*We all know that Alaska is the 49th state. But for M+K, Alaska is our 50th licensed state…and we couldn’t be more thrilled to say that we’re now licensed in every state in the union.
Congratulations to Ian McEwing, P.E., S.E., for receiving his Alaska S.E. License.
Looking forward to the new adventure, supporting AK communities, and getting to know this beautiful state!
Exciting changes are underway in a former industrial city in North Jersey, and The Apartments at Linden Station are another step forward in this revitalization. Designed in partnership with VLBJR Architects, this project will include a mix of features: 13,000 square feet of retail space, 334 upscale apartments, and a convenient two-level podium garage.
While the building is rectangular, its large scale presented unique challenges. Large footings required increased coordination among the project teams, utilities, and other groups to ensure that subgrade elements, such as a water retention tank, would not interfere with each other.
Architecturally, the project includes a central outdoor courtyard that demands careful loading considerations, along with a recessed pool integrated into an elevated slab, adding complexity to the concrete design. The third-floor amenity space also needed thoughtful planning to create open areas to accommodate offset framing. The building has a reinforced concrete parking slab with a transfer slab above it that supports five stories of light gauge steel framing.
The project is a transit-oriented development and will provide easy access for commuters, with a quick train ride to Newark in just 20 minutes and a 40-minute journey to Penn Station.
The anticipated completion date for The Apartments at Linden Station is February 2026, and we cannot wait to see the transformation unfold!
Last August, fires tore through the heart of Lahaina, a town on Maui, HI, destroying thousands of homes and businesses and displacing nearly 6,000 residents. The fires were the deadliest in recent U.S. history, leaving a profound impact on the community. Rebuilding Lahaina has required a coordinated response from community leaders as well as construction and design firms. Much work remains, but a recent milestone has been achieved ahead of the stated 2025 goal—debris has been cleared from all 1,390 residential properties in the impact zone. This means that building permits—in addition to optimism—have been restored.
M+K has been working with WMC Design Build as well as PILI in separate but coordinated efforts to provide structural designs for the rebuild. This is our first effort in Hawaii and one that we are all very proud of being able to contribute to. One of PILI’s contributions is creating pre-designed plans that are being offered to wildfire-affected homeowners, while WMC Design Build has been working on plans that are budget-conscious while still being bespoke and thoughtfully curated.
(Above: WMC Design Build renderings)
“Our work with Mulhern + Kulp has been tremendously impactful; they have provided us and our families with tremendous value through construction savings, peace of mind, cohesive design, among the few that pop to mind. Their flexibility and ability to work within our parameters, in addition to their responsiveness and diligence, has made our collaboration seamless. Their capacity to support our projects with cost-effective and quality design enable us to provide safe, high-quality housing to families in need, aligning with our mission to deliver impactful solutions. By integrating the expertise of Mulhern + Kulp, we aim to rebuild not just homes, but also hope and resilience within the community.” said WMC Design Build Program Manager, Jordan Haylor.
“At PILI, we’ve been fortunate to collaborate closely with Mulhern + Kulp on our fire rebuild projects in Lahaina, Maui. This partnership has been instrumental in allowing us to extend our capacity as a small, Maui-based firm and respond to the significant demand for architectural services following the disaster. M+K’s ability to provide detailed structural engineering plans and calculations ensures that we can confidently submit permit documentation, meeting all requirements, which allows for expedited review and approval. Given their expertise and manpower, M+K can offer faster turnaround times, an invaluable asset in these critical rebuild efforts, especially as smaller local firms are facing an overwhelming workload,” said managing partner Brenda Braun.
M+K has been partnering with DRB Homes on an educational initiative aimed at improving the understanding and application of structural drawings among personnel in DRB’s various divisions.
Targeting managers, field personnel, and purchasing teams, our seminars blend informative classroom presentations with hands-on field experiences. Participants engage in an interactive scavenger hunt at active job sites, allowing them to learn how to interpret and utilize structural drawings within a real-world construction context. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, prompting a formal request from DRB’s Vice President of Production for these seminars to be expanded across all divisions. Each session is tailored to address the unique structural drawing requirements of specific regions.
This initiative not only enhances comprehension of structural drawings but also strengthens relationships among team members, facilitating smoother collaboration and proactive problem-solving in the field. By putting faces to names during our seminars, field managers feel more at ease reaching out with questions, helping to prevent costly mistakes before they arise.
DRB has been a valued client since 2013, and we are appreciative of opportunities like this that continue to develop our partnership.
Drawing from his two decades of residential engineering experience, M+K project manager Jason Bischoff, P.E., writes in the July/August 2024 issue of Journal of Light Construction about the pitfalls of leaving construction errors unchecked—illustrating how even minor errors can lead to costly and complex retrofits if not addressed promptly.
In my role as a project manager for a national structural engineering firm that specializes in residential design, I have the opportunity to learn about thousands of construction errors on a regular basis. Our firm has more than 65 engineers on staff working on projects across the U.S., and we are regularly tasked with providing quick turnaround retrofits to resolve construction errors to keep projects moving forward. From this well of experience, we’ve compiled a short list of the common construction errors with the most impactful retrofit requirements, along with some recommended preventative measures. Most of the situations described here can be avoided with oversight and awareness but are likely to balloon into major problems when overlooked. In most cases, the longer a construction error goes unaddressed, the more expensive it becomes to correct.
The need to keep footings and foundations square should be obvious, right? Still, nothing will stop a job quicker than finding out the foundation wall forms are overhanging the edge of the footing or the sill plates are overhanging the foundation walls. When these problems occur, it is worth pausing and reaching out to a design professional for direction on how to compensate. In some cases, the solution may be as simple as fastening a ledger to the side of the foundation to provide support for an overhanging sill plate. But in more drastic instances, more extensive or creative modifications to the foundations may be required. Depending on the scenario, it could be a much more difficult repair after the walls have been poured and even worse once the framing is installed.
Prevention: Measure twice, pour once. Make sure all measurements are checked prior to pouring. We recommend having an established process that clarifies whether the builder or the foundation contractor is accountable for verifying all dimensions prior to pouring the walls and footings and before any framing is set. Preferably, this is defined in writing in the subcontractor agreement.
A foundation that’s not level shouldn’t be much of an problem if it’s caught early. In an ideal situation, the framers install their sill plates as level as possible, shimming where necessary and checking level as subsequent levels are framed. It is imperative to check for level across all bearing points of a foundation. For example, if exterior wood-framed walls are bearing on a perimeter stem wall determined to be level, but the interior bearing walls are supported on a slab that is too high or too low, that is a recipe for major retrofits to those framed walls if not addressed early.
Prevention: Builders and their subcontractors need to ensure they are building from a level baseline, across all bearing points of the structure. A datum point should be established at one of the structural bearing points, and a laser or builder’s level should be used to verify that the rest of the structural bearing points are at the same elevation as the datum point. Continue reading “M+K Published in JLC Magazine”
Teams from three of M+K’s offices recently got together and faced the thrilling rapids of the New River Gorge in West Virginia for a long weekend, stepping outside their usual work roles to embrace an adventure that highlighted teamwork and trust.
The weariness from long flights and drives quickly faded as excitement built over meeting colleagues—many for the first time—and soaking in the breathtaking scenery of West Virginia for a three-day weekend excursion.
We split into two groups—with the adrenaline junkies rafting the challenging and technical Upper Gauley River (which is rated in the top five whitewater in the world), and the rest of us on the slightly tamer Lower Gauley – which was still loaded with plenty of class IV and V rapids.
Evenings were spent around the campfire, sharing stories, roasting marshmallows, and enjoying local moonshine crafted by an employee’s brother. Each sip added to the fun and camaraderie, creating unforgettable memories and deepening connections beneath the beautiful night sky.
Michelle Doby, from ATL:
“The rafting was fun, and I really enjoyed getting to know everyone from the other offices. Opportunities like this one where we can do activities and meet people throughout the company are very valuable.”
Yara Bawab, from PHL:
“Being a recent addition to the M+K family, it was a great way to meet new people not only from my office who I may not interact with on a daily basis, but also the other offices. I could connect with people on a level that may not be reached just within office talk and having these connections makes for a funner work environment I also have fun stories I get to share now!”
Reika Shimizu, from SD:
“I truly appreciated the efforts our colleagues from the east coast put into making sure the San Diego office members could participate – through bringing extra camping gear, extra food/beverages, and any other necessities. This kind of thought, care, and generosity really made me feel like I’m part of a company with coworkers and leaders that put in the work to make sure we are included, even though we hadn’t met most of them before this trip!”
Michael Mihal, from ATL:
“Interacting with people I have never met and may never meet again was worth the experience because it gave us an opportunity to be present. The experience taught me that some colleagues share the same “lust for life”. I feel these events are a great offering by the company and hope they continue to offer more provided they can swing it.”
All of us at M+K are thrilled to be part of Higharc’s latest investment round to fund continued development of their innovative cloud platform for homebuilding operations that delivers much needed integration and automation, from plan concept to purchasing to sales, using generative AI based workflows.
Innovation and process improvement are integral to our DNA. With that in mind, we’re quite excited about how this partnership promises to support M+K’s vision to streamline plan development and management.
Like all our valued relationships and strategic partnerships, we’re looking forward to the opportunity to offer insight and perspective to the Higharc team.
Want more info? Check out the article in Forbes and Higharc’s press release below:
Forbes Article
Higharc’s Press Release
Since opening the doors of our newest branch office over a year ago, we’ve made great strides in our goal to bring our unique brand of structural engineering to the New England Region from the heart of Boston.
Beginning with an award-winning direct mail campaign and some good old-fashioned phone calls and handshakes, client relationships began to emerge. Single family home projects quickly expanded to regions outside Boston and into neighboring states. Transforming customers into raving fans has always been at the heart of our mission at M+K, so we’re proud to have found repeat work with nearly all clients we worked with in 2023.
Going forward through 2024, our main objective of continued growth will be furthered with the addition of two employees to the office this summer. The new team members will provide the resources needed to help take on a greater quantity and variety of projects while building on the “work hard, play harder” culture that has made all of our offices such great places to work. With their sights set on all six New England states, we are very eager to see what’s next for the Boston office!
As far as long-standing client relationships go, our 20 years working with CPL Partnership puts them near the very top of the list. The consistency of our work together and the variety of projects has allowed a large number of our engineering staff to get involved in these jobs and establish personal relationships with their team over the years. The opportunity to foster such connections, and the personal and professional development that comes with them, is one that we value greatly.
The Beacon on Main is a prime example of the low to mid-rise multifamily/mixed-use projects that have become a staple of our work together in recent years. As you cross over the Delaware & Raritan Canal into South Bound Brook in northern New Jersey, the clocktower feature on its main elevation offers a fresh focal point for the borough as it marks the beginning of their Main Street. Detailed façade elements, two-story spaces, and the support of the iconic clock itself posed the usual interesting design challenges which are part and parcel of their intentional architectural designs.
Our article in Structure Magazine outlines our holistic approach to designing 5-story wood-framed buildings utilizing Type III construction. Congrats to co-authors Jared Hudson, P.E., and Shaun Kreidel, S.E. Great job!
Light frame wood construction is often a desired construction method for low-rise multifamily structures due to readily available labor and materials, speed of construction, sustainability, and relatively low construction costs. A Type V construction classification as defined by the International Building Code (IBC) is commonplace for these structures; however, this construction type is limited to four stories of stacking wood construction. A Type III construction classification allows conventional wood-framed structures to include an additional level, bringing the allowable height to five stories above grade; see Figure 1 for an example of this type of construction. This construction type may be attractive to developers looking to maximize the occupiable square footage of a defined footprint while taking advantage of the many benefits that come with light-frame wood construction. To facilitate a Type III classification, unique structural and architectural detailing is needed to maintain the strength, stability, and serviceability of the wood-framed structure, as well as to address the applicable fire design requirements. These details are multidisciplinary in nature and require a high level of collaboration between the structural engineer, architect, and builder/developer to ensure that the project meets the owner’s expectations and the building code requirements of the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).
Depending on the requirements of a given project, practicing engineers may need to investigate certain design aspects that become critical when meeting the requirements of Type III construction. These design considerations include material requirements, fire-resistance rating requirements, the importance of designing for wood shrinkage, and structural detailing strategies to accommodate fire-resistance ratings at the intersection of the floor/roof assemblies and exterior wall assemblies.
While construction Types I, II and III all require the use of non-combustible materials at exterior walls, the IBC recognizes the use of fire-retardant-treated (FRT) sawn lumber and FRT wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as acceptable materials to satisfy the requirement under Type III construction. Practicing engineers should account for FRT lumber and FRT sheathing strength reduction factors due to the treatment process. The strength reduction factors are manufacturer-specific, thus coordination with the architect and builder/developer is recommended if the intended product is unknown.
FRT treatment process results in sheathing strength reduction factors which can decrease both the allowable spans and the lateral strength/stiffness of diaphragms or shear walls. FRT lumber treatment process also affects the structural properties of sawn lumber; the designer may need to augment the wall/header designs to mitigate these effects. Table 1 illustrates the strength reduction factors from two manufacturers of FRT sawn lumber. Assumed in-service temperature of the lumber is an important consideration that may cause variation in structural property values between manufacturers. High in-service temperatures of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit will correspond to a greater reduction in strength and stiffness when coupled with fire retardant treatment. The engineer should also account for any wood incising reduction factors that might be needed to treat the lumber and consider using lumber that does not require incising to mitigate the amount of strength reduction. All minimum assumed FRT properties should be listed as design assumptions in the contract drawings to ensure that suitable lumber and WSP products are utilized.
A designer may encounter situations where spans or loads require structural properties beyond what FRT lumber alone can provide. At this time, there are no fire-treated engineered wood products on the market (e.g., LVL, PSL, LSL) known to the author. One strategy available to designers is to utilize a flitch beam; a composite beam that consists of FRT wood laminations bolted to a continuous steel plate. The FRT laminations of the composite assembly will maintain the non-combustibility requirement; however, special attention to detailing to adequately conceal the heads of the bolts of the flitch beam assembly will be required. The designer should also consider the expansion of the longitudinal steel due to elevated service temperatures for longer-spanning flitch beams. Another strategy that the designer can employ is the use of rolled steel framing members within the exterior wall. These members may require additional fire protection in addition to meeting the noncombustible requirements of the code; the project architect should be consulted for additional fire protection requirements of these members.
Type III construction requires that exterior loadbearing walls satisfy a 2-hour fire-resistance rating (FRR). If exterior walls can be classified as non-load bearing, the FRR can be reduced to 1-hour for certain occupancies. A 2-hour FRR is usually accomplished by having two interior layers of gypsum board. Over the full perimeter of the structure, the added cost of an additional layer of gypsum board can be substantial. A common industry interpretation of a non-load bearing exterior wall is one that does not support anything but its self-weight and the self-weight of the walls above. The structural designer can strategically run the framing parallel or introduce girder members parallel with the exterior wall to avoid a load bearing situation. In doing so, a FRR of 1 hour can be utilized and thus an extra layer of interior gypsum board can be avoided. This approach and interpretation should be discussed with the project architect and the AHJ during design to ensure compliance with the local building code.
The vertical continuity requirements of the rated exterior wall assembly have been a hotly debated topic between jurisdictions and design professionals, but the requirements have finally been clarified in the 2024 IBC. According to Section 705.6 of the 2024 IBC, the exterior wall FRR shall extend continuously from the top of the foundation/floor system below to the underside of the roof/floor sheathing above. However, if the fire separation distance (as defined in the IBC) is greater than 10 feet, the exterior wall FRR is permitted to terminate at the underside of a ceiling (floor or roof) assembly having an equal or greater FRR than the exterior wall. Detailing at the floor levels and the roof level will need to conform to these requirements. Some commonly used detailing strategies that meet these criteria are presented later in this article. Continue reading “M+K Article Published in STRUCTURE Magazine”
