LERA Celebrates Engineers Week 2020

On the occasion of Engineer's Week 2020, we asked several of our engineers to reflect on what excites them about ‪‎Structural Engineering‬ and of course what we do here as engineers.

LERA is proud to be an Minority- and Women- Owned Engineering Firm.

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Here are some of the responses from our engineers:

"That moment when you’re able to solve somebody’s problem & help people move forward in something important that they are trying to do is what I like best about being an ‪Engineer‬." - Ben

"I enjoy the challenges of finding the right solutions for various problems, and I am very proud to see that my contributions help make the buildings possible." - Juhua

"Structural engineering to me is like an art form, it’s like being at a potter’s wheel - you gradually work your way to give an idea a unique shape. And it’s not just you…but many hands of the AE team that symbiotically mold together a design concept into reality. To experience various facets and design challenges of this collaborative journey continues to inspire me as a Structural Engineer" - Rahul

What do you look forward to in the future of your engineering career and the industry?

"To shape the skyline"! - Xia

"Structural engineering for me is all about making structures safe for the people that occupy them and efficient for people who build them. It is about making a long-lasting impact on people's lives - most of the time without them even realizing it. At LERA, I had the privilege of doing this on my projects when we challenged industry norms by stopping and thinking ‘how can we do this better?’ or ‘what can we do to renovate this building, but preserve its historic character?'" - Aakash

"Every project has its unique challenges, from academic buildings to high-rise, to smaller-scale projects. It is amazing to see how the challenges are resolved through our dedication to the project, our creativity based on solid math and physics, and the collaboration with architects and other team members." - Yue

James (Left) and Tom (Right) first met while attending the University of California, Berkeley for their Master’s degree in Structural Engineering. Both grew up on the east coast; James attending Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, while Tom attended The Cooper Union in Manhattan, New York. While at Berkeley, the two shared a common interest in the structural design of building structures, with an emphasis on the analysis of seismic behavior. In their Earthquake Resistant Design course, James and Tom worked together to produce a term paper studying the optimum placement of outrigger systems within a high-rise structure.

Intending to seek a post-graduate career in structural design, Tom was interested in moving back to the east coast to work for a structural firm specializing in high-rise design. James also had his intentions set on moving back east, to further his background in structural forensic design work. LERA’s experience in super-tall structures had led Tom to interview with the firm. After interviewing with LERA, Tom introduced James to the firm and the Forensics Department. Offering a comprehensive scope of experience in the design and analysis of building structures, LERA seemed to be the perfect fit for both James and Tom.

"I love getting to see things I design exist in the real world. Structural engineers get to help create spaces that people use and interact with on a daily basis, and it's incredibly satisfying to see that happen."- Lindsey

"What I like the most about structural engineering is the collaboration with the other consultants on the design team to find practical design solutions to complex problems." - Elias

"The most rewarding part of structural engineering is solving challenging problems and seeing your work come to fruition." - Kaitlyn

"At LERA, we take the time to talk with the client and architects, to really understand what are the most important factors driving their decision making. What's really important for the project? Carpet area? Material quantities? Schedule? The architectural vision? Construction constraints? Once you understand the decision making, you can tailor the structural solution to provide the most benefit and enable a successful project."

- Thomas

"When you see your imagination and ideas translate to reality, all your hard work has paid off." - Crystal

"I'm excited to learn something new every day, to be challenged by a new problem, but what really makes me happy is seeing through, no matter the amount of hard work, the architect's vision. The most important tool for me as a structural engineer is a pencil (and paper). You can be plucked down in any corner of the world, and if you have only a pencil and something to write on (not to mention the requisite engineering knowledge in your head) you can engineer. Engineering through pencil is a liberating experience. You can scratch down a thousand thoughts down before settling on one powerful idea. Leslie Robertson always encouraged us to get away from the computer; the true engineering occurs away from the screen, through the exercise of drawing and writing by hand." - Eddy

"Being a Computational Designer at LERA is very rewarding as it involves increasing efficiency, but it is also super satisfying because we get to explore new technologies and solve unique challenges!" - Nidhi

"The most important tool as a structural engineer is the people that surround me. Our culture at LERA harvests every engineer’s unique strengths and is how we have been at the forefront of the structural engineering profession for decades. Technology changes constantly, but our people and culture is what drives our innovations, not the tools we use. It’s this way of thinking that can change the world and applies to everything we do." - Michael

"Structural engineering is a very rewarding and important field, without it the concept of a modern city would not exist. I look forward to being apart of something bigger than myself here at LERA." - Perry

What is your favorite part about being an engineer at LERA?

"Being able to come in everyday and work on a variety of different complex projects under the supervision and knowledge of the partners and great people that we have here." - Larry