2020 Showcase: Responding to the Pandemic

In March 2020, a killer tornado touched down in Nashville, Tennessee, and a 5.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Salt Lake City, Utah. From July through November, a succession of hurricanes battered Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. In August, a deadly derecho swept across the Midwest. And from July through December, massive wildfires ravaged the West Coast.

Despite the risk of COVID-19 infection, our forensics teams were on the ground within days of each of these events, evaluating the integrity of structures, assessing damage and helping speed recovery. When we couldn’t be on the scene, we worked remotely, using photos and video provided by on-site personnel, to perform inspections and prepare diagnostics. Strict adherence to CDC guidelines, regular testing and daily health-status reporting through our Healthy Reentry app reduced the risk of COVID-19 exposure so our employees could focus on helping communities get back on their feet.

Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, Illinois, closed in 2019, but it took more than just turning the lights back on to reopen in 2020 for COVID-19 patients.

We reviewed and reinforced the hospital structure to support new air condensers, air-handling units, temporary chillers and generators.

The facility’s initial capacity of 230 beds was expandable up to 360.

Associate Rupa Patel at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where we provided structural engineering services that helped transform the space into a 443-bed medical facility.