Philadelphia Structural Engineer & Special Inspections

Structural Engineering & Design Services

We provide full-service structural design and forensic evaluations for residential, commercial, and multi-family properties. Viking Engineers moves far beyond basic beam sizing; our deep field experience is instrumental in delivering robust designs that are highly economical for contractors. By knowing the precise ins and outs of site conditions—from excavation hazards to steel integration—we frequently save clients tens of thousands of dollars on construction costs while increasing structural integrity.

• Residential & Commercial Design: Comprehensive framing design utilizing wood, structural steel, reinforced concrete, and light gauge metal.
• Wall Removals & Beam Sizing: Engineering LVL and wide-flange steel beams for open-concept renovations, including beam pocket installations in shared multi-wythe party walls.
• Comprehensive Shoring & Support: Zero-settlement shoring design to safely remove existing footings and seamlessly tie into new structural steel systems.
• Foundation & Retaining Wall Engineering: Field verifications via test pits, basement slab lowering design, and load-bearing capacity assessments.
• Specialized Framing: Attic and gable truss modifications, roof load analysis, and sloped floor diagnostics.
• Multi-Family and Mid-Rise Structural Design.

Unsafe Structures & Make Safe Violations

We routinely resolve L&I Unsafe Violations, providing rapid engineering response for the most common Philadelphia property failures, including:

• Fire damage structural evaluation and floor framing remediation.
• Bowing, cracking, and failing masonry walls.
• Settling front porches and sagging rear rowhome extensions lacking proper footings.
• Failing foundation remediation and underpinning corrections.

Philadelphia Starbolts & Masonry Facade Remediation

What is a starbolt? A starbolt (or star anchor) is a heavy-duty mechanical structural tie used to arrest lateral movement and stabilize bowing, bulging, or failing brick facades on masonry structures, commonly found on city rowhomes.

The Physics of a Bowing Philadelphia Wall

Historically, Philadelphia masonry buildings never tied the floor system into the masonry walls—the joists simply rested in pockets. Over time, as joists slip, rot, and mortar crumbles, the walls rotate outward. A starbolt provides the continuity tie the building always wanted. By bolting the exterior masonry directly into the floor diaphragm, it requires surprisingly little resistance—often just 2% of the gravity load—to permanently halt a wall from bowing.

From Rowhomes to Massive Historic Facades

While we routinely design standard 2- or 3-story residential starbolt layouts, Viking Engineers takes masonry stabilization much further to bring buildings at the end of their life cycle back to life. For historic properties with massive 30-inch thick masonry walls, we engineer robust stabilization systems utilizing continuous steel channels and massive 30-foot tension rods acting as structural ties. We utilize mechanical advantage and precise steel placement to physically pull back rotating and falling walls weighing over 5 tons per linear foot.

5-Year Facade Inspections

During mandatory Philadelphia 5-Year Facade Inspections, unbraced masonry walls acting as wind traps are a frequent failure point. We provide the exact structural remediation design required by L&I, including cracked masonry diagnostics, lateral support design, and brick repointing structural alternatives.