Engineered for Impact
Adaptive reuse is a creative and sustainable approach to development that transforms older structures into vibrant, useful spaces. It revives buildings that might otherwise be “demolished by neglect” and preserves their place in the area’s history. Salas O’Brien utilizes innovative structural engineering solutions, materials, and techniques to create modern buildings that are safe, functional, inclusive, and beautiful.
“At Salas O’Brien we treasure the intrinsic value of historic structures. They bear witness to our aesthetic and cultural history and give us a sense of place. Restoring and repurposing these buildings also provides a more efficient use of energy and material resources when compared to replacement, making adaptive reuse a highly sustainable choice.”
Scott Armstrong, PE Structural Principal, Salas O’Brien
What we offer:
\ Structural condition assessments
\ Structural system analysis
\ Seismic assessments and retrofitting
\ Vibration analysis
\ Restoration master plans
\ Building rehabilitation
\ Engineering peer review
\ Innovative foundation solutions
\ Building Information Modeling (BIM)
years of adaptive reuse and historic preservation experience across North America
Leverage our experience for successful, sustainable outcomes
Salas O’Brien combines rigorous attention to detail with innovative design to ensure each project respects its historical integrity and meets contemporary functional and sustainability standards. Our expertise ensures that older buildings are not only structurally sound but are also functional for their new purposes. Our team assesses and upgrades the structural integrity of these buildings as needed, integrating modern, sustainable technology and materials. Whether converting a historic warehouse into dynamic office space or an old school into upscale apartments, Salas O’Brien delivers comprehensive support from initial assessments to precise execution.
Comprehensive structural analysis
Our skilled team uses advanced analytical tools and techniques to evaluate building stability, including load-bearing capacity, stress distribution, dynamic behavior, and risk assessment to ensure structural soundness and compliance with relevant codes and standards.
Seismic retrofitting
We harness cutting-edge technologies and innovative strategies to craft customized seismic retrofit solutions that align with each client’s specific risk tolerance, resilience goals, budget, and long-term adaptability needs.
Vibration and integrity analysis
Salas O’Brien has partnered with Sensequake to offer our clients state-ofthe-art integrity and sensing technology. This non-destructive solution utilizes portable, temporary Larzé ambient vibration sensors that collect data and transfer it to Sensequake via a secure cloud server where the structure’s properties are extracted and analyzed.
Breathing new life into a 1920’s historic downtown Waco property
Hotel 1928 WACO, TX USA
Constructed in 1928, the Karem Shrine Building originally hosted Shriners from across Texas for dinners and large galas and is on the National Historic Register. After its purchase by Magnolia, a Texas-based lifestyle brand led by Chip and Joanna Gaines, the design team transformed this Moorish Revival-style lodge into a contemporary boutique hotel. Salas O’Brien provided structural engineering design for the building in the heart of downtown Waco. Since the original building had no existing structural drawings, the team began by using laser scanning to assist in analysis and ground-penetrating radar to identify concrete reinforcement.
We identified many significant repairs during construction, including the successful removal and partial rebuild of a massive existing multi-wythe brick chimney to accommodate the hotel’s floor spaces. The upper floor was sloped for drainage as it was formally a roof deck, so we used geofoam to level the floor without adding significant weight. The new rooftop addition now seamlessly blends with the original structure and features sweeping views of the Magnolia Silos.
SERVICES
Structural Engineering
COMPLETION YEAR 2023
PROJECT PARTNERS
Hartsthorne Plunkard
Architecture
Winner
CONSTRUCTION COST
$43 million
SIZE
59,000 square feet
2024 Texas Society of Architects Annual Design Award
© Cody Ulrich Photography
4 Salas O’Brien Structural Engineering Design - Adaptive Reuse and Historic Preservation
Transforming a historic building into stunning office spaces
One Beach Street SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA
Constructed in 1924, San Francisco’s historic One Beach Street building was originally home to Otis Elevator’s West Coast manufacturing operation. In 1969, the building was converted into office space. Our team was brought in to help modernize the space and ensure compliance with current seismic codes.
The building’s rich and complex history created some interesting structural challenges for the team, necessitating close collaboration. Notably, the existing as-built and seismic retrofit drawings varied from the actual building condition, making the design process more challenging. Additionally, the team needed to fully replace the ground floor slab to mitigate long-term settlement issues in the building’s foundation.
The completed building has striking new features including a three-level glass box feature stair that leads to the shared rooftop amenity space. Not only is the roof home to critical MEP equipment, but it also provides office tenants with sweeping views of the city.
SERVICES Structural
COMPLETION YEAR 2023
PROJECT PARTNERS RMW, Level 10
Three-story
Class-A office space 2023
ENR California Best Project - Renovation/Restoration
Preserving heritage while expanding structural capabilities
Allied Properties REIT Queen Richmond Centre West TORONTO, ON, CANADA
The distinctive Queen Richmond Centre West eleven-story office building floats above existing four- and five-story masonry and timber heritage buildings. To support the building above, Salas O’Brien created a unique “Mega Delta Frame” structure utilizing a central node of steel casting.
The Mega Delta Frame can be visualized as two “open frame” pyramids stacked on each other with the upper frame inverted, their points meeting in the middle. The configuration of the structure enables the Mega Delta Frame to contribute to the lateral stiffness of the building under wind and seismic loading in addition to supporting the gravity loads of the columns above. The result is a visually pleasing, architecturally dynamic structure that has become the signature of the building.
SERVICES
Structural
COMPLETION YEAR 2016
PROJECT PARTNERS
Sweeny&Co Architects
Awards
CONSTRUCTION COST
$88 million
SIZE
320,000 square feet
\ 2022 Building Owners and Managers Association International TOBY Award
\ 2017 Ontario Builder Award
\ 2017 Toronto Urban Design AwardTall
\ 2017 Canadian Green Building Award Commercial/Industrial
\ 2017 OAA AwardPeople’s Choice
\ 2017 OAA AwardAward of Excellence
\ 2016 ACO AwardPaul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse
6 Salas O’Brien Structural Engineering Design - Adaptive Reuse and Historic Preservation
Transforming a 1950s-era bank into a vibrant commercial hub
Headington Companies 1217 Main Street Development DALLAS, TX, USA
The 1217 Main Street project revitalized a mid-century bank building in the heart of Dallas. The striking mosaic-inspired façade transformed the structure into a work of art that reflects downtown Dallas’s unique cityscape and character.
Salas O’Brien provided structural engineering design and evaluation services for the existing structure. The project includes renovations and additions to an existing historic five-story building. The new program for the building consists of meat processing and a bakery at the basement level, a ground-floor restaurant, and office space above the ground floor. In addition, we determined that with moderate reinforcement, the existing structure could support a vertical addition of an office level at the existing roof level, gaining valuable leasable area for the owner. The design team addressed a significant structural engineering challenge by devising a technically complex facade substructure to conceal control and expansion joints, panel seams, and shadow lines of the handmade glazed ceramic tiles, allowing it appear as a single mass of tile.
SERVICES
Structural
OWNER
Headington Companies
PROJECT COMPLETION 2018
Results
\ Historic renovation
\ Vertical addition
PROJECT PARTNER
5G Studio Collaborative
SIZE
28,000 square feet
\ Structural support for new roof-top mechanical equipment
\ Complex facade substructure for the 36,215 handmade glazed ceramic tiles designed by Cuban-born artist Jorge Pardo
\ 2019 Design Award Winner, Texas Architect Magazine
EPA Water Quality Research Laboratory Modernization/Expansion
CORVALLIS, OR, USA
Salas O’Brien worked diligently on the master plan of the entire Western Ecology Division campus of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Renovations that were a result of the master plan included modernization and enlargement of the Water Quality Research Laboratory, one of the EPA’s first facilities which has been in use since 1965. The renovations involved seismic evaluation, structural repairs, and replacement of the existing HVAC systems with cleaner versions capable of handling power outages. The project also included 4,800 square feet of new annex space for offices and storage. We completed the project using a phased approach that minimized disruption to operations while taking advantage of cost savings through retrofitting the design within the existing building footprint while also preserving its historical value.
SERVICES
Structural Engineering, Master Planning, Seismic Evaluation
PROJECT PARTNERS
Farnsworth Group, RTA Architects
CONSTRUCTION COST
$35 million
COMPLETION YEAR 2022
SIZE
44,000 square feet
100 Adelaide Street West EY Tower, Oxford Properties Group
TORONTO, ON, CANADA
This LEED Platinum office tower includes 40 stories of state-of-the-art office space, and five levels of underground parking, and sensitive integration of the historic 16-story Concourse Building’s art-deco façade featuring fully restored tile mosaics at the main entrance. Our team used inclined columns and long-span concrete floor slabs to shape this distinctive sculptural form and included a 40-foot’ tall structure-free atrium on the southern façade, offering breathtaking views of downtown Toronto. An intricate web of exposed structural steel framing supports these facades while being thermally isolated from adjacent interior spaces. Salas O’Brien also provided structural modifications to the existing building for end tenants and full integration with the PATH network at the basement level.
SERVICES
Structural Engineering
PROJECT PARTNERS
WZMH Architects
CONSTRUCTION COST
$360M
SIZE
1M square fee
COMPLETION YEAR 2019
8 Salas O’Brien
2024 Texas Society of Architects Annual Design Award
Hotel 1928, Waco, TX
© Cody Ulrich Photography
Passion & Expertise
We are an engineering and technical services firm focused on advancing the human experience through the built environment. We help clients achieve critical goals, advance team members through growth and opportunity, and operate at the center of important global issues, including sustainability and decarbonization.
Applying technical mastery and market vision
We have the objectivity to question assumptions, the versatility to embrace every problem’s unique nature, and the experience to challenge the status quo. We approach every project with a comprehensive view, focused on achieving high quality, lasting relationships, and a sustainable future.
Helping clients adapt to a changing world
We provide a full range of engineering and technical consulting services. From quick-turn projects to the most complex systems, our team is dedicated to providing quality solutions that deliver long-term value.
SERVICES
Embracing the unique nature of each problem and creating opportunity and impact through solving it.
\ Acoustics
\ Architecture & interiors
\ Asset management
\ Building envelope & building science
\ Civil \ Commissioning
\ Digital & automation
\ Energy & resiliency
\ Geothermal & renewables
\ Litigation support
\ Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection
\ Technology
\ Structural
\ Sustainability
\ Resource efficiency management
90+
Offices throughout North America
600+
Registered professionals
3,600+ Passionate team members
RECOGNITION
Our consistent recognition among top-performing organizations in our industry reflects our commitment to excellence and solid year-over-year performance.
Engineering News Record 2024 #39 on the Top 500 Design Firms List
MEP Giants 2024
#9 top 100 MEP firms in North America
Inc. 5000 2024 12x honoree
BD+C Giants 400 2024
#3 on the Top 70 Engineering Firms list
Zweig Group Hot Firms 2024
#3 fastest-growing AEC firms in North America
