| Published
February 22, 2005 |
Volume
13, Number 2
|
From Conceptual
Design Through
Construction, BORM Associates has Structural Engineering Under Control

|
| This
Martinez
hillside home benefited from BORM's expertise in structural engineering. |
By George Walsh
Special to NETWORK
While architects are considered by many to be the artists of the
building trade, the most beautifully designed home is absolutely
worthless if the building’s structure is poorly designed. That’s where
companies like BORM Associates Inc. come into play. BORM, with offices
at 4309 Hacienda Drive, provides structural engineering services to
ensure that the design of the architect and the efforts of those who
erect a building will withstand the rigors of time.
“We are a structural engineering firm dealing primarily with
single-family detached housing, multi-family residential, senior and
military housing, and light commercial projects, both in wood and light
gauge steel framing,” says Steve Fedewa, director of BORM’s Pleasanton
division. “We work with developers, architects, framing, and concrete
contractors to ensure that all of the projects we are involved with are
structurally sound and cost-effective.”
While BORM has an impressive history, Fedewa says the company has no
intention of resting on its laurels. “We are looking to expand our
operations into the Central Valley,” he says. “We have to go where
construction is taking place and where builders need a strong, local
engineering presence to provide not only engineering design but also
construction observation services.”
Fedewa believes that BORM’s philosophy of “value engineering” is what
sets it apart from other its competitors. “When we approach the
development of a plan, we don’t immediately start designing,” he says.
“We try to find means to make construction more cost-effective while
keeping an eye on quality. That’s one area where our clients really
appreciate and value our service. At the conceptual stage of a project,
we work closely with the architect and framers to come up with ways to
save our clients money on the overall project without compromising its
architectural integrity.”
BORM Associates currently has 87 employees located in five offices.
These facilities include its headquarters in Costa Mesa as well as
operations in Las Vegas, Phoenix , Roseville, here in Pleasanton, and
an upcoming office in Modesto. The firm’s principals and engineers are
licensed in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Texas, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming. BORM has been in business for 25 years and
counts among its clients some of the nation’s foremost builders,
developers, and architects in the U.S., including Beazer Homes,
Brookfield Homes, Del Webb Communities, KB Home, Lennar Homes, Toll
Brothers, Pardee Homes, Pulte Homes, Richmond American, Shapell
Industries, William Lyon Homes, Frank Gehry & Associates,
Bassenian
Lagoni Architects, Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects, Dahlin Group,
KTGY Group, Robert Hidey Architects, Scheurer Architects and William
Hezmalhalch Architects.
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