Oana T. Whalen

Experience

Since joining WJE in 2013, Oana Whalen has been involved in the condition assessment, field investigation, structural evaluation, and rehabilitation of various structures. She has primarily worked with reinforced concrete, steel, aluminum, wood, and masonry elements of buildings, bridges, parking structures, foundations, and power generating stations. She has also led large-scale data collection and processing efforts for several multibuilding and asset management projects.

Ms. Whalen has experience with evaluating existing facade access and fall protection systems for OSHA compliance and designing new systems. She actively participates in the ANSI/ASSP Z359 Fall Protection Committee, which develops industry consensus standards for fall protection systems.

REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS

Asset Management

• The Salvation Army, Various Buildings - U.S. Midwest: Eighty building enclosure and structural condition assessments with online repair and cost prioritization database
• Vacant Detroit Public Schools - MI: Sixty-three school enclosure and structural assessments with rehabilitation database for adaptive reuse master plan
• Accor Hotels - Australia, Europe, and United Kingdom: Fire safety assessment of hotel exterior cladding systems for more than eight hundred properties
• Portfolio of Purpose-Built Student Accommodations - England, Ireland, and Scotland: Fire assessments of exterior walls and cladding systems for sixty properties
• Major Retail Chain - Nationwide U.S.: Inspection and structural analysis of steel joist roof structures at over 2,200 facilities

 

Structural Analysis

• High-Rise Condominium Building - Chicago, IL: Analysis and structural strengthening of concrete framing for increased load requirements on new rooftop sun deck
• Multistory Parking Structure and Transportation Center: Concrete distress and corrosion evaluation, temporary safety measures for critical conditions, and structural analysis of post-tensioned concrete and steel structure

 

Repair and Rehabilitation

• The Salvation Army, Kroc Corps Community Center - Quincy, IL: Evaluation and strengthening of roof framing for mechanical loading
• Retail Store - Chicago, IL: Repair design for failed timber bowstring roof trusses
• Holy Family Catholic Church - Lincoln, IL: Repair design for timber roof trusses
• Pima County Public Works - Tucson, AZ: Design of structural attachments for two-building curtain wall replacement

 

Failure/Damage Investigations

• Warehouse - Indianapolis, IN: Structural analysis of roof framing after partial collapse
• Illinois Tollway - Elmhurst, IL: Investigation of temporary soil retention wall failure
• Retail Store - Bridgeview, IL: Investigation of masonry parapet collapse
• Residential Facility - Rockford, IL: Investigation of steel joist-bearing failure in masonry wall system

 

Facade Access and Fall Protection

• Northwestern Memorial Hospital - Chicago, IL: Campus-wide evaluation and load testing of existing davit and anchorage systems
• Northwestern University - Chicago, IL: Design and load testing of davit bases and anchorages at multiple buildings
• 541 N. Fairbanks Court - Chicago, IL: Conversion of rooftop track system to frame supporting dedicated anchorages
• One Magnificent Mile - Chicago, IL: Load testing of davit bases and design of new fall protection systems

 

Facade Assessment

• InterContinental Hotel - Chicago, IL: Limestone facade assessment and repair
• Sheridan Edgewater Apartments - Chicago, IL: Masonry facade restoration of 1920s residential building
• Various Buildings - Chicago, IL: Annual facade ordinance inspections

 

Registrations

NHI Course 130078 - Fracture Critical Inspection Techniques for Steel Bridges
Professional Engineer in AZ and IL
Structural Engineer in IL

Education

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, 2011
Master of Science, Civil Engineering, 2013