Albany Engineering Group Specialties

About The Owner

Specialties

	Conventional 2x Framing: This style of construction utilizes 2x studs, wood trusses or rafters, and wood floor joists. Wood sheathing is used to stiffen the structure on the walls and the roof. Most modern homes are constructed in this manner and most of our engineering expertise is in this method.
	Timber Frame / Post & Beam: These related construction methods, in general, show off a heavy timber skeleton to the inside of a home. Connections rely on hardwood pegs in traditional notched joinery for timber frames, or manufactured steel plates, brackets, etc. for post and beam. We have excellent experience in these systems and have taught courses on the engineering of these systems.
	Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs): Timber frames are usually covered with rigid structural insulated panels (or SIPs)on the walls and roof. These panels, though, are stiff enough to be used to form the walls and roof of homes by themselves without significant internal framing.
	Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF): This method uses foam blocks that are stacked on top of each other, reinforced with steel reinforcing bar (rebar), and poured full of concrete. The foam functions as the concrete form and the reinforced concrete provides a very strong structure. We've designed quite a few multi-story structures using this system on all levels.
	Foundation Systems: We have a great deal of expertise in foundations covering a wide range of soil and loading conditions in a variety of configurations, however, the vast majority of the foundations have involved cast-in-place concrete. These foundations normally include retaining walls, pad footings, and strip or continuous footings. While masonry or CMU is normally adequate for perimeter walls, it is not typically the system of choice in the regions of the country where we've designed.
	Helical Piers: These are screw-type anchors that can be installed in poor soils for new construction, or installed on the side of or within existing foundations needing improvement. They consist of one or more steel helices that are welded on the end of a heavy steel shaft. This lead section is drilled into the soil, and extensions are added on until it reaches the proper depth. We recently finished a local foundation that used over one hundred of these leads in poor soils.