Forell Elsesser Engineers

What Forell Elsesser Engineers does

Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc. is a privately held, employee-owned structural and earthquake engineering consultancy headquartered at 351 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco. Founded in 1964 and operating continuously for 60+ years, the firm provides professional engineering services spanning feasibility studies, seismic risk evaluations, complete structural design, construction documents, peer review, plan checking, value engineering, and constructability review. Its client base is concentrated in California institutional and public-sector markets — particularly the University of California system, California State University campuses, West Coast municipalities, healthcare systems (Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, UCSF), and technology/commercial campuses (LinkedIn, Meta, Salesforce).

The firm's underlying technology stack is centered on advanced structural and earthquake engineering methods rather than software products: nonlinear analysis, finite element analysis (FEA), Building Information Modeling (BIM), performance-based seismic design using FEMA P58 methodology, and Life Cycle Assessment for embodied carbon reduction. The firm pioneered seismic base isolation in the early 1980s and has designed base isolation for over 30 buildings, including the first base-isolated existing-building retrofit in the world (Salt Lake City & County Building), and was the first firm to receive DSA approval for a buckling restrained braced frame (BRBF) building. Differentiated expertise areas include base isolation, passive damping, BRBF systems, mass timber structural design, and embodied carbon reduction via soil improvement strategies.

Revenue is generated through fee-based professional service engagements priced per project based on scope and complexity, with multi-year contract vehicles for government plan checking work (notably ranked #1 by OSHPD out of 20 firms in 2011). The firm operates a sales-led go-to-market via repeat institutional clients, architect/design-team referrals, and direct owner engagements, with no public pricing, no marketplace presence, and no external funding. Operating geographies span California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Oregon, and Utah.

Name

Forell Elsesser Engineers

Legal name

Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc.

Website

https://forell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forell/Elsesser Engineers is a privately held San Francisco structural and earthquake engineering consultancy, founded in 1964, providing seismic design, peer review, plan checking, and specialty expertise in base isolation and mass timber to institutional, healthcare, government, and tech-sector clients across the West Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

Keywords

• Structural engineering services
• Earthquake engineering consulting
• Seismic retrofit design
• Base isolation engineering
• Structural plan checking

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Structural Engineering Professional Services: Project-based structural and earthquake engineering consulting services including feasibility studies, seismic evaluations, complete structural design, construction document services, peer review, plan checking, value engineering, and constructability review. Revenue is generated through fee-based professional service engagements for public and private sector clients across diverse building types and sectors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Forell Elsesser Engineers is a structural and earthquake engineering consulting firm that provides project-based professional services including feasibility studies, seismic risk evaluations, structural system studies, complete structural engineering design, construction documents, peer review, plan checking, value engineering, constructability review, and seismic retrofit for new and existing buildings. The firm serves public and private sector clients across higher education, healthcare, government/civic, science & technology, sports, and workplace/commercial markets, with specialized expertise in seismic base isolation, buckling restrained braced frames, passive damping systems, mass timber construction, and embodied carbon reduction.

Product overview

Forell Elsesser Engineers is an award-winning structural and earthquake engineering firm with 60+ years of experience providing professional engineering services. The firm offers a unified set of engineering consulting services centered on structural engineering, with specialized expertise areas including mass timber construction, base isolation/seismic isolation, earthquake engineering, sustainability, adaptive reuse/office conversions, design-build delivery, and integrated project delivery (IPD). Services span the full project lifecycle from feasibility studies and peer review through construction support, and include specialized offerings such as non-ductile concrete seismic compliance, value engineering, constructability review, and plan checking for regulatory bodies. The firm also provides sustainability services including Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and embodied carbon reduction strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Structural Engineering Services Comprehensive structural and earthquake engineering services including project feasibility studies, seismic risk evaluations, structural system studies, complete structural engineering design, design and construction documents, post-earthquake evaluations, restoration and rehabilitation, special seismic analyses, building surveys, construction engineering, legal consulting, code and peer reviews, and value engineering for public and private sector clients.
• Peer Review Services Collaborative peer review services customized to client needs, including check of structural engineering concepts, behavioral or value improvement suggestions, constructability review, peer review report writing, review of seismic performance objectives, and technical review of design and details.
• Plan Checking Services Plan checking services for Division of State Architect (DSA), Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), private schools, and city jurisdictions. Provides regulatory compliance review on a contract basis.
• Value Engineering Focus on providing safe and constructible solutions efficiently, reducing materials and costs while achieving project goals. Based on 50+ years of experience working with budget-minded clients.
• Non-Ductile Concrete Services Assists building owners with seismic compliance for non-ductile concrete structures including early evaluations, tailored retrofit strategies, regulatory guidance, and collaborative planning with cost estimators, architects, and contractors.
• Constructability Review Review of structural designs for efficiency and ease of construction, helping reduce RFIs and change orders before projects are bid.
• Sustainability Services Environmentally responsible building design including sustainable material selection (high cement replacement concrete, CLT, CarbonCure technology), resilient structural engineering, energy efficient design, adaptive reuse strategies, and Life Cycle Assessments.
• Mass Timber Engineering

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved $500k from structural cost by changing floor system to post-tensioned concrete and optimizing vibration criteria on UCSF Wayne & Gladys Valley Center for Vision project
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.

• Blach ConstructionnotableImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor partner on progressive design/build projects including the Cañada College Kinesiology & Wellness Building. Collaborative delivery method enabled early contractor input during design phases.
• ELS Architecture and Urban DesignnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitectural design partner on the Cañada College Kinesiology & Wellness Building project. Collaborative relationship supporting design-build delivery method.
• SmithGroupnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect on the South San Francisco Library, Parks & Recreation Center (83,000 sq. ft.) project. Also collaborated on the UC Davis Teaching & Learning Complex which earned a DBIA award.
• SwinertonnotableImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor on South San Francisco Library, Parks & Recreation Center and Police Operations & 911 Dispatch Center projects.
• WebcornotableImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor on UCSF Wayne & Gladys Valley Center for Vision project (340,000 sq. ft. reinforced concrete structure) delivered via design-build with lean construction principles.
• WRNS StudionotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect on CSU Maritime Academy Mayo Hall project which received the 2024 DBIA-WPR Innovation Award.
• DPR ConstructionnotableImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor partner on the UC Davis Teaching & Learning Complex which received the 2024 DBIA Distinction and Design Excellence Award.
• International Living Future Institute (ILFI)minorOthersForell Elsesser achieved the JUST label from ILFI, a voluntary social justice disclosure program that creates a common language and measurement framework for social equity issues in organizations.
• Nordic (mass timber supplier and fabricator)notableTechnology or IntegrationMass timber supplier and fabricator on UC Berkeley Undergraduate Academic Building project — UC Berkeley's first mass timber building using glulam beam and column gravity system with 5-ply CLT panels.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Degenkolb Engineers: San Francisco-based structural engineering firm with deep seismic and earthquake engineering expertise. Closest comparable peer: same city, same specialty (seismic retrofit and base isolation), same higher-ed and healthcare client base.
• KPFF Consulting Engineers: Large US structural and civil engineering consultancy with strong Pacific Coast presence and significant higher-education, healthcare, and civic portfolios. Directly comparable on structural design, seismic services, and institutional client relationships.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): National structural engineering firm with strong seismic evaluation, building enclosure, and infrastructure practices. Comparable on seismic retrofit and structural design for institutional and civic clients.
• Tipping Structural Engineers (IMEG): Berkeley-based structural engineering firm specializing in performance-based seismic design, mass timber, and seismic isolation — closely aligned with Forell Elsesser's specialized expertise in advanced seismic systems.
• Coughlin Porter Lundeen: Seattle-based structural engineering firm with comparable higher-education, healthcare, and seismic retrofit portfolios. Directly comparable on regional seismic structural engineering consulting for institutional clients.
• Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers: Structural engineering firm with seismic design and building retrofit practices serving commercial, institutional, and civic clients. Comparable mid-size specialty consultancy competing for similar project types.

Broad incumbents

• Walter P Moore: Large national structural and civil engineering firm with significant seismic, infrastructure, and enclosure practices. Broader in scope than Forell Elsesser but competes for the same seismic retrofit and institutional structural design engagements.
• Arup: Global multidisciplinary engineering consultancy with a renowned structural and seismic engineering practice. Competes with Forell Elsesser on major institutional, healthcare, and civic seismic projects where it can offer bundled multi-discipline services.
• WSP: Global engineering consultancy with large structural and seismic engineering practices serving California institutional clients. Competes for larger bundled contracts where multi-discipline capability is required.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with significant structural engineering capability and California public-sector relationships. Competes on large civic and transportation infrastructure seismic projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/forell.elsesser
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forellelsesser-engineers
• Xx.com/ForellElsesser

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forell Elsesser Engineers