Blog
The Wall Street Journal features Studio VARA’s Outside-In House, a new family home in Old Palo Alto finished in 2024, and the story of how it gave one family a fresh start. Built to let in as much daylight as possible, the house pairs walls of glass and skylights with a large courtyard that serves as an outdoor kitchen, living, and dining room, and a light court that brings daylight into the basement. FTF provided the structural engineering, with steel framing that carries the long spans and the cantilevering second story.
Set into a hillside in Ross, this 1960s home was reimagined as a 2,500 square-foot retreat that draws the surrounding landscape inward. The California Home + Design feature highlights the dramatic decks that extend the living and dining areas out over the slope and the open, light-filled main living spaces. FTF Engineering provided the structural engineering behind the transformation, designing the cantilevered decks that reach over the hillside and the central support that keeps the interior open and connected. Working alongside HKB Interior Design and the wider project team, FTF helped preserve the home’s original footprint while opening it fully to its expansive views.
FTF Engineering is proud to have served as Engineer of Record for the Building Envelope Upgrade & Solar Panel Installation at San Francisco International Airport’s Dianne Feinstein International Terminal. This photograph capturing the project in progress has been honored with the prestigious “Photo of the Year” award by Engineering News Record (ENR) magazine. To learn […]
Collaboration in Santa Barbara FTF Engineering is excited to announce our collaboration with Van Sande Structural Consultants (VSSC) in Santa Barbara. FTF’s San Luis Obispo team is currently supporting VSSC on a 2-story addition to the iconic Lobero Theatre, California’s oldest theater in continuous operation. The partnership is a natural fit, with both firms bringing […]
FTF in the Community The Seismic Outreach program is inspiring the next generation of engineers through hands-on learning and mentorship. Through this initiative, engineering students visit elementary schools to teach students about earthquakes, structural engineering, and seismic design, then leave them with K’NEX kits to build their own model “skyscrapers.” The experience concludes with a […]
FTF Principal Jillian van Enckevort has a personal connection to this week’s launch news: the 90-foot mobile steel tower visible in footage of the NROL-174 mission launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 8 is one she designed at a previous firm. The tower rides on rails to enclose the rocket during assembly, […]
We were devastated to see the destruction of homes and communities in Los Angeles. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of those who have lost their homes and neighborhoods. Reconstruction will require resources from across California and the nation. FTF Engineering has teamed with local architects, contractors, developers, fire safety consultants and insurance […]
SFO Cargo Projects Underway FTF is proud to be serving as the LBE structural engineer on both SFO Cargo projects which are underway and in the design phase. 1. Cargo Building 626.1 – FTF is teamed with KPFF as well as Solomon Cordwell Buenz, and Clark Construction. FTF is responsible for the foundation design of […]