Vertical Structures is a new service line for Lochmueller Group, started in late 2022. The team’s goal is to provide structural engineering support for other Lochmueller teams (Water Resources, Site/Private Development, and Landscape Architecture), while also building a client base for building projects.
The Vertical Structures team generally works with architects and other design professionals to design buildings. Together, these structural engineers design the “skeleton” of buildings, including walls, floors, roofs, beams, columns, slabs, and foundations. In most cases, the elements that the team designs in a building cannot be seen because they are covered with finishes; however, similar to the human body, the skeleton frame of a building works as a support structure, proving to be extremely important in holding the floors and keeping the walls up. Meet our Vertical Structures team!
Jason Hickle, PE, (top left photo) is the Structural Department Manager who leads this team of structural engineers and technicians that work on a variety of structural engineering projects, including buildings, bridges, and other structures. He has 20 years of industry experience and has worked on close to 100 bridge projects and dozens of building projects.
Wynn Bishop, PE, (top middle photo) & Spencer Culp, PE, (top right photo) are both a Project Engineer I on the Vertical Structures team. Both are responsible for bridge design and documentation, bridge hydraulics as needed, and building component design, while Spencer is also responsible for utility coordination. Wynn & Spencer bring experience in computing bridge hydraulics and scour and developing corresponding reports; drafting abbreviated engineering assessments and preventative maintenance meeting minutes; developing quantity calculations and construction cost estimates; preparing bridge and roadway design submission documents for varying project scopes; designing plans for small structure replacement and preventative maintenance projects; and designing structural elements for bridge and building projects, including reinforced concrete, steel, wood, and masonry materials.
As Project Engineer III, Yoni Elias, PE, (bottom left photo) is responsible for the design and layout of structural elements of buildings and bridges from initial concept through final design, which typically involves considerable coordination with other teams (roadway and environments for bridges & architects and owners & other disciplines for buildings). His 9 years of structural design experience includes wood, steel, concrete, and masonry design for foundation, new construction, renovations, multi-story, residential, commercial, municipal, and manufacturing buildings.
Paul Eberhart (bottom right photo) is an Engineering Designer IV on the team with over 20 years of design and drafting industry experience who provides support for structural design projects, including all aspects of plan preparation, quantity calculations, survey data processing, and plan revisions. He also provides support to CAD System Managers where needed. Paul is working to uphold company and DOT standards, such as rules for drawing layout, dimensioning, annotation, layers, and other elements of the design process, including developing in-house tools specifically made for Lochmueller Group to help make the design process more efficient.
Stay tuned for future development within the Vertical Structures team!
