SMBH

A creative culture of passionate people engaged in innovative structural design.

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2023 James B Recchie Design Finalists Announced!

Columbus Landmarks announced the finalists for this year's James B Recchie Design Award, and they are all absolutely stunning. We are privileged to have worked on four of these projects with exceptional teams of professionals all over Columbus. In celebration, we'd love to tell you a little about each building and the wonderful teams we worked with.

Don't miss the Awards night on October 5th at the Municipal Light Plant!

Recchie Award Logo
An aerial photo of Janet Echelman's "Current," hanging in downtown Columbus. Composed of different colors of twine and suspended from four different buildings.

"Current"

We loved working on the newest and most significant private contribution to public art in Columbus that hangs at the corner of High and Gay Streets. Illuminated at night and visible from all four directions at different elevations, the sculpture can be seen by airplane. Janet Echelman's piece comprises 78 miles of twine woven into over 500,000 knots, which spans 83 feet wide and 229 feet long, 128 feet in the air.

The Team: SMBH, Inc, DeVere, LLC, Edwards Companies, LLC, SOM, DLZ 

Exterior photo of the Historic Trolley Barn in Columbus, Ohio, which has been renovated and made into the East Market. A two-story brick building with a metal patio on both floors.

Historic Trolley Barn
(East Market)

Originally the Trolley Barn, these six separate historic buildings have been renovated and made into the East Market. The market features multiple vendor stalls, a restaurant, and a bar with a speakeasy. We helped expand the East Market Building to allow for new storage and mechanical room, a new elevated outdoor patio, and converted the existing mezzanine level into new dining or office space. We also helped convert the Brewery Building into a new restaurant with an outdoor patio.

The Team: SMBH, Inc, Connect Real Estate, Sandvick Architects, Annex Engineering Group

An aerial photo of Jackie O's brewery and patio on Fourth Street in Downtown Columbus. A two-story brick building with a metal patio on both floors.

Jackie O's on Fourth

Now repurposed into Jackie O's Brewery Columbus location, the building was built in 1910 and has been through many incarnations, including an automotive center, a taxi hub, and a different brewery. After renovation, the building features an 8,000 SF, two-story patio, an event space, a brewery, and a tap room. We enjoyed designing this one so much that we had one of our most recent company happy hours there!

The Team: SMBH, Inc, Astra Studios, Design Collective, Prater Engineering, Lincoln Construction

Exterior photo of the Open Air School, a renovated two-story brick school on Neil Ave that was made into a dining hall and event space.

Open Air School

Architect Howard Dwight Smith designed the original 1928 building as an Open Air School featuring natural settings, outdoor play areas, and classrooms with abundant windows that could stay open all year. After the building was closed for many years, Kelley Companies purchased it in 2018 and renovated it into an exciting mixed-use space that kept the character of the original building. The renovated space features Emmett's Cafe, Understory Bar and Lounge, a special event space, and a pottery studio. What were once open outdoor play areas for children are now vibrant outdoor play areas for adults and families.

The Team: SMBH, Inc, Schooley Caldwell Associates, Annex Engineering Group, Kimley Horn, Kelley Companies, B7 Construction

NOT AN SMBH PROJECT.

South Wind Motel

The only finalist project we haven't worked on this year is the South Wind Motel. The renovation of the 1959 motel on South High Street provides guests and visitors with an authentic mid-century modern experience that is completely in line with the original, still-existing features of the building. Its restoration has undoubtedly brought back a spirit of nostalgia to the neighborhood and really lets you feel like you're on old State Route 23.

New Faces at SMBH!

We want to take a moment to introduce our newest team member, who has just joined us here at the company. We're all excited to have them on board and can't wait to see what they bring to the table.

At the same time, we're also saying farewell to two fantastic summer interns who finish their internships next week. It was a pleasure having them with us, and we wish them all the best in their future. We're sure they're going to do great things!

Marcia Unger
BIM Specialist

We are thrilled to have Marcia Unger as our newest team member. She joined us in May and brings with her 28 years of experience working with Architects and Engineers to design commercial buildings. Since joining our team, Marcia has already made a significant impact. We feel lucky to have her on our team and look forward to working with her for years to come.

Marcia Unger 1x1

Marcia Unger

BIM Specialist

Griffin Heintz

Griffin Heintz

Intern, Summer 2023

Haydon Spaulding

Haydon Spaulding

Intern, Summer 2023

Griffin Heintz and Haydon Spaulding
Interns

Over the summer, we had the pleasure of working with two bright and talented structural engineering interns from The Ohio State University, Griffin and Haydon. Their energy and enthusiasm were a welcome addition to our team, and we feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with them.

Throughout their time with us, Griffin and Haydon were eager to learn and always willing to take on new challenges, making them valuable team members. Their attention to detail and precision were especially noteworthy, and they never hesitated to ask questions or seek clarification when needed.

As their internship comes to a close, we wish them all the best in their studies and future endeavors. We have no doubt that they will go on to achieve great things in structural engineering, and we are proud to have been a part of their journey.

SMBH Does That: Civic Edition

Kanawha Public Library

We are proud to have been on the team for the Kanawha Public Library in Charleston, West Virginia, which recently earned an Honor Award for Excellence in Architecture from the West Virginia AIA.

As the largest public library system in West Virginia, the library boasts a collection of 600,000 items, half of which are housed at the Main Library. Originally built in 1911 as a Post Office, the Library moved into the building in 1966. The more than century-old four-floor existing library had outgrown its capacity, so an 80,000 SF addition and renovation was designed and built.

The addition included improvements to meeting and study rooms, browseable collections space, a cafe, an idea lab, a local history room, outdoor public gardens and plazas for programmed and spontaneous use, and a pedestrian bridge that leads to the library parking garage. The new entrance designed for the project is fully ADA accessible, with direct access to all library floors.

Thank you to our design partners, Silling and HBM. We loved being on the team!

Check out the latest photos we just got in for this fantastic project below!

An exterior image of the Kanawha Public Library in Charleston, West VIrginia. Features the side of the building addition with a pedestrian bridge with the word "Library" written on it.

Welcome Our New SMBH Teammates!

We've been so busy that we almost forgot to tell you about our newest team additions! We're happy to introduce four new faces and one familiar back in the office. Read a bit about each of them below.

Steven Morra

Steven Morra

Project Engineer

Steven joined SMBH in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Hofstra University and four years of experience in field engineering and designing with steel, foundation systems, masonry, cold-formed metal framing, wood, excavation support, and demolition plans. Since then, he has used his expertise in retail, manufacturing, and industrial projects.

Zach Coldebella

Zach Coldebella

CAD Specialist

Zach joined SMBH as a CAD Designer in late 2022 with ten years of CAD experience and a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from West Virginia University. He has worked on many of our recent retail and industrial projects.

Sarah Freiheit

Sarah Freiheit

Project Engineer

Sarah joined SMBH as a Project Engineer in late 2022. A graduate of Cornell University with a Master of Engineering in Structural Mechanics and Materials and The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with four years of experience at previous firms, Sarah is well-versed in steel construction, concrete renovation, and cast-in-place concrete. In her tenure at SMBH, she has worked on various projects ranging from higher education to retail, industrial, office, recreational, and more. While already a registered engineer in the state of New York, Sarah was recently registered in Ohio as well.

Morgan Kruse 1x1

Morgan Kruse

Project Manager

Morgan joined SMBH as a Project Manager in late 2022 with 12 years of experience with other structural engineering firms, a Master of Architecture in Civil Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University. Experience with his previous firms has given him a solid background in designing new builds, additions, and renovations using a variety of engineering design concepts, including steel, wood and masonry construction, moment frames, lateral and gravity design, heavy timber truss design, and foundation design. During his brief tenure so far, Morgan has worked on various projects from industrial, retail, Pre-K-12 education, residential, and more.

Caitlyn Olson

Caitlyn Olson

Project Engineer

Caitlyn is a recent graduate of the University of Dayton who started as a summer intern at SMBH in 2022 and came on full-time in January 2023. She has experience as an estimator with a local contractor, contributing to her understanding of a project's design and construction phases. While at SMBH, Caitlyn has worked on a variety of projects, including higher education, Pre-K-12 education, athletic, industrial, retail, historical renovation, and more.