CTLGroup
Encyclopedia
CTLGroup is an engineering, testing, and consulting firm that began in 1916 as the research and development laboratory for the Portland Cement Association (PCA), which was formed to develop the use of portland cement
in construction.
became the most common construction material.
Demand for consulting grew over the years, eventually expanding into other building materials and engineering issues.
In 1987 CTLGroup became an independent firm, offering engineering, testing, and consulting services. First known as “Construction Technology Laboratories,” the firm changed its name to “CTLGroup” in 2005 to reflect the fact that it provides both laboratory services as well as engineering consulting services.
Scientists and engineers at the firm include W. Gene Corley
, the “preeminent expert on building collapse investigations and building codes” and T.D. Lin, who studied the physical properties of concrete made with lunar soil, also referred to as lunarcrete
. The firm's projects include involvement in the construction of the Burj Khalifa, the World Trade Center collapse
investigation and work at the Stonecutters Bridge
.
In 1986 NASA granted Dr. Lin and CTLGroup 40 grams of lunar soil, the largest amount ever awarded to industrial sectors. Lin had conceived of building space stations and other structures on the moon using lunar soil. In his research the lunar material was conceived as a cementitious substitute that would help minimize supplies to be brought to the moon for a given construction project. The biggest obstacle to developing it on the moon, however, is that there is little usable hydrogen on the moon, and therefore no water with which to make concrete.
, including the Lincoln Memorial
and Jefferson Memorial
. The firm also measured panel movements and temperature changes to determine the cause of cracks in the vertical granite panels of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
at the request of the National Park Service
.
CTLGroup led the industry in nondestructive testing
(NDT) when NDT expert Allen Davis developed and promoted the Impulse Response (IR) technique, a stress wave test used to evaluate concrete conditions.
In 1995, Corley led the investigation of the structural performance of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, following the bombing
there. He served as the head of the Building Performance Assessment Team (BPAT) which involved the American Society of Civil Engineers, as well as representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), the United States Army Corps of Engineers
, the General Services Administration
, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
.
oversaw the initial FEMA
investigation and subsequent report on the collapse of the World Trade Center
on September 11th. His team found that the severity of the destruction was largely due to a lack of fireproofing in the building. The recommendations on structural fireproofing in Corley’s report were implemented throughout the industry.
In 2003 CTLGroup completed an award-winning design-build concrete restoration project on Frank Lloyd Wright
's Unity Temple
, a National Historical Landmark in Oak Park, Illinois
. The firm continued work on in 2008 to restore the cantilevered south roof slab above the sanctuary of the temple. Unity Temple celebrated its centennial in September 2009.
CTLGroup provided highly specialized creep and shrinkage testing for some of the most impressive projects in the history of supertall building construction.
As construction projects rise above 984 feet, which is the minimum for supertall classification, precise calculations for creep and shrinkage become absolutely crucial. As a former research and development lab where the Pickett Effect and other important creep and shrinkage related theories and discoveries were made, CTLGroup was selected to perform much of the testing and consulting for numerous high profile projects, including the following: Trump Tower, Chicago; Al Hamra Tower, Kuwait
; Freedom Tower, New York; Pentominium, Dubai
; and the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, Dubai.
Martha G. VanGeem, LEED AP BD+C, Principal Engineer at CTLGroup, served as a contributor to the ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings (since 2006) and ASHRAE 90.1 Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (since 1990).
Portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout...
in construction.
Background
Portland cementPortland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout...
became the most common construction material.
Demand for consulting grew over the years, eventually expanding into other building materials and engineering issues.
In 1987 CTLGroup became an independent firm, offering engineering, testing, and consulting services. First known as “Construction Technology Laboratories,” the firm changed its name to “CTLGroup” in 2005 to reflect the fact that it provides both laboratory services as well as engineering consulting services.
Scientists and engineers at the firm include W. Gene Corley
W. Gene Corley
Dr. W. Gene Corley, P.E. is an American structural engineer and "preeminent expert on building collapse investigations and building codes." Corley has been the Senior Vice President of CTLGroup since 1987, where he leads structural engineering projects, including numerous evaluations of buildings...
, the “preeminent expert on building collapse investigations and building codes” and T.D. Lin, who studied the physical properties of concrete made with lunar soil, also referred to as lunarcrete
Lunarcrete
Lunarcrete, also known as "Mooncrete", an idea first proposed by Larry A. Beyer of the University of Pittsburgh in 1985, is a hypothetical aggregate building material, similar to concrete, formed from lunar regolith, that would cut the construction costs of building on the Moon.- Ingredients :Only...
. The firm's projects include involvement in the construction of the Burj Khalifa, the World Trade Center collapse
Collapse of the World Trade Center
The twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001, as a result of al-Qaeda's September 11 attacks, in which terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners, flying one into the North Tower and another into the South Tower...
investigation and work at the Stonecutters Bridge
Stonecutters Bridge
Stonecutters Bridge is a high level cable-stayed bridge which spans the Rambler Channel in Hong Kong, connecting Nam Wan Kok, Tsing Yi Island and Stonecutters Island...
.
1980s
When CTLGroup first became an independent subsidiary of PCA, it expanded its scope of services beyond concrete and modified its structures laboratory to incorporate the testing of steel structures.In 1986 NASA granted Dr. Lin and CTLGroup 40 grams of lunar soil, the largest amount ever awarded to industrial sectors. Lin had conceived of building space stations and other structures on the moon using lunar soil. In his research the lunar material was conceived as a cementitious substitute that would help minimize supplies to be brought to the moon for a given construction project. The biggest obstacle to developing it on the moon, however, is that there is little usable hydrogen on the moon, and therefore no water with which to make concrete.
1990s
CTLGroup evaluated deterioration and repair recommendations in monument structures in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, including the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
and Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father and the third President of the United States....
. The firm also measured panel movements and temperature changes to determine the cause of cracks in the vertical granite panels of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors U.S. service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the War.Its...
at the request of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
CTLGroup led the industry in nondestructive testing
Nondestructive testing
Nondestructive testing or Non-destructive testing is a wide group of analysis techniques used in science and industry to evaluate the properties of a material, component or system without causing damage....
(NDT) when NDT expert Allen Davis developed and promoted the Impulse Response (IR) technique, a stress wave test used to evaluate concrete conditions.
In 1995, Corley led the investigation of the structural performance of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, following the bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
there. He served as the head of the Building Performance Assessment Team (BPAT) which involved the American Society of Civil Engineers, as well as representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA), the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
, the General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
.
2000s
In 2001 CTLGroup’s Senior Vice President Dr. W. Gene CorleyW. Gene Corley
Dr. W. Gene Corley, P.E. is an American structural engineer and "preeminent expert on building collapse investigations and building codes." Corley has been the Senior Vice President of CTLGroup since 1987, where he leads structural engineering projects, including numerous evaluations of buildings...
oversaw the initial FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
investigation and subsequent report on the collapse of the World Trade Center
Collapse of the World Trade Center
The twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001, as a result of al-Qaeda's September 11 attacks, in which terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners, flying one into the North Tower and another into the South Tower...
on September 11th. His team found that the severity of the destruction was largely due to a lack of fireproofing in the building. The recommendations on structural fireproofing in Corley’s report were implemented throughout the industry.
In 2003 CTLGroup completed an award-winning design-build concrete restoration project on Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
's Unity Temple
Unity Temple
Unity Temple is a Unitarian Universalist church in Oak Park, Illinois, and the home of the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. It was designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and built between 1905 and 1908. Unity Temple is considered to be one of Wright's most important...
, a National Historical Landmark in Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
. The firm continued work on in 2008 to restore the cantilevered south roof slab above the sanctuary of the temple. Unity Temple celebrated its centennial in September 2009.
CTLGroup provided highly specialized creep and shrinkage testing for some of the most impressive projects in the history of supertall building construction.
As construction projects rise above 984 feet, which is the minimum for supertall classification, precise calculations for creep and shrinkage become absolutely crucial. As a former research and development lab where the Pickett Effect and other important creep and shrinkage related theories and discoveries were made, CTLGroup was selected to perform much of the testing and consulting for numerous high profile projects, including the following: Trump Tower, Chicago; Al Hamra Tower, Kuwait
Al Hamra Tower
The Al Hamra Tower is a topped out skyscraper in downtown Kuwait City, Kuwait. Designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the tower is the tallest building in Kuwait on completion in 2011 at . It will also be the tallest sculpted tower in the world.The tower will include of...
; Freedom Tower, New York; Pentominium, Dubai
Pentominium
The Pentominium is a supertall skyscraper currently under construction in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. When completed, the residential tower will be tall, with 122 floors above ground. It was designed by architects Aedas and funded by Trident International Holdings. The AED 1.46...
; and the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, Dubai.
Martha G. VanGeem, LEED AP BD+C, Principal Engineer at CTLGroup, served as a contributor to the ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings (since 2006) and ASHRAE 90.1 Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (since 1990).