Posted on 22 April 2026
The Charles Pankow Foundation (CPF) along with several Industry Partners is pleased to announce the award of a research project to develop “concrete-filled composite moment-resisting frames” (hereafter, referred to as a “SpeedFrame structural system”), which are meant to improve structural stiffness and lateral performance. The SpeedFrame structural system provides higher lateral stiffness as compared with traditional steel moment-resisting frames (MRFs). The SpeedFrame will be utilized for designing open space structures without interruptions (e.g., where the lateral force-resisting system cannot be braced frames or shear walls). Read more
Posted on 15 March 2026
The Charles Pankow Foundation (CPF) along with several Industry Partners is pleased to announce the award of the Phase 4 research grant to continue investigation of a new, modular steel floor framing and diaphragm system for commercial building structures with broad applicability, including high seismic zones. The proposed system 'FastFloor' has key benefits of increasing the speed of construction, including eliminating the pouring of a concrete deck. This type of system is key to achieving the goals of the AISC Need for Speed initiative to reduce the time from conception to occupancy for steel building structures. Read more
Posted on 27 February 2026
Congratulations to Dr. Ben Schafer for winning the Metal Building Manufacturer's Association (MBMA) Duane S. Ellifritt Award! Ben is a Principal Investigator for our FastFloor research efforts (currently RGA 1-25). Read more
Posted on 15 January 2026
The Charles Pankow Foundation is proud to announce the completion of RGA #03-19, Seismic Precast Concrete Wall and Frame Structures with Short-Grouted Ductile Rebar Connections. The completed report is available for dowload at the link below. Read more
Posted on 31 December 2025
The Charles Pankow Foundation announces the completion of RGA #05-24, Safe and Sustainable Parking Garage Live Loads in the Age of the Electric Vehicles. This outstanding report is available for download at the link below. Read more
Posted on 10 November 2025
“Assuring structural safety takes courage”, says IStructE’s 2025 Gold Medallist Glenn Bell
The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) recently awarded the 2025 Gold Medal to Glenn Bell for his significant contributions to structural engineering, particularly in the areas of building safety, standards development, and forensic investigations of catastrophic failures.
To mark the occasion, Glenn Bell delivered his engaging and timely Gold Medal address on the theme of “Learning from Failures: from the Hyatt Regency Walkways to Champlain Towers South". Read more
Posted on 15 October 2025
The Charles Pankow Foundation is pleased to announce the completion of RGA #03-22, Design Requirements for Mechanically Spliced High-Strength Reinforcing Bars in Hinge Regions. The completed report is available for download at the link below. Read more
Posted on 15 September 2025
The Charles Pankow Foundation (CPF) along with Industry Partners is pleased to announce the award of a new research grant for the assessment of connection capacity in support of Performance Based Wind Design. This project will increase the competitiveness of steel structures within a PBWD framework through assessment of the capacity and performance of typical steel connections in structures subjected to wind loads, designed according to Chapters J and K of the AISC 360-22 Specification. Read more
Posted on 22 July 2025
The Charles Pankow Foundation (CPF) is pleased to publish the final report of research on experimentally-verified bolted splice details for Composite Plate Shear Walls—Concrete Filled, also known as SpeedCore. Read more
Posted on 2 July 2025
The Charles Pankow Foundation (CPF) is pleased to announce the award of a new research grant to for an updated Design Integration Management course in coordination with the Design-Build Insitute of America (DBIA). The course is envisioned to be Instructor led, based on the revised content of the Guides, insight from DBIA, and SME’s (Subject Matter Expert). Notably the American Institute of Architects AIA, working with the DBIA has expressed an interest in providing guidance and insight to the course development. Read more
