Outstanding Journal Paper Award for 2017

The ASCE Forensic Engineering Division (FED) traditionally selects a paper published in this journal during the previous calendar year for our Outstanding Paper Award. This year, the Publications Committee, the Awards Committee, and the FED Executive Committee selected the paper “Field Investigation of Collapse of a 13-Story High-Rise Residential Building in Shanghai,” by W. D. Wang, Q. Li, Y. Hu, J. W. Shi, and C. W. W. Ng. The paper was published in the August 2017 issue (Volume 31, Issue 4).

The paper describes the investigation into the collapse of a 13-story building in Shanghai, China, during construction of the complex. Soil was excavated from one side of the building and piled on the other, and the building fell mostly intact into the excavation. Careful examination of the fracture patterns of the prestressed high-strength concrete piles offered important clues. A finite-element model helped explain the pattern of collapse.

Dr. Wei-dong Wang (Fig. 1) is currently the executive chief engineer of Arcplus Group PLC in Shanghai, China, the president and chief engineer of the Shanghai Underground Engineering and Design Institute (a branch company of Arcplus Group PLC), and an adjunct professor at Tongji University. He is the vice president of the Chinese Institution of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering for the China Civil Engineering Society and Soil and Foundation Division for Architectural Society of China. He is an active committee member of TC204 (Underground Construction) and TC212 (Deep Foundation) for the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). Dr. Wang was elected National Youth Science and Technology Innovation Leader by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China in 2014 and National Engineering Survey and Design Master in 2015. He was also a recipient of the National High-level Personnel of Special Support Program in 2016.

Dr. Wang’s work and research involves areas of soil properties and foundation engineering, excavations and adjacent facilities protection, underground space engineering, and ground improvement. He has completed more than 250 projects so far in China including (1) foundations for the China Central Television (CCTV) new tower, Shanghai World Financial Center (492 m high), and Tianjin 117 Building (600 m high); (2) excavations for Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Transport hub ($\mathrm{350,000}{\mathrm{m}}^2$) and Wuhan Greenland Center (636 m high); (3) underground space for Shanghai’s 500-kV World Expo Underground Transmission and Substation (the second fully underground substation in the world); and (4) ground improvement for the National Exhibition and Convention Center (the largest single building in the world).

Dr. Wang has published approximately 150 journal papers and 12 reference books. He has participated in development of more than 20 national and local standards. He received many awards including the Mao Yisheng Youth Award from the Chinese Institution of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, the Outstanding Engineer Award from the Architectural Society of China, and the Scientific Advancement Award from the China State Council twice (in 2014 and 2017) for his contributions in application and promotion of new technologies to geotechnical and underground engineering.

Dr. Qing Li (Fig. 2) is currently a senior engineer at the Shanghai Underground Engineering and Design Institute of Arcplus Group PLC. He received his master’s degree in geotechnical engineering from Tongji University in 2008 and his doctoral degree in civil engineering from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 2013. He performed doctoral research with Professor Charles Ng at HKUST on characteristics of Shanghai clay and long-term settlement mechanics of shield tunnels in soft clay before coming to the Arcplus Group. Dr. Li is a registered civil engineer (geotechnical) and registered structural engineer (Class I) in China. His current work focuses on small-strain stiffness of Shanghai clay and excavation-induced effect on adjacent facilities in urban areas. He has published more than 20 journal papers and delivered several technical presentations at national and international conferences.

Dr. Yun Hu (Fig. 3) is presently a senior engineer at the Shanghai Underground Engineering and Design Institute of Arcplus Group PLC. He received his bachelor’s degree in hydraulic and hydropower engineering and his doctorate in civil engineering from Tsinghua University in 2006 and 2011, respectively. He carried out his doctorate research on the mechanism and rules of deformation and failure process of cohesive slopes. He is a member of the Youth Working Committee of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Branch of the China Society of Civil Engineering. He currently works on investigation of the behavior of deep excavation and sustainable development of innovative supporting techniques for deep excavations. Dr. Hu is a registered civil engineer (geotechnical) and has completed more than 30 projects so far in China. He has published more than 20 journal papers and participated in the development of eight national and local standards.

Dr. Jiangwei Shi (Fig. 4) is currently an associate professor at the College of Civil and Transportation Engineering at Hohai University (HHU). Dr. Shi received his master of science and doctorate in geotechnical engineering from Hohai University in 2010 and from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2015, respectively. Dr. Shi’s research focuses on centrifuge and numerical modelling of soil–structure interaction problems such as deep excavations, tunnels, piles, and pipelines. Dr. Shi has published more than 20 science citation index (SCI) journal papers in the area of soil–structure interaction.

Dr. Charles W.W. Ng (Fig. 5) is currently the CLP Holdings Professor of Sustainability, chair professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Associate Vice-President for Research and Development at HKUST. He is the president of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.

Professor Ng was elected an Overseas Fellow from Churchill College, Cambridge University, in 2005 and was elected Changjiang Scholar (chair professor in geotechnical engineering) by the Ministry of Education in China in 2010. He is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, ASCE, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, and the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. Currently, he is an associate editor of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal.

Professor Ng has published some 300 SCI journal articles and 250 conference papers and delivered more than 50 keynotes and state-of-the-art reports on six continents. He is the main author of two reference books: (1) A Short Course in Soil-Structure Engineering of Deep Foundations, Excavations and Tunnels, published by Thomas Telford, and (2) Advanced Unsaturated Soil Mechanics and Engineering, published by Taylor & Francis. He has received many awards including the 2017 Telford Premium Prize from the Institution of Civil Engineers in the United Kingdom, the Henry Adams Award from the Institution of Structural Engineers in the United Kingdom, the first Tan Swan Beng Award from the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society, and the R. M. Quigley Award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society three times for his three best papers published in 2007, 2012, and 2016.

Other nominees for the 2017 Outstanding Journal Paper Award were:

Chen, T.-T. 2017. “Factors in bridge failure, inspection, and maintenance.” 31 (5): 04017070. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0001042.

Cook, W., and P. J. Barr. 2017. “Observations and trends among collapsed bridges in New York State.” 31 (4): 04017011. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000996.

Giorgi, L., and P. Matracchi. 2017. “Architectural evolution: Modifications, alterations, and restorations through centuries.” 31 (5): 04017046. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0001014.

Pardo-Bosch, F. and A. Aguado. 2017. “Damage diagnosis in concrete dams with presented expansive damage based on medical propaedeutics.” 31 (5): 04017048. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0001035.

Yu, X.-H., K. Qian, D.-G. Lu, and B. Li. 2017. “Progressive collapse behavior of aging reinforced concrete structures considering corrosion effects.” 31 (4): 04017009. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0001001.

Zhao, X., Q. Zhao, Y. Yu, Y. Chen, H. Liu, M. Li, and J. Ou. 2017. “Distributed displacement response investigation technique for bridge structures using smartphones.” 31 (4): 04017029. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0001025.