Design materials.
Structural design starts with a material decision. We design in concrete, masonry, structural steel, cold-formed steel, wood, and aluminum, and we pick the system that suits the span, the exposure, and the budget.
Cold Formed Steel Design
Cold formed steel earns its place where a light, dimensionally stable, non-combustible frame has to do the work of heavier framing.
Wood Design
Wood is the default frame for single-family homes on this coast, which makes uplift, connection hardware, and moisture the real design problem.
Concrete Design
Concrete is what most of this coast's multi-family stock is made of, and what most of its restoration work is spent repairing.
Masonry Design
Reinforced masonry carries a large share of the commercial and multi-family stock here, and it hides its condition better than any other material.
Steel Design
Steel is the answer when the span is long, the geometry is unusual, or the schedule cannot wait on a cure.
Aluminum Design
Aluminum is what you use when the structure lives outdoors, near salt water, and nobody is going to repaint it.
Not sure which system fits?
Send the spans, the loads, and the exposure. We will tell you what we would design it in and why.