Tipping Structural

Located at the bustling corner of Grant Ave and Sutter St, 300 Grant is a new six-story retail & office building and the first ground-up development in San Francisco’s Union Square this century! With three lower floors of premier retail space and three levels of Class-A office above, open floor plates and no obstructions along the three street frontages were key for full retail access and visibility. New to our website, learn more here: https://tippingstructural.com/projects/300-grant/

Owner: Lincoln Property Company & St. Bride's Managers LLC

Architect: MBH Architects

Contractor: Hathaway Dinwiddie

Structural: Tipping (Mike Korolyk, Nick Bucci, Joy Wei)

Photos: Matthew Anderson

Please join us in welcoming Lisa Versaci, Marketing Manager, to Tipping!

Raised by design professionals, Lisa brings a lifetime of passion for California's built environment to her work. Her background and experience in the AEC industry and in preservation advocacy is an asset to Tipping's ability to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and communication. Adept at synthesizing diverse inputs to support thoughtful, data-informed decision making and organizational effectiveness, Lisa supports Tipping’s marketing and communications efforts, communicating Tipping's assets, skills, and strengths to clients and colleagues.

https://tippingstructural.com/people/lisa-versaci

We recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Gene Friend Recreation Center in San Francisco's SoMa District – congratulations to the project team!

The 44,648-square foot space has two interior basketball courts, meeting rooms, weight room, and offices. As the site soil conditions required liquefaction and lateral spreading mitigation, the Tipping team collaborated to work through a value engineered approach to only use Deep Soil Mix to support a mat foundation. The lateral system utilized Buckling Restrained Brace frames and light framed shear walls for cost effectiveness. Inside, the gym space has exposed structural deck and truss members with an exterior aluminum screen above partial height storefront system. This led to rigorous coordination between the screen consultants, architects, and the structural supports.

https://sfrecpark.org/1143/Gene-Friend-Recreation-Center

Architecture: Mark Cavagnero Associates with Kuth Ranieri Architects Owner: San Francisco Recreation & Park Department
Structural: Tipping

Tipping team: Gina Carlson, SE, Principal-in-Charge; Jason Armes, S.E. Project Director; Isaac Williams, SE; Christopher Tiran, PE

Please join us in welcoming Dayana Bulatbekova, Structural Designer, to Tipping!

Driven by a passion for complex problem-solving and data-informed engineering, Dayana joined Tipping to help create resilient, lasting infrastructure. Her graduate education centered on performance-based design and seismic resilience, with research focused on nonlinear structural response under earthquake loading. This work sparked a deep interest in evaluating structural performance to optimize safety and post-disaster functionality. Dayana looks forward to applying her technical knowledge and analytical skills to develop sustainable engineering solutions for communities.

https://tippingstructural.com/people/?personid=2208

Engineer the future with us! Learn more about joining our team here: https://tippingstructural.com/careers/

The BRB Mast frame system represents a significant advancement in seismic design for mid- and high-rise steel structures, emerging as the optimal solution for Samuel Merritt University’s flagship campus after evaluating moment frames, dual systems, and conventional BRB frames.

By integrating a vertical mast truss with BRB devices, the system delivers superior seismic performance without a cost premium—minimizing story drift, eliminating damage concentrations, reducing BRB device count, and avoiding oversized columns and beams. The result is improved structural response, less damage, and lower repair costs.

Please join us in welcoming Susanna van de Graaf, PE, Senior Project Engineer, to Tipping!

Susanna has always been drawn to what makes a structure perform — how thoughtful engineering balances safety, efficiency, and long-term impact. That curiosity has shaped her career, and continues to motivate her to design high-performing buildings that bring clients’ visions to life.

Susanna’s experience is primarily in education and housing, from design through construction. Although she is equally comfortable with steel and concrete, her main focus is on wood — in fact, she was first introduced to Tipping when the office hosted a Woodworks event, with lectures on mass timber.

Susanna brings her enthusiasm, collaborative spirit, and experience as Wood Committee Lead at her previous company to our SE2050 committee, with a focus on mass timber and carbon sequestration.

at the Connie & Kevin Chou Hall at the UC BerkeleyBerkeley, a uniquely configured state-of-the-art learning laboratory. Part of the Haas School of Business’ master planning project, this six-story, 80,000-square-foot building—with a total of 858 classroom seats—supports the expansion of the school’s MBA program.

Given challenging site constraints, programmatic requirements, and seismic factors, a conventional structural design would have failed to achieve project goals. Allowing those constraints to guide innovative design solutions and taking a performance-based approach, the Tipping team was able to deliver a state-of-the art learning laboratory serving students of Berkeley-Haas for years to come. The new building increased the school’s space by a third, accommodating large tiered lecture halls, flexible teaching spaces, and breakout spaces for small group collaboration, as well as a ground-floor café and a rooftop event space for fundraising and other functions. The east wing is embedded two stories into the hillside, incorporating an auditorium and mechanical basement.

Learn more about UC Berkeley Chou Hall here: https://tippingstructural.com/projects/uc-berkeley-chou-hall/

Owner: University of California, Berkeley
Architect: Perkins&Will
Contractor: Vance Brown Builders
Developer: Partnership for Haas Preeminence
Structural: Tipping (Leo Panian, Joy Wei)
Photography: Blake Marvin

Currently under construction is the new Classroom and Office Building 3 (COB3) at UC Merced. A with SCB and Otto Construction, COB3 will support the launch of 12 new undergraduate majors and minors and will include three major instructional venues: a large auditorium, a round lecture hall, and a medium case-style lecture hall.

COB3 will complete the Social Justice Quad, serving as a central hub for the School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts (SSHA), as well as provide academic, advising, and student tutoring services plus dedicated space for UC Merced’s new Honors Program. A prominent feature will be the CAPE (Center for Analytical Political Engagement) program, located on the first floor, designed to engage the campus community and visitors in active political discussions.

Targeting LEED Platinum, the all-electric 61,600-square-foot building aligns with ’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by reducing unintentional bias, and fostering a sense of equity and belonging among occupants.

Architect: SCB
Contractor: Otto Construction
Structural: Tipping
Owner: University of California, Merced

Tipping team: Gina Carlson, SE (PIC), Jason Armes, S.E., Joy Wei, Isaac Williams, Beverly Xu, PE, and Susanna van de Graaf, PE

Renderings courtesy of SCB

Want to see your work take shape in the real world?

Our engineers are on site at the 34th & San Pablo Affordable Family Housing project, checking construction progress and solving problems as the structure comes to life. At Tipping, we’re hiring structural engineers who want to design the structures that shape our communities.

Join our team! Learn more about open positions and apply here: https://tippingstructural.com/careers/