K & A Engineering - Statement of Qualifications PDF Print E-mail

INTRODUCTION
Founded in 1998, K & A Engineering, Inc. is a professional services firm headquartered in Eugene, Oregon with the commitment to providing thorough and competent services in the fields of geotechnical and structural engineering.  K & A Engineering’s qualified staff are specialists in listening to our clients and developing solutions based on thorough understanding of site conditions, service requirements, and the required end-results.

K & A Engineering, Inc. provides professional engineering services in the special areas of geotechnical engineering, earth retaining structures, foundation design including deep foundations, slope stability evaluation and mitigation, landslide hazard analysis, and structural engineering.  We are licensed to practice professional engineering in the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

We have provided professional services in a wide variety of geology and soils throughout the Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest.  Our background includes over 30-years in providing geotechnical and structural engineering services.


MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to provide innovative and responsible state-of-the-art geotechnical and structural engineering solutions that thoroughly address existing site conditions, local building codes, and the end-results required by our clients through excellence in listening, communication, and application.

SERVICES
Geotechnical Engineering - Foundations
K & A Engineering, Inc. offers a wealth of experience and expertise in evaluating site conditions, determining geotechnical design and construction criteria, formulating suitable design alternatives, and providing quality assurance inspection for the construction of a wide range of foundation types.

Our engineers have provided a wide variety of geotechnical investigative and design services for conventional shallow spread footing systems, deep spread footing systems, driven pile foundations, drilled concrete piles, micropile supported grade beams, and steel helical piles for foundation retrofits.

Our projects have included spread footings on clays for sensitive optical manufacturing fac ilities requiring very small long term settlement, deep foundation for industrial tanks and milling machinery, deep foundations in difficult subsurface soil conditions for medical facilities, and foundation repair plans for existing foundations damaged by settlement on subsiding or expansive soils.

Geotechnical Engineering –Earth Retaining Structures
K & A Engineering, Inc. has extensive experience in the design of large and small retaining structures to meet the demands of commercial, transportation, and residential projects.  Our projects have included conventional cantilevered cast-in-place concrete walls, mechanically-stabilized earth walls with a variety of facing materials and reinforcing elements, cantilevered soldier-pile/lagging walls, tied-back concrete and soldier pile walls, retaining walls supporting soils along shore lines, and gravity wall systems.

We have provided geotechnical (and structural) engineering for new retaining walls and for the stabilization and repair of existing retaining walls as well as lateral stabilization of restrained retaining walls that are part of existing foundations systems.

Geotechnical Engineering –Slope Stability
K & A Engineering, Inc. engineers have over 30-years experience in completing landslide hazard evaluations for large landscapes, investigation to determine the nature, extent, and cause of existing slope movements, and the designs to stabilize or increase the stability of slopes.  Our experience includes the evaluation and stabilization of rock and soil slopes throughout the northwest in a wide variety of geology.   Stabilization plans that we have provided have included drainage, buttressing, and reinforcement.

K & A Engineering, Inc. has also provided geotechnical services for the evaluation stream bank stability and the design of stream bank repairs.   These projects include modeling of storm flows and tidal bore influence, evaluation of stream velocity and shear on stream bank materials, and embankment groundwater response to fluctuating tides resulting in rapid drawdown and slope instability.

We are recognized as national experts in the evaluation of landslide hazard and probability for large areas forested terrain of western North America.  Our engineer’s experience includes landslide hazard analysis and probability modeling for forested areas in the central Idaho mountains that suffered devastating loss of timber cover in the fires of 1994 which burned areas totaling more than 700,000-acres.  Inventory of existing landslides on unburned areas in similar land types validated the accuracy of the model predictions.

Geotechnical Engineering – Natural Resource Development and Protection
We have had the privilege of utilizing our skills and knowledge in protecting the environment for large-scale natural resource development projects for resources including timber, water, minerals, recreation.  We have provided engineering investigation, analysis, and input to environmental assessments and the implementation of projects involving national natural resources.  Some of the projects our engineers have provided services for include:

  • Landslide hazard analysis of 400,000+ acres of multiple watersheds that were burned during the summer and fall of 1994 in central Idaho (Payette and Boise National Forests).  The analysis was conducted as part of a post-fire watershed analysis for timber salvage and watershed recovery.
  • Analysis of surface erosion and sediment delivery for a 20,000-acre watershed owned and managed by the Weyerhaeuser Corp., near Coos Bay, Oregon.
  • Project leader for design and analysis of the reconstruction of the South Fork of the Salmon River Road, Payette National Forest, McCall, Idaho, including innovative design of retaining structures, pavements, stream bank protection, slope stabilization, and drainage to reduce erosion and sediment delivery.  The primary goal of this project was to reduce erosion and sediment delivery to the river and assist in the protection and improvement of prime spawning and rearing habitat for the threatened and endangered Chinook Salmon.
  • Erosion, sediment delivery, and landslide hazard modeling for a proposed expansion to the Brundage Mountain Ski Resort, McCall, Idaho.
  • Stream channel hydrology, flood hazard assessment, and stream bank stabilization (Coast Fork Willamette River, No. Fork Siuslaw River, McKenzie River),
  • Stream bank stabilization investigation and design for a wide range of streams including
    • The urban Brae Burn Creek in Eugene, Oregon -  including development of watershed hydrology, vegetative replacement, stone riprap bank stabilization, in-stream structures to stop head-cutting, slope stabilization structures, and permitting;
    • Stream bank slope stability and stabilization for portion of the North Fork of the Siuslaw River, including development of watershed hydrology, research of the role of groundwater drawdown in the levee structure with stream bank stability, and riprap design;
    • Design of stream bank protection structures for a reach of the Coast Fork of the Willamette River, including a survey of stream cross section and determination of high water elevations and stream velocity;
    • Geotechnical investigation for stream bank stabilization project of a reach of the North Fork of the Salmon River near Salmon, Idaho.


STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Our engineering staff has provided quality structural engineering for residential, commercial, and industrial projects.   Our completed projects include custom single-family dwellings, large apartment and condominium structures, commercial buildings, steel stair assemblies, industrial assemblies and retrofits, tank supports, and seismic retrofits.

Our structural engineering capability compliments our geotechnical project in the areas of foundation repairs, special industrial foundations, and seismic retrofits.  On most projects we are in the unique position to offer one-stop-shopping for both geotechnical and structural need.   The seamless integration of both discipline results in providing our clients with reliable, well-executed designs that save clients time and money.

We use state-of-the-art modeling tools to ensure that our designs are safe, reliable, easy to construct, and compliant with current local building codes.


FORENSIC ENGINEERING AND EXPERT WITNESS
Our extensive experience and knowledge of both the geotechnical and structural fields enables us to offer our clients forensic engineering services to determine the cause, nature, and extent of structural failures.  This service is critical to clients seeking economical and successful repair solutions or seeking relief for damages caused by negligent design or construction.

We have an excellent record of determining the causes of failure of a wide variety of failed foundations, retaining walls, and structures.   On all of our forensic projects we insist on a detailed and thorough investigation which may include geotechnical borings, surveys, sampling, materials and soil testing, monitoring, and engineering analysis and computer modeling.  We strive develop our hypothesis of the mode, nature, and cause of failure by the preponderance of evidence obtained in the investigation.  In many of our cases we are asked to develop repair plans and specifications and provide quality assurance of construction of repairs.  In all of the cases for which we have provided both forensic services and the design of repairs, our determination of the cause of failure has been substantiated during construction of repairs.

K & A Engineering, Inc. engineers are also experienced in working with a client’s legal counsel as an expert witness.   We understand the needs of attorneys, the legal process, and how to prepare our testimony.   Our services have led to the successful resolution of legal claims including and obtaining relief for damages.
 
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