Ackerman-Estvold’s Amick and Marx Earn Professional Registration

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Ackerman-Estvold is pleased to announce that Nathan Amick (pictured left) recently earned his North Dakota Professional Engineer registration from the North Dakota State Board of Registration.

Amick has been with Ackerman-Estvold since 2009 serving as a seasonal intern for five years while earning his degree, He then joined our team in 2014 as a full time Civil Engineer. His work is focused on the Water Resources division with responsibilities for analyzing, documenting and reporting on a variety of water resources issues in the region. Amick has worked closely on various Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Plan phases and he has served as the StARR manager, which is a voluntary acquisition and floodproofing program for rural properties affected by the 2011 Mouse River Flood. His duties also include consulting regional municipalities on infrastructure maintenance and development.

Amick earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from North Dakota State University, in Fargo, North Dakota.

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Additionally, Ron Marx (pictured right) recently earned his North Dakota Professional Engineer registration from the North Dakota State Board of Registration.

Marx has been with Ackerman-Estvold since 2014 as a full time Civil Engineer. He has over a decade of experience in transportation and municipal engineering and has designed and inspected roadway improvements and infrastructure projects, developing working relationships with contractors and government officials. Mr. Marx serves as both a design engineer and a construction engineer working closely with cities, counties, and the NDDOT.

Marx earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Cleveland State University, Fenn College of Engineering, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ackerman-Estvold Expands Services to Fargo

Minot, N.D. - Ackerman-Estvold is pleased to announce our newest office location in Fargo, ND. The addition of the Fargo branch becomes the fourth location for the company.

Steven Eberle, Vice President/COO indicated “the Ackerman-Estvold team is excited to expand our services into eastern North Dakota. A Fargo office provides us with the opportunity to service clients in all areas of North Dakota. The opening of this branch allows us to implement elements of our strategic plan by investing in new markets and geographical locations. We look forward to serving the Engineering & Architectural needs of the Fargo region.”

Tim Arens, PE, Vice President, has relocated from Minot to Fargo and will serve as the Fargo office manager. Mr. Arens oversees the transportation group with over 17 years of experience working extensively on projects with the ND Department of Transportation and the Missouri Department of Transportation. Mr. Arens earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota.

Stacy Flaten, PE, recently joined the Fargo office as a Senior Engineer. Ms. Flaten brings over 20 years of experience in the transportation field to her new role. Ms. Flaten earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, and an Associate of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from Northwest Technical College, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Ms. Flaten’s career has included working for several regional consulting engineering firms and the ND Department of Transportation.

The Fargo office is located in the 42nd Street Office Park at 4165 30th Ave S, Suite 100. Office hours are 8am – Noon and 1pm – 5pm.

The new Ackerman-Estvold team encompasses more than 50 professionals within the Minot, Williston, Fargo, and Boise offices. Services include municipal engineering, land planning and development, traffic and transportation engineering, water resources, construction engineering, architecture, cultural resources, environmental services, GIS, drone technology, and municipal operations & maintenance. “We are thrilled about the addition of the Fargo location and as a homegrown North Dakota organization, it is a priority for us to have a vested interest in the communities in which we are located” said Eberle.

Ackerman-Estvold is a professional engineering and architecture firm headquartered in Minot, ND, with additional office locations in Williston, ND, and Boise, ID. The firm provides planning, design, and construction services for public and private clients throughout North Dakota, Idaho, and surrounding states. For more information about Ackerman-Estvold, or the services we provide visit us at www.ackerman-estvold.com.

Building Code – Fire Wall Construction

The International Building Code (IBC) identifies three types of walls used for fire separation of areas within a building. These three wall types are Fire Walls, Fire Barriers, and Fire Partitions. The use of these walls is dependent upon the occupancy separation required by the IBC and whether a fire sprinkler system is provided/required.

The Fire Wall is the most restrictive of the wall types in the IBC, by creating a complete separation of the building based on the allowable building area, allowable building height, and type of construction. One goal of this system is to restrict the spread of smoke and fire within one building. The Fire wall is designed and constructed so that the structure on either side of the fire wall will collapse without the collapse of the wall under fire conditions. The fire resistance rating of the Fire Wall can range from 4 hours to 2 hours, based on Occupancy Group of the building. The Fire wall will be continuous and extend not more than 18 inches beyond the exterior surface. This extension is intended to stop the potential fire from traveling from one building to the other around the fire wall. The Fire Barrier are wall types that that provide a higher degree of protection than fire partitions. The fire barriers are used for separating exits, exit passageways, incidental use areas, shaft enclosures, separated occupancies, and fire areas. Fire barriers also include interior walls that subdivide a space into adjacent fire areas. The fire resistance rating of the Fire Barrier can range from 4 hours to 1 hour, based on the Occupancy Group of the building. Fire Barriers extend from the top of foundation or floor/ceiling assembly below to the underside of the floor or roof sheathing, slab or deck above. The joints at the intersections of the fire barrier walls must be sealed with a fire-resistance joint system (caulking). The Fire Partition are wall assemblies that enclose an exit access corridor, separate dwelling units in the same building, corridor walls, and tenant spaces in malls. Fire partitions have a fire-resistance rating of not less than 1 hour. Fire barrier corridor walls can have less than 1 hour, depending on Occupancy type and sprinklered building. Fire Partitions extend from the top of foundation or floor/ceiling assembly below to the underside of the floor or roof sheathing, slab or deck above. The Fire Wall is the most restrictive fire rated walls because of the requirements to separate the building within fire areas and provide a continuous fire rating from the foundation to the roof. The Fire Barrier is less restrictive than the Fire Wall in that it will provide a rated wall around shafts and separation of Occupancy Groups within a building. The fire barrier wall will be continuous from the floor through the concealed space at each level. The fire partition is the least restrictive fire rated wall system used in fire rating corridors and separation of dwelling units.