Department of Civil Engineering | College of Engineering, Design and Computing
University of Colorado Denver
Our Vision
Climate Adaptable Structural Engineering (CASE) represents a multi-disciplinary endeavor to tackle the untenable status quo surrounding our current cities facing the effects of climate change and other stressors that emerge throughout the 21st century. By working across disciplines encapsulating structural engineering, mechanical engineering, ocean engineering, and architecture, we aim to foster innovative solutions that enable future cities to adapt to a range of possible climate scenarios. To realize this objective, focus is placed on the following research themes:
Coastal structures subject to extreme wind, waves, and storm surge flooding
Floating structures as a sustainable alternative to land reclamation
Architecture-inspired solutions to urban resilience and structural art
CASE directly targets the Future World Vision initiative launched by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the United Nations UN-Habitat program for sustainable urban development.
Featured Content
Applied Ocean Mechanics for Structural Engineering and Climate Adaption is a comprehensive set of notes aimed to inform the design of structures for coastal resilience.
The current state of practice for structural engineering places little emphasis on how to address the forces associated with water and waves (both wind-driven and tsunamis) interacting with large-scale structures. The analysis and design of structures not supported by geotechnical foundations (such as floating buildings) are also seldom featured within a traditional engineering education. To foster innovations that lead to more adaptable and resilient future cities, our profession must promote the active integration of coastal and oceanic hydrodynamics into the structural engineering curriculum. It is with this goal in mind that the present text was written.
To inquire about MS and Ph.D. opportunities, please contact the principal investigator Dr. Shengzhe (Jackson) Wang.