concrete slab on ground to receive moisture sensitive flooring specifically related to moisture problems. |
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Al Bustamante was sanctioned by the committee in September 2014. The subcommittee went on hold for two years and is now being co-chaired by Robert Burnham and Ben Brooks. The subcommittee is open to new members and plans to go into peer review in 2019. |
FPA-SC-20
Owner’s Guide to a Better Foundation |
Write guidelines to educate and assist home and low-rise building owners to achieve good performance from their foundations.
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An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Gary Beck was sanctioned by the committee in April 2013. Gary Beck presented the paper to the general FPA membership on 13 January 2016. The paper passed FPA peer review and was published 25 February 2015 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Gary Beck and members Adam Bakir, Gerard Duhon, Jim Dutton, Dan Jaggers, Ron Kelm, and Michael Skoller was then dissolved. |
FPA-SC-21
Quality Control Checklists for Windstorm Design and Construction Reviews of Buildings |
Write and publish checklists to be used by licensed professional engineers in Texas who are signing off on the design and construction of new residential and other low-rise buildings in the windstorm counties as specified by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). |
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Michael Skoller was sanctioned by the committee January 2011 and later added co-chair Ken Sherman. The subcommittee's document passed FPA peer review and was published 3 August 2018 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chairs Michael Skoller and Ken Sherman and members, Ahmed Abu-Shaaban, Gary Beck, Tim Bentley, John Bisson, Karl Breckon, Francisco Carrillo, Chris Clark, Ricardo David, Brian Erickson, David Karimi, Ron Kelm, Larry Lanz, Mike Qaddumi, Rob Riedel, Mike Scanlon, Steve Schilder, and Richard Tomlinson was then dissolved.
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FPA-SC-22
Guidelines for Elevating Concrete Slab on Ground Foundations |
Develop a design guideline for raising existing concrete slab-on-ground foundations and their superstructures multiple feet above grade for flood mitigation or other reasons. |
In March 2018 the committee sanctioned an ad hoc subcommittee with cochairs John Clark and Steve Schilder to draft and publish a peer-reviewed guideline document. The subcommittee is open to new members.
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FPA-SC-23
Design, Inspection and Repair of Crawl Space Foundations |
Write guidelines to educate and assist engineers, inspectors, contractors and other professionals in designing, building, inspecting and repairing of crawl space foundations. |
In January 2016 the committee sanctioned an ad hoc subcommittee with chair Adam Bakir who later resigned and was replaced by new chair Michael Skoller in 2018 to complete the draft and publish a peer-reviewed guideline document. The subcommittee is open to new members. |
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