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State Leadership

President

Tyler Winkley (SE)

Vice President

Heather Kline (SP)

Treasurer

Owen Kohashi (SE)

Secretary

Jessica Jenness (SE)

Past President

Daniel Sumerfield (SE)

Trustees

Owen Kohashi (SE)

Tyler Winkley (SE)

Jessica Jenness (SE)

Daniel Sumerfield (SC)

Matt Leslie (SC)

Jared Plank (SW)

Heather Kline (SP)

Matt Hoit (SP)

April 2024 Issue

1. Seattle Chapter April Joint Meeting with ASCE Seattle
2. AIASWW/CSI/SEAW Joint Meeting
3. April Chapter Check-In
4. Design Considerations for Mass Timber Construction
5. Reflections on 12 Years of Advancing Structural Engineering
6. SEFW Introduces New Executive Director
7. Special Wind Regions Study Featured in STRUCTURE Magazine
8. Calendar
9. Membership Postings
10. Job Opportunities

Seattle Chapter's April Dinner Meeting Annual Joint Meeting with ASCE Seattle:

The Ship Canal Water Quality Project: Successes, Challenges and Lessons Learned

Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Time: 5:30 - 8:00 PM

Location: Ivar's at Pier 54, Kalakala Room at Acres of Clams

1001 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98104. 

Click here for directions

There is metered street parking all along the waterfront, as well as paid lots. More info: Downtown Seattle Parking

Event Agenda:

5:30pm – 6:00pm Registration/Networking

6:00pm – 6:45pm Dinner

6:45pm – 7:00pm Welcome/Announcements

7:00pm – 8:00pm Program

Registration Fees:

• Students: $45
• SEAW or ASCE Member -$60
• Non-Members - $75

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and King County are working together to build an underground storage tunnel to improve water quality in three important water bodies in Seattle. During large storm events, the 2.7-mile-long storage tunnel will capture and temporarily hold polluted stormwater and sewage from Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, and Queen Anne until the contents can be sent to King County’s West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in Magnolia. When operational in 2027, the project will limit overflows and will keep an average of more than 75 million gallons of raw sewage and polluted stormwater out of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Salmon Bay, and Lake Union. The tunnel was excavated with a large tunnel boring machine, Mudhoney, and construction included over 15,000 precast concrete tunnel segments, five deep, large diameter drop shafts, numerous underground structures, and a 12-million gallon per day pump station.

Join us for an overview of this 13-year long megaproject and a discussion of the successes, challenges, and lessons learned to date from the Ship Canal Water Quality Project! We are hosting this joint meeting with ASCE Seattle section, so this is a great opportunity to network with our colleagues in ASCE as well!

Presenter:

Keith Ward, PMP, PE, Seattle Public Utilities

Keith Ward has more than 32 years of project-delivery and organizational leadership experience in the private and public sectors across the United States and internationally. He’s worked as an engineer, construction manager, project manager, and program director on a variety of infrastructure projects. Keith is the Project Executive of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project where he leads a team of City staff, consultants, and contractors. In his free time, Keith enjoys spending time with his family, sailing, and alpine climbing in the surrounding mountains.

AIASWW/CSI/SEAW Joint Meeting

April Chapter Check-In

SPOKANE, by Heather Kline 

The Spokane chapter membership had the privilege of attending an enlightening tour of the Finnoe fabrication plant in March. During this visit, we gained valuable insights into the cutting-edge technological advancements they employ to support precision erections of structural steel. We were also updated on the capabilities of the different equipment they utilize. 

In February, our chapter hosted a Local Project Showcase, offering engineers a forum to share their expertise and experiences. Lynn Burton with Coffman Engineers, Logan Rasmussen with GLR Engineers, Kyle Umlaug with Umlauf Engineers, and Nathan Sieler with Integrus all shared different projects. Everyone in attendance learned a bit about the innovative design elements, different challenges faced, and successes of each of the four projects discussed. We had a wide range of project types to learn from, including the new 5,000 seat ONE Spokane Stadium and a couple hybrid steel and glulam framed structures with CLT. We learned about designing and detailing a straw bale single-family residence and working with a contractor for the temporary construction bracing of a superstructure shell around a decommissioned nuclear reactor. 

Keep an eye out for the Spokane chapter emails as this next month we will be learning about complex structures and then on May 23rd we will be having our vendor social at the Dry Fly Distillery. If you need to be added to our Spokane distribution list, please email SEAWSpokane@gmail.com.

SEAW Spokane members tour the Finnoe fabrication plant. Photo by Heather Kline.

SOUTHWEST, by Jared Plank 

The end of our 2023-2024 year is just around the corner, but there are still a few opportunities to participate in some great programs before the summer. We just had a combined meeting with ASCE at the Basalite plant and had a great time. We look forward to seeing all of you at our next combined event with AIA SWW, and also our year ending social event at the Rainiers. 

At this time of year, we look at our board and try to bring in fresh faces. Please reach out if interested in participating on the board. See below for the current positions, proposed candidates, and open positions. An online voting poll will go out to members in April to finalize the new board positions: 

• Past President – Jared Plank  

• President - Evan Olszko (proposed) 

• Vice President – Jim Farley (proposed)  

• Secretary – Kyle Gysler (current) 

• Treasurer – Andy Pflueger (current) 

• Voting Directors – Jacob Baker (current), Kirk Keppler (current) 

• Non-Voting Directors – Leah Cate (current), Blaine Sanchez (current), OPEN (please write in your name if interested) 

We hope our members and guests will make it a priority to attend our events to finish out the year. See below for some brief updates on what’s going on with the Southwest Chapter and we hope to see you ALL at our next event!! 

Next Event: Combined Chapter Meeting with AIA and CSI, April 18 – 7 Seas Tour and presentation featuring Ferguson Architecture and SSF. See the previous announcement for registration information. Few tickets are available so act fast! 

Year End Social Event: Rainiers Baseball Game and Dinner, June 5 – Invite your coworkers, friends, and family to a great night out at the Rainiers!  

Hope to see you at our next event!

By Ryan Thornton, YMG

The SEAW Seattle Chapter March webinar, “Mass Timber Taking Root,” featured Hans-Erik Blomgren, P.E., S.E., from Timberlab. Hans-Erik gave an insightful presentation on mass timber’s growth in the industry of sustainable construction. 

Information shared during the SEAW March Dinner Meeting. Graphic courtesy Hans-Erik Blomgren.

Mass timber’s popularity has been growing exponentially in recent years. With the rapid growth has come an opportunity to expand mass timber’s capabilities and functionality to compete with conventional steel and concrete structural systems. This growth can be attributed to many factors including interest from developers to pursue more sustainable building options, architects’ desire to design warm and comforting spaces, and research from academia and professional engineers alike to expand the capabilities of what mass timber can be. A new laboratory-capable office building off Lake Union and a new eight-story residential complex in Capitol Hill are just two examples of how mass timber can reshape our adherence to steel and concrete systems. Most importantly, we must continue to push our building codes to be more progressive, thus enabling mass timber to grow structurally, while maintaining the architectural and sustainability benefits it currently exhibits.  

Many engineers can be reluctant to propose mass timber as a structural option. Understandably, there is a lot of novelty and lack of experience designing with it. Additionally, there are numerous unique aspects when designing with mass timber versus conventional steel and concrete buildings such as how the timber supplied and fabricated, many connections involve proprietary systems or components, and in some instances, fire performance is a limit state engineers must consider. As engineers begin to find themselves designing with mass timber, it is important that they consider field tolerances and fit up; coordinate detailing, staging, and installation with the timber fabricator and erector; the capabilities of CNC and what must be done with human labor. As mass timber becomes more common and the practices become standardized across industry, we should see its expansion and capabilities grow even more as it competes with steel and concrete across our skylines. 

SEAW thanks Hans-Erik Blomgren and Timberlab for taking the time to share their invaluable experience and insight with us.  

By Angela Gottula Twining

Some of you may already know that the month of March marked my last month as Executive Director of the Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington. It was February 2012 when I left my two-month-old daughter with a babysitter and met Howard Burton at the old Sullivan’s Steakhouse where he asked me take on an administrative contract for “just six hours a week.” Founded in 2010, SEFW had been operated completely by its Board members who realized they might be in over their heads. Bolstered by a successful initial fundraising campaign and Fall Forum, which they hoped would be the first of many, they had official nonprofit status, money in the bank, and a mission to do great things. I said sure.  

Former U.S. Senator and Washington state governor Dan Evans (right) joins the on-stage panel at the November 2016 SEFW Fall Forum. 

That two-month-old is now in middle school, and it has been an incredible 12 years with some truly magical moments. As I sign off, I hoped you might allow me to share some of them with you. 

The first Fall Forum I helped with was October 2012 when Bill Baker from Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill discussed the structural design of the Burj Khalifa. I laughed when he said he was nervous as they blew fireworks off the side of the building during the grand opening. But my favorite part was seeing in the audience a man with his son who was building a mini Lego set of the Burj Khalifa. In that moment I caught the vision of SEFW and the entire Fall Forum lecture series – making sure people of all ages can learn about structural engineering, since enthusiasm for our great built environment spans generations. 

Since then, I have helped execute eleven additional Forums with many great moments. I couldn’t pick a favorite. I loved in 2016 when former U.S. senator and Washington state governor Dan Evans, he was a structural engineer by profession, attended and joined the on-stage panel to discuss memories of the past several decades of Seattle development. I walked away thinking I had experienced something really special. In 2020, then-SEFW Chair Craig Roberts and I were the skeleton crew in an empty Town Hall with two presenters who stood on opposite sides of the stage while their presentation on bridges in Washington was streamed to people in 10 states and 11 countries. (John Stanton has that kind of influence, it seems.) In 2021, hearing Jon Magnusson tell the story of the 1987 Husky Stadium collapse was riveting, making it now one of my go-to party stories. I am a smarter person having spent all this time with structural engineers.  

(By the way, all of these Forums are on the SEFW Vimeo page. Go watch them!) 

By the numbers, my time at SEFW has included: 

• Service with six Board Chairs – thank you Howard Burton, Mark D’Amato, David Peden, Tom Corcoran, Craig Roberts, and Melissa Verwest for your vision, leadership, and patience 
• One article for STRUCTURE magazine 
• Biographies for 41 SEAW scholarship recipients 
• Three SEFW websites (good, bad, and ugly) 
• Seven annual reports 
• Two donor appreciation meetings 
• Two significant legacy gifts – it was an honor to get to know the families of Richal Smith and Charles “Cap” Pearson after their passing and generous bequests to SEFW 
• Three social media accounts 
• One SEAW & SEFW Memorandum of Understanding 
• More Equilibrium articles than I can possibly count!  

Anecdotally, a few SEFW memories stand above the rest. The first would be in 2017, when SEFW held a challenge to create videos that showcased structural engineering, back before TikTok was a thing. The best entry to our FilmWorks Initiative was “Imagine a Better World,” a video by Luke Heath with PCS Structural Solutions. When SEFW awarded Luke his cash prize at a donor meeting, he made a heartfelt speech about the power of those who believed in him when he had most needed it, and donated the award back to SEFW for a scholarship. I was truly touched.  

Another great moment was when I traveled to Spokane to watch the Mead School District popsicle stick bridge competition in 2018. SEFW helped make this structural engineering activity a reality, and the district liked it so much they put it in the annual budget and it now runs itself. A volunteer there was Levi Arnold, a recent graduate who participated when he was in high school and was now attending Gonzaga. How thrilled I was this past summer to cross paths with Levi again, now working as a structural design engineer at KPFF in Spokane. What a moment to celebrate! SEFW’s mission helped bring this student into the profession. It’s also a nice brag that the first award SEFW won was from the Mead School District, which recognized then-Chair David Peden with a STEM Forward Award for his work organizing the competition. 

In 2017, Luke Heath of PCS Structural Solutions donates his short film prize back to SEFW Chair Mark D’Amato for a scholarship. 

Speaking of awards, if I had to pick the best moment for me, it was in 2020 when NCSEA recognized SEFW as a winner in its Public Outreach Challenge for the planning, execution, and reach of our Forum lecture series. (SEAW was also recognized that year for its work in public advocacy.) I was beaming with pride thinking that this thing we built together was working to promote structural engineering far and wide – and was being celebrated! The only thing that would have made it better was a million-dollar prize, but I was perfectly happy with just bragging rights.  

It has been a wild and wonderful 12 years. Thank you for your passion and dedication to structural engineering, and your investment in SEFW and its mission. I am sure our paths will cross again as I am still working with the SEAW Equilibrium and the ACE Mentor Program. I’ll always be cheering for SEFW and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

In 2018, my 6-year-old daughter Laurel sits on the floor at the Mead School District popsicle stick bridge competition in Spokane, watching structural engineering at work.  

By Angela Gottula Twining

Starting April 1, the Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington welcomed Katie Bohocky as its new Executive Director! Many of you might be familiar with Katie due to her work with SEAW in the past.  

Katie earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential in 2017, which is the marker of a committed association professional who has demonstrated the wide range of knowledge essential to manage an association in today’s challenging environment.  

“The SEFW Transition Committee has spent the last few months screening and identifying the best candidate to carry the Foundation into its second decade,” said Cale Ash, current SEFW Treasurer. “Katie brings almost 20 years of association management experience and is familiar with SEAW from her previous role as the Executive Director. The Foundation is excited to build on this continuity and looking forward to a smooth transition to Katie.” 

Katie lives in Gig Harbor with her husband, Ken, 14-year-old daughter, Amelia, and 11-year-old son, Branton. Katie is a UW grad and her family is PNW through and through. They love swimming in the cold salt water, paddleboarding, adventuring the beaches, digging up clams, and cooking them right on the beach. They love taking adventures throughout the US in their travel trailer – stretching the limits on how far one can drive in a day, and packing in the sights to see! They can always be found fishing, razor clamming, boating, duck hunting, and rooting for the Seahawks!  

The SEFW email and phone number are still active and are now being received by Katie, so there is no hiccup to any communication with SEFW. The Board is eager to begin the annual Spring Fundraising Campaign among SEAW members and begin planning this year’s Fall Forum. We are excited for all the future holds! 

Katie Bohocky, new SEFW Executive Director 

By Scott Douglas

The Wind Engineering Committee submits the following report for the April 2024 Equilibrium:  

• State of Washington Special Wind Regions (SWR) – The recommendations in White Paper WEC #3-2023 Structural Engineers Association of Washington have been submitted to the Washington State Building Code Council for adoption as an amendment to the Washington State Building Code. It is expected these recommendations will be adopted as an amendment and become effective in the first part of 2025. These recommendations for Washington State are also being submitted to the ASCE 7-28 Subcommittee on Wind Loads for balloting. SWR recommendations for Oregon and California will be submitted as separate ASCE 7-28 ballots by their respective State SEA Wind Engineering Committees. The March issue of NCSEA’s Structure Magazine featured this SEAW WEC effort (along with the effort by SEAO) starting on Page 22. 
• Update to the 2004 SEAW commentary on wind code provisions (ATC 60) – Work continues on this effort by the NCSEA CAC Wind Engineering Subcommittee. There is a December 31, 2024, deadline for submittal to the NCSEA Publication Committee. Several SEAW WEC Members are involved in this Commentary revision.  
• City of Bellevue Kzt Map – Work continues on the Kzt Wind Load Factor map for the City of Bellevue’s consideration. It will replicate the existing City of Seattle Wind Load Factor Map found at www.seattle.gov. If adopted the map will facilitate an alternate conservative method for rapid determination of Kzt factors and shoreline exposure in the City of Bellevue.  
• Participation – All SEAW members, whatever their experience, are encouraged to participate in WEC meetings. Please contact the WEC chair, Scott Douglas sdouglasscott@gmail.com, to join the SEAW WEC and receive additional information and announcements on Committee activities and actions.  

Check out the March STRUCTURE Magazine for an article about the Washington and Oregon Special Wind Region Study. 

Next Meeting – Friday April 26 from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon.

Meeting will be virtual via the following Zoom link.   

Passcode: 223141 

April 17, 2024, 4:30 - 5:30 PM

Seattle YMG Meeting, Python Fasteners: Seismic Retrofit of unreinforced Masonry Structures, (@Sunset Beach Room, 999 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA)

April 18, 2024, 5:00 - 7:00 PM

SEAW Southwest combined meeting with AIA SWW and CSI, (@7Seas, Tacoma, WA)

April 23, 2024, 5:30 - 8:00 PM

Seattle Chapter Joint April Dinner Meeting, The Ship Canal Water Quality Project: Successes, Challenges, and Lessons Learned, (@Ivar's at Pier 54, 1001 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA)

April 26, 2024, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

WEC Meeting (Zoom Webinar)

May 23, 2024

Spokane Chapter Vendor Social, (@Dry Fly Distillery, Spokane, WA)

June 5, 2024, 6:05 PM

SEAW Southwest Chapter Social, (@Rainiers Baseball Game)

September 3-6, 2024

SEA Northwest Conference (@Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center)

November 5-8, 2024

NCSEA Summit (@MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV)

Rajendra Soti

PBS Engineering and Environmental

SE Member - Seattle Chapter

Colin Taylor

Washington State University

Student

Employment Opportunities

Are you currently seeking employment as a structural engineer, senior manager, or a senior engineer technician? Check out our job board for current employment opportunities.

Opportunities for Mid-level Structural Engineer and Senior Project Manager:

Seattle Structural is a downtown Seattle firm looking for qualified structural engineering professionals to join our talented team practicing across several different industries. Seattle Structural offers an excellent opportunity to work on a variety of public and private institutional, healthcare, educational, and commercial projects. Specialty areas include waterfront, scoreboards and large display systems, and construction support. We offer a competitive salary and a relaxed, collaborative work environment. Work is on-site in our Belltown office near the waterfront. Benefits include medical, transit reimbursement, and retirement matching. Seattle Structural is a firm that makes it easy to become personally invested in the achievements of your company.

Telecommuting or working from home is not compatible with our workflow and we will not consider your application if you are unable to be physically present in our office during regular business hours. This is a full-time on-premise employee offer only. Contract engineers and remote work will not be considered.

Seattle Structural is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We are filling two positions. Candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Mid-level Engineer: 5+ years’ experience.
• Senior Project Manager: 10+ years’ experience.
• BS or MS in Structural, Civil/Structural, or Architectural Engineering.
• Experience in steel and concrete buildings, aluminum structures, lateral analysis, deep foundations, and marine projects are desired.
• Working knowledge of CAD and Revit preferred.
• Strong emphasis on client service.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Strong technical skills.

To apply, please email a cover letter along with your resume which includes your professional references.

Please address inquiries to:

Lisa Wipplinger

Seattle Structural PS Inc.

3131 Elliott Avenue Suite 600A

Seattle, WA 98121

LWipplinger@SeattleStructural.com

Structural Engineer – Senior Project Manager Kirkland, WA

Structural Project Managers at Dibble Engineers, Inc. (DEI) are provided opportunities to enhance their management and leadership skills by training and mentoring junior staff. PMs are challenged to strive for their SE licensure, Team Lead and Associate-level positions, and are encouraged to assist in business development, client retention, and company growth initiatives.

Description and Details:

If you are a creative, proactive, and detail-oriented leader with the desire to manage your own projects from beginning to end, further advance client retention and referral strategies, and help grow our business, you could be a great fit for our learning culture. Our team works collaboratively to enhance the structural design and construction process; however, if you also enjoy mentoring and educating junior staff to build confidence in independent research of complicated engineering issues, we will provide you the chance to grow your leadership and people management skills. If you enjoy a good laugh and a fun working environment yet possess excellent technical skills and uncompromising work ethic and quality standards, we will highly value your contributions to our growing team.

Interested in joining us? Send your resume with cover letter to info@dibbleengineers.com

Senior Structural Plan Engineer

Company: City of Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI)

Location: Seattle, WA

The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) Engineering Services Division is hiring a Senior Structural Plans Engineer (Sr. SPE) to serve as part of our dynamic Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Program Subject Matter Expert (SME) team. This URM-focused Sr. SPE will serve as the primary technical resource, working with the URM Program Manager, for the development and implementation of a mandatory URM retrofit program. This program is currently in development and the successful candidate will play a primary role in the shaping of permit, plan review, and compliance processes. The anticipated impact of this program will be a milestone in Seattle’s pathway to earthquake resilience, culminating in a mandatory URM retrofit program, the first of such program outside of California.

This Sr. SPE position is part of SDCI’s Ordinance and Structural (O/S) review team. The successful candidate will also be participating and fulfilling the job responsibilities of a Senior Structural Plans Engineer including plan review and other related tasks. Please visit http://www.seattle.gov/jobs for more information and to apply. The position will remain open until filled.

Nursery Construction Project Coordinator

Company: Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Location: Tumwater, WA

Want to join something GREAT and make a difference?

This position is responsible for managing facilities and infrastructure construction projects for DNR’s Webster Forest Nursery and Seed Programs. Webster is one of the premier state forest seedling nurseries in the country. Our staff has grown and shipped over 950 million seedlings since the nursery was established in 1957. These seedlings have been planted on public, private, and DNR-managed forest lands throughout Washington and nearby states. We have consistently invested in our infrastructure in the last 15 years and are now accelerating our efforts by undertaking numerous facilities maintenance, replacement, and expansion projects. This is a fantastic opportunity to support facility improvements for a highly functioning program that provides a critical public service into the next decade.

Applying or Renewing your Membership in SEAW

SEAW is organized into the membership categories and their corresponding dues structures 

listed below. Select the membership category that best fits your status.

Your contact information is shared with our foundation, SEFW.

In order to “opt-out” please contact the association office. Click here for our privacy policy.

Please consider making a line-item donation to SEFW as part of your dues renewal. Special designation can be placed on the donation, so it can be applied to scholarships, disaster preparedness or research opportunities. SEFW fulfills its mission with the assistance of donations from individuals and corporations. More information on SEFW and its mission to promote structural engineering can be found at www.sefw.org. Thank you for your support!