Holmes US

We can't believe it's been a week since our Mass Timber Open House in Portland! It was wonderful to catch up with so many clients, colleagues, and industry partners in town for the International @masstimberconference (IMTC). 🌲 A special thank you to our event co-sponsors: @carpentryplusinc @grahambuilds @xl_construction Already looking forward to IMTC 2027!

Watch the transformation of @uclaw_sf 100 McAllister building in San Francisco's Academic Village! Structural demolition of the existing core has progressed from Level 21 down to Level 12. Thanks to previously installed structural steel bracing and strengthening, the historic tower will remain stable and support the tower crane until the new core is complete. Each level follows a precise sequence: ✅ Crash decks span the existing elevator core from the level below ✅ The center stair core is removed ✅ Concrete decks are demolished ✅ Beams are torch-cut, hoisted by the tower crane, and loaded directly onto flatbeds for off-haul. Our partners at Stomper, C.E. Toland & Son, @biggecrane , and @holmes.us have made this all possible through expert demolition, rigging, shoring, hoisting, and structural engineering. #construction #demolition #uclawsf #academicvillage #sanfrancisco

“We’re making it clear that the future of the city depends on working class folks being able to live right in the heart of the city.” – Winta Yohannes, Executive Director of Albina Vision Trust We recently celebrated the opening of Albina One – the first development-led project by the @albinavisiontrust in Portland, OR. The non-profit organization is focused on redeveloping historically Black neighborhoods to provide affordable, family-centered housing. In collaboration with minority-owned Skyline Structural Design, Holmes provided structural engineering services for the seven-story development, which features 94 affordable housing units and a variety of community-oriented amenities. The complex will also offer on-site education and job training services provided by the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center @poicstories ) Congratulations to the Albina One team! Including: Development: @albinavisiontrust with @edlenandco General Contractor: @colasconstruction Architect: @leverarchitecture Structural Engineer: Holmes US – Leslie Zerbe, Nicholas Slavin, PE, Ian Kovtunich, Cliff Horton, PE, SE, Eric McDonnell, Jennifer Eggers, P.E. S.E. Structural Engineer Partner: Skyline Structural Design – Jacob Balderas #AlbinaOne #affordablehousing #PDXhousing#Portland #structuralengineering

We were honored to be part of the recent “topping-out” ceremony for the Joel M. Pritchard Building in Olympia, WA! Originally designed by architect Paul Thiry, the Pritchard building was built on the Washington State Capitol campus to house the Washington State Library. In the historic renovation, the topping-out ceremony marked the completion of the building's structural frame and seismic strengthening of the existing building. The current renovations will improve seismic stability of the historic reading room and adapt the usage of the site with new legislative office space. In providing structural engineering services for the existing building, the Holmes team was able to justify the existing building’s inherent strengths using performance-based engineering to minimize new structural strengthening measures and avoid interventions within historic spaces. Congratulations to the team! Including: Project Leader: Washington State Department of Enterprise Services General Contractor: @bnbuilders Architect, structural, and MEP engineer: @dlr_group Group Existing building structural engineer: @holmes.us – Evan Speer, PE, Elyssa Dekker, PE, Dan Bech, S.E., Jennifer Eggers, P.E. S.E., Eddie Richter, Ian Kovtunovich #historicpreservation #structuralengineering #WAarchitecture #seismic

This weekend, nearly 900 people walked the halls of the historic L.A. County General Hospital before it begins its exciting transformation into mixed-income housing, medical offices, retail, and supportive services through adaptive reuse. Tourgoers got a glimpse into areas rarely seen by the public, including one of the hospital’s historic surgery theatres and the county prison hospital—both left virtually untouched since the hospital’s closure nearly two decades ago. Opened in 1933, this extraordinary building was once the largest public hospital in the western U.S. and earned the nickname the “Great Stone Mother” for its stunning Art Deco design. The hospital, damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake and largely vacant since 2010, is now at the center of a bold vision: a revitalized campus focused on housing, and community well being. Through adaptive reuse, the building will once again serve Angelenos, this time as part of a “Healthy Village” that brings new life to a site long dedicated to care and service. A huge thank you to our volunteers, tour partners and sponsors, the Wellness Center, and everyone who attended this special tour and made this event possible! Tour Partner and Presenting Sponsor: @primestordevelopment Tour Partners: Centennial Partners Los Angeles County Supervisor @HildaSolis Tour Supporting Sponsors: @chattelpreservation @bomelconstruction @thesomosgroup Structural Focus Prime Test Engineering Tour Friends: @holmes.us @omgivning_

After reinforcing @uclaw_sf 's 100 McAllister building with structural steel, @plantconstruction is now dismantling the existing core--from level 28 down to the basement--to make room for new concrete core walls. The new opening will give our crews access to prepare the foundation for further seismic strengthening. A special thanks to the hard-working teams from Stomper, @biggecrane , @holmes.us , and @perkinswill as we continue to build San Francisco's Academic Village! #construction #renovation #seismic

Continuing our round-up of recent awards, we are thrilled that the Presidio Tunnel Tops received an AIA San Francisco Architecture Merit Award in the AIA Design Awards 2025. Holmes has been fortunate to contribute to a number of projects at the Presidio national park site in San Francisco. The Presidio Tunnel Tops presented the unique opportunity to build on top of the Doyle Drive highway tunnels to create a 14-acre parkland full of spaces to gather, socialize, and play. Partnering with @ehdd_architecture , Holmes provided structural engineering services for the renovation and new construction of the multi-building Crissy Youth Campus and the renovation of the Transit Center Building. Our team worked closely with the contractor and owner to develop structural solutions to challenges like liquefiable soil conditions and constraints to installing a new mat foundation in a historic building. We’re honored to be part of this project that offers “A Place For All” for 7 million visitors every year. Congratulations to everyone involved in the Presidio Tunnel Tops project and to all the teams recognized in the AIA Design Awards 2025! Presidio Tunnel Tops project leaders: Presidio Trust, National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area Architect: @ehdd_architecture Landscape Architect: James Corner Field Operations General Contractor: @swinerton1888 Holmes team: Paul Littler, Kim Nguyen, Jonas Houston, Hugo Gomez #structuralengineering #sfdesign #sfarchitecture #aiadesignawards

We were thrilled to see several Holmes projects highlighted by recent industry awards! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be shining a spotlight on these projects, starting with… DOLORES HEIGHTS HOUSE We recently shared that the Dolores Heights House designed by @dumicanmoseyarchitects was featured in Residential Design Magazine’s RD Architecture Awards 2025. We’re honored to announce that this project was also spotlighted in both the @aiasf Design Awards 2025 and the @sfdesignweek Awards 2025! Holmes provided structural engineering for the newly constructed residence located in the Dolores Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. Perched above the city, the home was designed to maximize stunning views and create open, airy floor plans suited to the young family’s needs. The area’s compressed lot lines and steep slopes, coupled with striking design features – including cantilevered volumes, uninterrupted glazing walls, and a floating steel staircase – presented opportunities for innovative structural solutions. Holmes delivered on that required creativity, seamlessly integrating structural elements, managing elevation changes, and fully realizing the project’s design objectives. Architect & Interiors: @dumicanmoseyarchitects General Contractor: @durkininc Structural Engineering: Denny Kwan, Danny Polivka, Staci K. Chase Photographer: @matthewmillmanphoto Congratulations to everyone involved in the Dolores Heights House project, and to all the AIA San Francisco Design Awards and SF Design Week Awards honorees! #structuralengineering #sfdesign #sfarchitecture #aiadesignawards #residentialdesign

Southern California Site Visit Recap!  A few weeks ago, our marketing team hit the road to check in on some of our standout projects across SoCal—capturing progress, meeting with teams, and seeing how these spaces are already shaping their communities. @ocvibe — Holmes was onsite to do a formal structural observation of the rebar placement prior to the pouring of concrete atop the CLT floors, inspecting the 4th floor timber to timber connections.  @altasea — The multifunctional space is used to discover solutions to food and energy supply, climate change and ocean exploration. Holmes led the renovations of Berths 58-60 with @gensler_design to support various tenant improvements within the structure.  @liveavenue34 — Holmes worked with @kfalosangeles to transform the former warehouse lot to a 468-unit community, including 66 very-low income affordable units. The mixed use residential development includes public plazas, ground floor retail and underground parking.  We loved seeing these projects come to life and can’t wait to share more progress soon!   #structuralengineering #southerncalifornia #ocvibe #altasea #avenue34

Happy International Women in Engineering Day! Today and every day, women are making an impact at Holmes US. They are launching and leading our offices. They are managing and contributing to high-profile projects for our clients. They are chairing professional committees and speaking at industry conferences. They are delivering engineering excellence. We are so proud to be fostering a diverse culture and community in service of creating the best outcomes for our clients, our partners, and our people. Thank you to all the women engineers making a difference in the built environment and in the continued advancement of women in STEM careers! #inwed2025 #togetherweengineer #womeninSTEM #womeninengineering

In the third chapter of our video series for @uclaw_sf Academic Village, @plantconstruction and our design and trade partners install a 430-foot tower crane to drive the seismic retrofit of the century-old 100 McAllister landmark. The three-day process involved street closures, bus wire removal and reinstallation, assembling multiple cranes to erect the tower crane (including one the largest crawler cranes in the country), and custom-designed tower tie-in support structures within the building. Eleven months of intense planning included coordination between @perkinswillsf , @holmes.us , @biggecrane , @pageturnbull , @langanengenv , C. E. Toland & Son, @cupertinoelectric , Martin M. Ron Associates, Plant Concrete, TCPAF, DR Traffic Control, @sfmta_muni , @sfgov , and the University, all culminating in a flawless erection of the crane. Next up is bottoming out the excavation and starting the new foundation elements. #construction #renovation #engineering #architecture #historicpreservation #towercrane #crane

Holmes is proud to have supported the successful installation of the (400 foot!) tower crane at 100 McAllister, a key milestone in the seismic retrofit and renovation of this historic structure for @uclaw_sf . In collaboration with the architectural team @perkinswill , the project will enhance seismic resilience while addressing crucial housing needs in the community. The crane foundation’s location was uniquely driven by the existing and future utility vaults, which presented a significant design challenge. This constraint required an innovative tie-in solution at the 19th floor, carefully coordinated to preserve the building’s historic façade. +++++ Kudos to @plantconstruction and @biggecrane , for their precise execution! Holmes team: Dan Bech, S.E. Adam Slivers, Patrick O'Reilly, Jared Ellis, Mason Moritz