Kyle Steuck, Associate Principal    Josh Sizemore, Design Engineer

In Seattle, Degenkolb is proud to announce the promotions of Kyle Steuck to Associate Principal and Josh Sizemore to Design Engineer.

Kyle has been with Degenkolb for over 10 years and continues to build his career by mentoring younger staff internally and building his network externally. He is focused on leading the Science and Technology market for the office and expanding Degenkolb’s expertise as prime consultant. He has completed large-scale projects for Boeing, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and is currently serving as Project Manager for Katerra’s new CLT factory.

Josh joined Degenkolb in early 2018, after completing his Ph.D. at University of Illinois performing research on steel braced frames. He recently earned his Washington State Professional Engineer’s license. Josh is focused on learning all he can about the intricacies of engineering for our seismically active region. Josh is working on projects across all of our market sectors, including: Katerra’s new CLT factory, construction means and methods for the Washington State Convention Center, and the Graduate Hotel (renamed from Hotel DECA) seismic upgrade and renovation.

We recently caught up with Kyle and Josh to learn more about their experiences in engineering.

What have you learned throughout your career that has made the biggest impact on how you work on projects?
Josh – I’ve learned to take advantage of the resources of the people throughout Degenkolb. The willingness to share expertise is invaluable.
Kyle – Every building is different. I learned that serving people is more important than what goes into a building. It’s all about the people.

What do you see causing the biggest impacts on design and construction?
Kyle – The software industry is way ahead of where we are. It is beginning to trickle down by offering more automation or automated design.
Josh – Virtual reality! Having the opportunity to put yourself, your client, and the public directly into the building model allows for instant user feedback. It can show you conflicts and issues we aren’t catching right away now.
Kyle  – A major concern, especially in Seattle, is the lack of skilled labor in construction. The push for modularization in every market is driven by this.
Josh – Another concern is building codes. There is a growing recognition that codes don’t meet the public’s perception of how buildings will react in an earthquake. I see a focus from jurisdictions for stronger design requirements. The U.S. Resiliency Council’s Certification program, or something along those lines, will be asked for directly by the public, like LEED. We need to push beyond the current codes.

To read more of the interview with Kyle and Josh, click here