The Steel Bridge Task Force has presented the 2023 Alexander D. Wilson Memorial Award to John O’Quinn, president of High Steel Structures, LLC.

The award honors individuals who have made significant industry contributions to advance steel as the material of choice for steel bridge supply, production, design, fabrication or construction.

Dan Synder, vice president of the construction program at the American Iron and Steel Institute, noted that O’Quinn has provided years of mentoring and guidance to researchers as well as financial and materials support for their research.

“His direct support has enabled significant technological advancements for the steel bridge industry,” said Snyder. “John is highly respected and greatly appreciated by his peers, and it is an honor to recognize his contributions and lasting impact on our industry with the 2023 Alexander D. Wilson Memorial Award.”

“John is passionate about steel bridges and strives to improve the entire industry on a daily basis,” said National Steel Bridge Alliance Senior Director of Market Development Jeff Carlson. “I’m thrilled to see him recognized for everything he does.”

Structural steel designers have a valuable new resource for the design of end-plate moment connections in AISC Steel Design Guide 39, End-Plate Moment Connections, which is now available at aisc.org/dg.

"It's a great addition to the AISC toolbox of publications," said Cives Steel Corporation Chief Engineer Brian Volpe, PE, SE, LEED AP. "The team did a fantastic job unifying Design Guides 4 and 16 and adding the latest research."

The new design guide, written by Virginia Tech's Matthew Eatherton, SE, PhD, and Thomas Murray, PE, PhD, reviews how to use yield line analysis to determine end-plate strength, details design procedures for determining required bolt strength, and provides 15 end-plate moment connection configurations.

AISC will present Benjamin Schafer, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University with the 2024 T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award for "Review of Local Buckling Width-to-Thickness Limits."

"Dr. Schafer's work in the areas of structural stability and local buckling in hot-rolled structural members is consistently outstanding," said AISC Vice President of Engineering and Research Christopher H. Raebel, SE, PE, PhD, "and his reputation as a researcher, professor, and lecturer is similarly remarkable--in fact, the jury's selection was unanimous. It is a privilege to have him represent AISC as a T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award recipient."

The AISC Board of Directors chose new leadership at its most recent meeting.

Hugh McCaffrey of Southern New Jersey Steel in Vineland, N.J. was elected board chair Sept. 9 at AISC’s annual business meeting, and Glenn Tabolt of STS Steel in Schenectady, N.Y. was elected vice chair.

“Hugh and Glenn both have a long track record of volunteering their knowledge, expertise, and leadership skills to the steel industry,” said Steve Knitter, the board’s immediate past chair. “Their wealth of knowledge in the fabrication industry and their varied regional experience will undoubtedly benefit the Institute. I have full confidence in their ability to provide strong leadership and continue AISC’s mission of advancing the steel construction industry.”

Arkansas’ government is investing in the future of its steel industry.

The Arkansas Office of Skills Development awarded Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC) a $1.2 million grant in August to help create the Arkansas Steelmaking Bootcamp, which is expected to train 500 participants in its first year. The program provides entry-level knowledge for workers entering the steelmaking industry. Graduates of the two-week, 80-hour bootcamp earn OSHA-10 General Industry Certification and first aid/CPR certification. 

Students around the country are gearing up for another exciting Student Steel Bridge Competition--and AISC and American Society of Civil Engineers have just announced the challenge that they'll have to solve by designing, fabricating, and erecting a scale-model steel bridge!

In this year's hypothetical scenario, Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, La., is considering the addition of a disc golf course with a non-invasive, man-made river as a water hazard. And where there's water, there must be a bridge for players, park employees, and maintenance vehicles to get to the other side. Lincoln Parish Park is one of the most popular in the nation because it's particularly beautiful. This bridge must be aesthetically pleasing, too!

"Early in my career, Bob was instrumental in teaching me about steel," said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. "When I first started at AISC, Bob had just retired. He continued with us as a volunteer, and I was lucky to get assigned to many things he was still involved in. I wasn't alone -- a whole crew of us as staff and volunteers grew up in those years and were better for having Bob to help us. We dedicated the 15th-edition AISC Steel Construction Manual to him, and that dedication was a reflection of how much it meant to all of us."

The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Steel Design Student Competition.

"The vision of the winning projects demonstrates ingenuity in steel and architectural expression," said AISC Senior Architect Jeanne Homer. "It's clear that the future of design is in good hands!"

The competition recognizes 11 exceptional projects, in two categories, that explore a variety of design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. 

Schuff founded the Arizona-based steel fabrication and construction company in 1976 with his son, Scott. It started in the family’s home garage and grew into one of the nation's largest fabricators and erectors. Operating out of seven fabrication shops and eight offices, it counts the 2023 AISC IDEAS² Award-winning SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Apple’s corporate headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. among its recent major projects. 

“You don’t grow from a family-home start-up into one of the largest fabrication and erection companies in the country without vision, ability, and drive,” said American Institute of Steel Construction President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “Dave exemplified the entrepreneurial spirit of our industry.”

The AISC Education Foundation is helping 48 students pursue their dreams of attending colleges and universities across the country for the 2023-2024 academic year, awarding more than $211,000 in scholarships.

These scholarships support juniors, seniors, and master’s-level students in civil engineering, architectural engineering, construction engineering, construction management, and architecture programs in the U.S. You can learn more about the AISC Education Foundation and how to help us support students and educators at aisc.org/giving.

High Steel Structures' role in repairing a destroyed Interstate 95 overpass in Philadelphia drew the attention of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who visited the AISC member fabricator’s shop outside of Lancaster, Pa., on August 7 to laud its work.

Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis toured the plant and signed their names on the first of 16 104-ft girders that will be part of the new I-95 overpass, replacing a bridge that collapsed June 11 when a tanker truck caught fire and exploded underneath it. The extreme heat from the explosion felled the northbound lanes and rendered the southbound ones structurally unsound.

Research drives tomorrow’s structural steel innovations--and AISC is looking for an outstanding researcher to receive its flagship research fellowship.

Applications for the 2024 Milek Fellowship are due September 15, 2023.

Since 2004, AISC has given a promising non-tenured university faculty member the AISC Milek Fellowship (formerly the AISC Faculty Fellowship), a four-year, $50,000-per-year award.

If you’ve visited Amsterdam in the last two years, you might have strolled across a particularly noteworthy steel landmark: the first 3D-printed bridge.

The challenge now: Can 3D printing be an attractive, economically viable option for large-scale structural steel projects?

Ryan Sherman, PE, PhD, of the Georgia Institute of Technology is working to answer that question--and that research has garnered him the American Institute of Steel Construction’s 2023 Milek Fellowship.

AISC has released several new free resources to complement the hot-off-the-presses 16th edition of its Steel Construction Manual for download at aisc.org/16thedition.

These additional materials include the v16.0 Manual Companion, v16.0 Shapes Database, v16.0H Historic Shapes Database, Basic Design Values Cards, and an Interactive Reference List. 

For the last five years, the American Institute of Steel Construction’s Forge Prize has challenged emerging architects to dream up an inspiring vision of the future--and the 2024 competition is now accepting entries from a broader pool of designers than previous iterations.

The basic question is simple: What will the future look like? What will people build with? Where will they live, work, and play? And this year, we’re asking not only practicing architects but also educators and graduate students to consider an answer.

The 16th edition of AISC’s Steel Construction Manual is now available at aisc.org/publications.

The Manual is the authoritative reference for professionals who design, fabricate, and build with structural steel.

“The Steel Construction Manual has been the gold standard for structural steel design and construction for almost a century--and the 16th edition’s gleaming cover just underscores its role as the go-to reference for industry professionals around the world,” said AISC Director of Manuals Margaret Matthew.

Five trade associations representing the American steel industry today urged the Treasury Department to ensure that certain wind and solar components use steel made in the United States to qualify for the domestic content bonus tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The agency is responsible for implementing the guidance for clean electricity production and investment tax credits from the IRA.

AISC Director of Workforce Development Jennifer Traut-Todaro, SE, LEED AP, will take on additional leadership responsibilities next year: president of the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI).

Traut-Todaro began her tenure as president-elect earlier this month and will officially begin her term as president July 1, 2024.

Nearly two decades ago, David Zalesne left a successful legal career in Philadelphia to revive a steel fabrication shop in South Carolina--and he’s never looked back.

AISC sat down with Zalesne, president of Owen Steel Company and the 2023 recipient of the Robert P. Stupp Award for Leadership Excellence, to talk about his remarkable career in the steel fabrication industry.

Check out our full interview at aisc.org/fieldnotes to learn about what brought Zalesne into the steel fabrication industry, why he loves it, and his forecast for the future of American cities.

AISC is now accepting nominations for its award programs that honor remarkable people.

Each year, AISC presents Lifetime and Special Achievement Awards to exceptional industry professionals, designers, and educators. The 2024 winners will receive special recognition at NASCC: The Steel Conference in San Antonio, Texas, March 20 to 22, 2024.

“The leaders driving today’s innovation are what makes the design community and domestic fabricated structural steel industry so special,” said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “They deserve the spotlight, and AISC is honored to provide one!”

The AISC Board of Directors appointed four new board members at their most recent meeting in Middleburg, Va.

The board voted to approve Corey Yraguen (Precision Build Solutions, LLC), Margaret Williams (A. Lucas & Sons Steel), Kelsey DeLong (DeLong’s, Inc.), and Todd Weaver (Metals Fabrication Company, Inc.), who were nominated to fill vacant seats through the end of their terms.

AISC is pleased to present the first AISC Honorary Member Award since 2013 to Lawrence F. Kruth, PE, for nearly five decades of service in the structural steel industry.

In addition to spending close to 40 years at Douglas Steel Fabricating, Kruth served as AISC’s vice president of engineering and research for six years and devoted his career to safety volunteer work.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) recently named Dan Snyder as its new vice president of the construction program. Snyder has been a part of the program for 25 years, most recently serving as AISI’s senior director of business development.

In his time at AISI, Snyder has played an integral role in several successful outreach initiatives. He was part of the team that launched the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) in 2007, and he spearheaded the BuildSteel marketing initiative to raise industry awareness of the benefits of cold-formed steel framing. Snyder also guided the creation of AISI’s implementation directives for metal roofing, metal wall panels, and steel utility poles.

The city of Franklin, Tenn., is long-known for its vibrant, nature-complementary streetscapes that play host to crowded festivals and parades every year. Many of its bridges incorporate shared aesthetic features that allow them to meld fluidly into their surrounding green spaces--a unique challenge for a team of Alfred Benesch & Company engineers selected to design and build an access road and bridge as part of a new park development in Franklin.

Project manager Nitaya Chayangkura, who was recently awarded an AISC Award of Distinction for her work on the Southeast Park Access Road and Bridge project, recalled that city officials had very specific requirements for the bridge’s aesthetics, with a particular focus on the shape and railings--it needed to draw visual interest. “That’s where steel design came in,” Chayangkura said. 

For the second year in a row, student engineers from the University of Florida took first place in the Student Steel Bridge Competition.

This year, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) challenged students across North America to design, analyze, fabricate, and construct a conceptual scaled steel bridge to serve as a hypothetical crossing in the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge.

The conceptual bridge would allow users to access trails on both sides of Sweetwater River and also provide better access for park service vehicles. It would be able to support the weight of pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians as well as maintenance and park vehicles. This is a wildlife refuge, so engineers would have to respect the existing habitat--no construction activity could take place within the river.

The latest versions of two AISC seismic standards, AISC Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 341-22) and AISC Prequalified Connections for Special and Intermediate Steel Moment Frames for Seismic Applications (ANSI/AISC 358-22), are now available. 

The documents and accompanying commentary can be downloaded for free at aisc.org/standards.

Both documents will be printed in and provide the basis for the guidelines in the forthcoming 4th edition Seismic Design Manual, which is currently scheduled for publication next year.

Designers, owners, fabricators, and contractors are all invited to enter this year’s Prize Bridge Awards, sponsored by the National Steel Bridge Alliance and the American Institute of Steel Construction. New this year is a special award to celebrate owners who are on the cutting-edge of innovation.

“We’re looking for outstanding bridges that showcase and celebrate the innovative use of structural steel,” said Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD, president of AISC. The entry deadline is September 30, 2023, and there is no fee to enter the competition.

The panel of industry-expert judges will also consider entries in several categories defined by bridge size and function, weighing each project’s innovation, economics, aesthetics, design, and engineering solutions.

AISC's flagship competition for buildings is now accepting entries for the 2024 IDEAS² Awards--and this year will be different from previous years.

AISC's Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS²) Awards recognize outstanding projects that illustrate the exciting possibilities of structural steel. They are the industry's most prestigious design honor for building structures.

Previously, awards were given based on the size of a project. AISC has now updated the competition to focus more on innovation regardless of the project's budget.

"There's so much innovation in the design community and industry today across all budgets," said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. "Dollars are no longer the best way to categorize structures. Instead, we're looking for the best projects in the country that highlight specific unique advantages of working with structural steel--things like sustainability, adaptability, cost, speed, reliability, and resilience."

A brand new standard, Seismic Provisions for Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 342-22), is now available as a free download from aisc.org/standards.

The AISC Committee on Specifications developed and approved the document as a revision to the structural steel provisions in the 2017 edition of ASCE/SEI 41, Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings. The next release of that standard will likely adopt ANSI/AISC 342-22 in chapter 9.

Two engineers from the American Institute of Steel Construction will receive 2023 Excellence in Engagement Awards from the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI).

Steel Solutions Center Staff Engineer Yasmin Chaudhry, PE, and University Education Manager Kristi Sattler, SE, PE, PhD, will be recognized next month for leading SEAOI’s Women in Structural Engineering group. (For more information on the awards, please visit seaoi.org/seaoi-excellence-engagement-award.)

“We are all so proud of our colleagues Yasmin and Kristi,” said AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “This recognition is well-deserved and highlights the strong contributions they are making through their work to our profession.”

Fifty years after its construction, Willis Tower stands tallest among Chicago’s 126 skyscrapers and remains an icon in its cityscape. Formerly named (and widely known as) the Sears Tower, the 1,450-ft-tall building designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) revolutionized the tubular system that has continued to inform contemporary architectural design.

John Zils, a native Chicagoan and retired SOM associate partner, walked by the Willis Tower construction site every morning on his way to work in the early 1970s, when he was employed as a structural engineer with the company. On his visits, Zils saw firsthand many of the intricacies--and quirks--that went into building what would be the world’s tallest skyscraper for the next 22 years.

“Here was a massive building--76,000 tons of steel--and speed was essential,” Zils recalled. “[The erectors] would erect two floors a week, which was very quick. The column sections were two stories high, so they would erect those columns, and when they hit two levels, then they could do the floor framing.”

For years, there was limited data available to quantify the performance of uncoated weathering steel (UWS) bridges in various environments--but now, thanks to research by the University of Delaware’s Jennifer McConnell, PhD, bridge designers and owners have invaluable information about how to detail and maintain UWS bridges to maximize their service lives.

Her presentation from NASCC: The Steel Conference is now available for free at aisc.org/UWSresearch.

McConnell, recipient of the American Institute of Steel Construction’s 2023 T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award, has spent more than a decade examining weathering steel bridges--work that’s crucial as the nation focuses on infrastructure, because corrosion is the most widespread problem those systems face. In 2016, the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (which is now called the Association for Materials Protection and Performance) estimated that the worldwide economic impact of corrosion across all sectors is $2.5 trillion annually.

The 2022 collapse of Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge is a call to action: Infrastructure maintenance and repairs must be an urgent priority for the nation.

On May 18, 2023, the National Transportation Safety Board released a report that highlights the importance of proper bridge maintenance--something departments of transportation across the country frequently have to defer due to funding constraints.

“Bridge failures are sudden, but they do not begin suddenly,” said National Steel Bridge Alliance Chief Bridge Engineer Christopher Garrell, PE. “We are continually reminded of the state of the nation's infrastructure, but interest is often fleeting until something catastrophic happens. All materials deteriorate, and that deterioration, when left unabated, can and will lead to failures like we saw in Fern Hollow.”

Structural steel is making its mark on sustainable design, catching the attention of industry professionals who recently presented some of 2023’s biggest architecture awards.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recognized four (and a half!) steel projects among its 27th annual COTE Top Ten Award winners, a lineup of 10 projects that integrate design excellence with environmental performance.

Winning steel structures included the Harvard University Science & Engineering Building, the Nueva School Science and Environmental Center, RIDC Mill 19, and Seattle’s Watershed. One winning project, the Sacramento Zero Net Office Building, employs a hybrid system of steel framing and cross-laminated timber.

For project engineer Katie Lewis at Alfred Benesch & Company, being a part of the Southeast Municipal Park Complex project in Franklin, Tenn., was an opportunity to give back to her hometown--and her work will be a fixture in the community.

Lewis and her team’s contribution to the project was to construct an access road and steel bridge that drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians will use every day to access the park, which is wedged between the interstate and the fast-flowing Harpeth River.

AISC recently gave Lewis an Award of Distinction for not only her outstanding work on the Southeast Park project but also for serving as a role model for others entering the engineering field.

A draft of the next edition of the AISC Specification for Safety-Related Steel Structures for Nuclear Facilities (AISC N690) is now available for public review and comment.

The 2024 update of N690 will supersede the 2018 version.

In his role as director of the UH Graduate Design/Build Studio, which he has held since 1994, Patrick Peters acquaints Master of Architecture students with the steel fabrication process to give them a more well-rounded understanding of complex design in the context of real-world community projects.

In fact, the deliberate way Peters introduces architecture students to steel fabrication inspired AISC to honor him with an Award of Distinction earlier this year.

A concept that would use structural steel to reinvent the gas station experience for the EV age has won AISC’s 2023 Forge Prize.

LVL (Level) Studio collaborators Jeffrey Lee, Christopher Taurasi, and Lexi White won the $10,000 grand prize in a YouTube live stream Thursday afternoon. They worked with Schuff Steel Senior Vice President Christian Crosby to refine their Electric Oasis vision and make the process of bringing it to life in steel more efficient.

The project team will give an encore presentation at Architecture in Steel at NASCC: The Steel Conference in Charlotte, N.C. at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 12.

The AISC Education Foundation is pleased to announce that Cristopher Montalvo will receive the first-ever Reidar Bjorhovde Outstanding Young Professional Award.

Montalvo is a structural engineer for Dekker Perich Sabatini (DPS)--and he's already well on his way to forging connections to industry and education for his local community in New Mexico!

"Cristopher is just the type of remarkable leader the AISC Education Foundation aims to support through its programs," said AISC Director of Foundation Programs Maria Mnookin. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to connect Cristopher to our activities, resources, and networks for future career development and mentorship opportunities."

The new bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) is expected to increase infrastructure investment by nearly 40% – and this year’s NASCC: The Steel Conference keynoter will tell us what the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) priorities are and how this public/private partnership will deliver a once-in-a-lifetime generational investment to meet our infrastructure needs today and in the future.

FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt will also provide valuable insights into the FHWA’s ongoing research and technology programs.

“This is a great opportunity to hear first-hand about the impact the IIJA will have on the steel design and construction industry,” said Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD, president of AISC. “Shailen Bhatt is a dynamic speaker with a lot of keen insight, and I look forward to hearing what he has to say.”

A new report by the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) highlights strategies for increasing participation and expediting the success of women in the trades to improve project outcomes.

To tell a fuller story beyond the existing research on women in the construction industry, typically centered around numbers and statistics, the NCCER interviewed 176 tradeswomen and analyzed 770 responses to a survey directed to women in the industry. By asking women about their experiences working in construction, the NCCER focused on the unique benefits women bring to the construction industry, the obstacles they encounter entering and staying in the industry, and their advice on what contractors can do to recruit and retain more women in the craft workforce.

The Steel Bridge Task Force, comprised of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA), and the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) T-14 Technical Committee for Structural Steel Design, announced it has selected Ryan J. Sherman, PhD, PE, assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, as the recipient of the 2023 Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture. Sherman will present a lecture on his research findings at the next meeting of the Steel Bridge Task Force on September 21, 2023 in Denver.

AISC is pleased to honor more than 130 structural steel fabricators and erectors for their outstanding safety records in 2022.

"The dedicated people who work in fabrication shops and on jobsites across the country are what really sets domestically fabricated structural steel apart,” said AISC Senior Director of Engineering Tom Schlafly. “AISC is proud to recognize those who truly put safety first to protect our industry's greatest asset: talented, passionate workers."

Most of this year’s winners have earned the Institute’s top safety award, the Safety Award of Honor, which is presented for a perfect record of no disabling injuries (DART=0--see below for more info about DART data).

Philip Torchio, former president of Williams Enterprises of Georgia and a prominent contributor to AISC’s Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges (ANSI/AISC 303), passed on January 21 at his home in Jasper, Ga. He was 73.

AISC has added a new design guide to its library, and it’s all about speed!

Design Guide 38, SpeedCore Systems for Steel Structures gives designers everything they need to take advantage of the nonproprietary concrete-filled composite steel plate shear wall core system that shaved a whopping 10 months off the erection schedule of Seattle’s 58-story Rainier Square. It’s available for download at aisc.org/dg; a printed version will be available in March.

Stanley T. Rolfe, PE, PhD, one of the nation’s leading experts on fracture and fatigue, died January 23, 2023, at age 88.

A graduate of the University of Illinois, Rolfe began his career at U.S. Steel but is best known for the more than four decades he spent as a professor at the University of Kansas. A longtime member of ASTM International and recipient of the 2003 Charles B. Dudley Medal, he served for over 50 years on Committee E08 on Fatigue and Fracture and also contributed to the AASHTO Technical Committee on Steel Design (T-14).

One of three emerging architects’ visions of the future will win $10,000 on March 30--but which will it be?

Tune in live at youtube.com/@aisc at 11:30 a.m. Central on March 30 to watch the 2023 Forge Prize finalists present their ideas to the judges!

The American Institute of Steel Construction’s annual Forge Prize competition celebrates emerging architects who create visionary designs that embrace steel as the primary structural component while exploring ways to increase project speed.

The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) proudly support President Joe Biden’s new standards that "All construction materials used in federal projects to be made in America."

The American steel industry produces more than 6 million tons of structural steel in factories around the country and our nearly 1,000 structural steel member fabricators stand ready and able to support this mission for all steel bridge, federal building, and steel-intensive critical infrastructure projects.

The latest version of the American Institute of Steel Construction’s flagship standard, the Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 360-22), is now available at aisc.org/2022spec.

This document supersedes ANSI/AISC 360-16, and it is the foundation for the forthcoming 16th edition of the Steel Construction Manual, which AISC expects to publish later this year.

Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) has named David E. Eckmann, SE, PE, FAIA its new president. In addition his role as president, Eckmann also serves as the managing principal of MKA’s Chicago office and as a member of MKA’s board of directors.

Eckmann’s qualifications as a licensed architect and structural engineer have positioned his career to bridge the gap between design and function, creating“first-ever” projects that combine architecture and structure.

Since joining MKA in 2005, Eckmann has served a leadership role in more than 100 of the firm’s projects, including Chicago landmarks Aqua Tower, River Point Tower, the Wabash Building at Roosevelt University, The University of Chicago’s Gerald Ratner Athletics Center, and O’Hare International Terminal 5. Eckmann also led structural design for the American headquarters of CoStar and Dominion Energy in Richmond, Virginia; the Mutual of Omaha and Applied Underwriters headquarters in Omaha, Neb.; Northwestern Mutual Life in Milwaukee; and other notable projects.