Eduardo Castro was project manager for the structural and blast protection engineering design of the United Nations Capital Master Plan, which entailed a campus-wide modernization and renovation of the facilities, including security upgrades to enhance blast protection. Mr. Castro oversaw the structural engineering design for the modernization and renovation of the General Assembly, Conference Building, Dag Hammarskjöld Library, and South Annex Building, as well as the blast engineering design for all these buildings in addition to the Secretariat and below-grade basements.
Security work included a comprehensive vulnerability assessment of the entire campus to specified blast threats. Detailed analyses were done for each building to evaluate the performance of the existing structures and identify elements requiring structural hardening. The team developed constructible retrofits that achieved the blast performance, including the upgrade of the non-glazed facades, slabs, beams, connections, and columns. The team also designed all the structural anchorages for the blast-reinforced glazed curtain-wall systems and peer- reviewed the new blast-resistant curtain-wall design.
As structural engineer of record, the team provided a wide range of services to support the renovation work. During the design phase, an in-depth material testing program was developed and implemented for sampling of the steel members, core sampling for concrete compressive strength, and identification of the slab reinforcement. New steel-framed floor slabs were designed in areas of significant structural modification, and new supports and beam penetrations were designed as part of the MEP modernization.
