Swenson Say Faget

SSF’s False Bay project with Heliotrope Architects was recently featured on the cover of Portrait Magazine. The home presented several engineering challenges, including a robust lateral design to resist strong wind loads. In the feature, Heliotrope Principal Joe Herrin describes the site constraints that shaped the design:

“...those winds could reach up to eighty miles an hour, with rain falling sideways, so any house built there would need to be able to withstand the weather. Additional challenges included two neighboring houses, one on either side of the site, which could create privacy issues, and several rock outcroppings. Many of the latter are clustered along the shore, but one was ‘as tall as a house,’ says Herrin, and located on the street side of the lot, all of which served to hem in the available buildable area... The resulting home took on a ‘bowtie shape’ to accommodate the constraints, with a narrower ‘neck’ at the middle, and two wide, triangular tips at opposing corners.”

Thank you to Portrait Magazine for the feature, and to Heliotrope and DME Construction for your partnership on this project.

Read more: https://www.portraitmagazine.com/68-breath-of-fresh-air

SSF is hiring! If you or someone you know is a CAD technician looking for a new career opportunity or a change of pace, contact us. Whether you are just starting out or an industry veteran, and looking for great work-life balance, excellent benefits, and awesome coworkers, send a resume to [email protected].

SSF is an award-winning structural engineering firm founded in 1995, with offices in Seattle, Tacoma, and Ellensburg. We have extensive experience in new construction, renovations, adaptive reuse, historic renovations, and seismic retrofits for public and private clients alike. Our portfolio includes, but is not limited to, single-family affordable, multi-family housing, commercial, public, and community projects. If this sounds like the kind of team you’d like to be part of, we’d love to hear from you!

More info at: https://ssfengineers.com/careers/

Construction is underway for the Elkhorn Ridge Residence with Ueda Design Studio. Elkhorn Ridge utilizes ICF construction, which offers several advantages related to sustainability, durability, and fire safety.

ICF, or Insulated Concrete Forms, is a high-performance building system that uses hollow, interlocking foam blocks, typically made of expanded polystyrene (EPS). The blocks are stacked to form the walls, reinforced with steel rebar, and filled with concrete. Once the concrete is poured, the insulation is already built in, creating a durable, energy-efficient home.

We are excited to use construction methods and materials of all types to enhance safety and reduce long-term carbon emissions throughout the structure's life.

Photos courtesy of Ueda Design Studio.

As Preservation Month comes to an end, we would like to share just a small handful of our Preservation work that has left an impression on us over the last few years. We are grateful and humbled by the opportunity to foster lasting impact in our communities and to continue preserving and championing the local character and original architecture through thoughtful structural design.

University Cooperative School: CAST architecture
Green Lake Library: BuildingWork
Baker Clubhouse: SHKS Architects
1617 Boylston: Graham Baba Architects

Preservation Month seems like the perfect time to share this resource, which highlights what we’ve always said: SSF are retrofit experts here to assist building owners in retrofitting and reclassifying their URMs!:

Seattle’s URM Retrofit Database: Mapping URMs and Improving Building Safety - Building Connections Every May, Building Safety Month, led by the International Code Council, highlights the people, practices, and policies that keep our communities safe. In Seattle, one of the most important building safety efforts underway is reducing the risk posed by unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, older bri...

Voting is open for the 14th Annual Architizer A+Awards, and West Canal Yards, our project with Graham Baba Architects, has been named one of five finalists worldwide in the Architecture + Renewal category! Vote through the link in our bio.

West Canal Yards is the renovation and adaptive reuse of two existing industrial seafood warehouses along the Lake Washington Ship Canal, just east of the Ballard Bridge. Building 1100 adds a second floor to the east portion of the former cold storage building, increasing the structure from 104,000 SF to 132,000 SF. SSF’s structural scope included a complete seismic retrofit, support for new exterior wall fenestration, and new canopies, ramps, custom stairs, and a roof deck.

The project reflects a thoughtful approach to adaptive reuse, transforming existing industrial buildings for new uses.

Photography: Ed Sozinho

Voting is open for the 14th Annual Architizer A+Awards, and iolair, our project with GO'C , has been named one of five finalists worldwide in the Gallery & Exhibition Spaces category. Vote through the link in our bio!

iolair is a foundation dedicated to bringing artists from around the world to live, create, and share their work with the local community and beyond, drawing inspiration from the unique landscape of Orcas Island. The residency includes a wood-framed artist-in-residence studio and gallery space with large roof overhangs and thin metal canopies. It includes a working loft over the gallery studio, a small kitchen, two bathrooms, and a private sleeping room. The L-shaped building provides a courtyard for outdoor installations and a gathering space.

Photography: Kevin Scott

We’re proud to share that Metropole Seattle received the 2026 Vision Award for Embodied Carbon!

Located squarely in the Pioneer Square Preservation District, the Metropole Building is the adaptive reuse of a historic gem into a LEED Platinum facility for nonprofit organizations that serve or are led by communities of color. BuildingWork and W.G. Clark Construction worked with the owner, Satterberg Foundation, to restore the original building and create a two-story addition at the south end, resulting in office space for eight nonprofits, a 1,500 SF rooftop penthouse, and a daycare center.

SSF designed a seismic bracing system that preserves the historic facade while providing the interior structure needed for modern use. The project’s adaptive reuse approach, community-centered program, and impressive EUI of 18 reflect the climate responsibility recognized by this new award category.

SSF is hiring! If you or someone you know is a CAD technician or structural engineer looking for a new career opportunity or a change of pace, contact us. Whether you are just starting out or an industry veteran, and looking for great work-life balance, excellent benefits, and awesome coworkers, visit the link in our bio or send a resume to [email protected].

SSF is an award-winning structural engineering firm founded in 1995, with offices in Seattle, Tacoma, and Ellensburg. We have extensive experience in new construction, renovations, adaptive reuse, historic renovations, and seismic retrofits for public and private clients alike. Our portfolio includes, but is not limited to, single-family affordable, multi-family housing, commercial, public, and community projects. If this sounds like the kind of team you’d like to be part of, we’d love to hear from you!

It’s National Library Week 📚 and we’re proud to recognize SSF’s extensive library experience across Washington. From new facilities to renovations and seismic upgrades, we’ve provided structural engineering services for libraries that support learning, connection, and community. We’re always glad to contribute to spaces that continue to serve as valuable resources for people of all ages.

Photo 1: Langley Library, MSR Design, Benjamin Benschneider Photography
Photo 2: Darrington Library, MSR Design, Benjamin Benschneider Photography
Photo 3: East Kent Library, Fivedot, Clearly O'Farrell
Photo 4: Green Lake Library, BuildingWork, Lara Swimmer