We deliver design solutions that align with our clients’ goals to provide elegant and cost effective structures as a trusted collaborator based upon our special combinations of:

• Design and Engineering expertise that includes:

• lightweight tensile structures with fabric membranes, films (ETFE), cables and synthetic ropes

• earthquake engineering with unique and innovative seismic engineering solutions

• unconventional structures including long spans, shells, diagrids, grid shells, lamella systems, monocoque and semi-monocoque, stressed skin, cable nets, membranes, pneumatics, tensegrity, geodesic, etc.

• materials expertise including the more typical materials of construction (steel, reinforced concrete, timber, masonry, aluminum, stainless steel) and also the less typical materials such as glass, fabric, membrane films, composites, cables, stone, other metals (brass, bronze, zinc, etc.)

• structural glass systems

• lightweight structure design software including formfinding and nonlinear structural analysis

• Enthusiasm for the design of innovative and unconventional structures – we really enjoy this type of work

• Resume of contributing creative structural solutions in collaboration with amazing architects, artists and designers locally and abroad for over thirty years

• Boundless curiosity to find the appropriate level of complexity balancing efficiency, economy, elegance and minimum environmental impact with the practicalities of getting our projects approved by the authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) throughout the world and across North America. This is especially important for wind and seismic engineering of unconventional and lightweight membrane structures.

• Our familiarity, friendly relationships and mutual respect with specialty contractors, builders and construction engineers that thrive on innovation and collaboration

• Expertise with sustainability including life cycle analysis (LCA) of embodied carbon

• Providing practical structural solutions that embrace buildability

• Genuine caring for the project and stakeholders

• Striving to be ‘easy to work’ with in every way