Structures Workshop

What Structures Workshop does

Structures Workshop, Inc. is a privately held structural engineering firm founded in 2008 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, with satellite/co-working locations in East Greenwich, RI and Dorchester, MA, and Professional Engineer licensure across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. In January 2025 the firm executed a strategic pivot to focus exclusively on steel construction, abandoning its prior full-service engineering practice that served architects, developers, and owners directly, and now refers those clients to recommended consultants. Operations are organized around two service lines: Steel Connections (structural steel and misc-metal connection design spanning 20 to 10,000 tons, covering bracing, moment, and shear connections) and Stairs + Railings (architectural stair and railing systems, including complex feature stairs and glass elevators).

The firm delivers work through BIM workflows in Autodesk Revit with IFC and SDS/2 model import/export interoperability, supported by proprietary in-house connection design software that produces calculation packages with sketches and dialogue for construction documentation. Documented capacity includes 18,143 connections engineered on a single project, and the firm has worked alongside named enterprise partners including Capco Steel, Cives Steel, United Steel, Shepard Steel, designLAB architects, and Diller Scofidio + Renfro (with Arup as EOR) on landmark buildings such as the Boston Garden Office Tower and Podium, Polar Park Stadium, UConn Hockey Stadium, Lincoln Center, MIT Theater Arts, and the Hitchcock Center for the Environment. Awards include an AIA Architecture Award (2023), a Living Building Challenge Award (2019), a Silver Prism Award (2019), and an ASLA Honor Award (2011), among others.

Structures Workshop generates revenue through project-based professional services consulting fees, with engagement pricing determined by scope and complexity rather than published rate cards. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by direct relationships with steel fabricators and architectural firms, supplemented by founder Erik Nelson's industry thought leadership (presentations at SEAMass Steel School and Architecture Boston/ABX, a blog with categories covering philosophy of engineering and technical content, and articles in MSC and Wood Design & Building). The firm is founder-owned and operated with 1-10 employees, no external funding rounds, no parent company, and no subsidiaries; the owner directs a minimum of 10% of income to charity through the Vanguard Charitable DAF.

Name

Structures Workshop

Legal name

Structures Workshop Inc.

Website

https://structuresworkshop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Structures Workshop is a privately held structural engineering firm founded in 2008, specializing exclusively in steel construction. It provides connection design and stairs/railings engineering for steel fabricators and architects across New England, using proprietary software and BIM/Revit workflows.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Structural Engineering Consulting: Professional engineering services for steel connection design and stairs/railings. Revenue generated through consulting fees for structural engineering design work on construction projects ranging from small misc metal projects to large-scale commercial and institutional buildings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Structures Workshop provides specialized structural engineering consulting focused exclusively on steel construction. Services include steel connection design (bracing, moment, shear connections) for fabricators and erectors on projects ranging from 20 to 10,000 tons, and stairs/railings design for complex architectural applications. As of January 2025, the firm no longer operates as a full-service engineering firm and exclusively serves steel construction needs for steel trade clients.

Product overview

Structures Workshop is a structural engineering firm specializing in steel construction, offering two primary service areas: Steel Connections (connection design for structural steel and misc metal projects) and Stairs + Railings (architectural stairs and railings systems). The firm transitioned in January 2025 to focus exclusively on steel construction, no longer operating as a full-service engineering firm. Services are delivered primarily through BIM workflows using Revit, with specialized connection design software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Steel Connections Specialized structural steel connection design services for fabricators and erectors, covering bracing, moment, and shear connections on projects ranging from 20 tons to 10,000 tons. Delivered using proprietary connection software and BIM/Revit workflows with IFC and SDS/2 model import/export for coordination with shop drawings.
• Stairs + Railings

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,143 connections designed on a single project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Capco Steel Erection CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-term working relationship as primary steel erector client. Structures Workshop provides connection engineering services for Capco's fabrication projects including Worcester Blackstone Visitor Center, Lincoln Center, Providence College, and Orsted Port projects. Capco is a key channel through which they deliver engineering services to end project owners.
• Cives Steel CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor steel fabricator client for connection engineering on large-scale projects including Boston Garden Office Tower and Podium, Boston Children's Hospital complex bridge, and Polar Park Stadium in Worcester.
• United SteelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSteel fabricator partner for connection engineering on projects including UConn Hockey Stadium, Dartmouth College crane footing, and Boston College Recreation Center.
• Shepard Steel Co., Inc.majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFabricator partner for connection engineering on Wesleyan Science Building, Wesleyan University Public Affairs Center, Citizens Bank Headquarters, and Bradley Airport projects.
• designLAB architectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic partnership on award-winning projects including Hitchcock Center for the Environment (Living Building Challenge, AIA Award), Worcester Blackstone Visitor Center (AIA Award), Concord Museum, and MIT Theater Arts. Collaborative structural engineering from design through construction.
• Vanguard Charitable DAFminorOthersDonor Advised Fund through which Erik Nelson directs charitable giving, awarding $500 to $5,000 grants to construction, architecture and engineering projects. Minimum 10% of income donated this way.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Buro Happold: Buro Happold is an international engineering consultancy with strong structural engineering practices on complex and sustainability-driven projects. Comparable to Structures Workshop because both deliver structural engineering services for award-winning, technically demanding buildings, though Buro Happold operates as a much larger, multidisciplinary incumbent.
• Arup: Arup is a global engineering consultancy with extensive structural engineering capabilities, including major steel projects such as Lincoln Center (where Arup served as EOR alongside Structures Workshop on a hyperbolic roof). Comparable to Structures Workshop because both deliver structural engineering services, with Arup operating as a much larger incumbent across multiple disciplines.
• Thornton Tomasetti: Thornton Tomasetti is a global engineering consultancy with a major structural steel practice. Comparable to Structures Workshop because both perform structural engineering for complex steel buildings, though Thornton Tomasetti operates across a much wider service portfolio and geographic footprint.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): WJE is a large engineering, architecture, and materials science firm with significant structural steel expertise. Comparable to Structures Workshop because both engage in structural engineering for steel construction, with WJE serving as a larger incumbent offering adjacent investigation and rehabilitation services.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): SGH is a well-established structural engineering consulting firm with strong steel and building envelope expertise. Comparable to Structures Workshop because both deliver specialized structural engineering for complex building projects, though SGH operates at materially greater scale and breadth.

Direct peers

• DeSimone Consulting Engineers: DeSimone is a structural engineering firm serving complex commercial, residential, and cultural projects. Comparable to Structures Workshop because both provide structural engineering services for architecturally ambitious buildings requiring advanced steel design.
• Ruby+Associates: Ruby+Associates is a structural engineering firm specializing in steel connection design and miscellaneous metals for fabricators and erectors. Highly comparable to Structures Workshop because both operate as niche consultants serving steel fabricators on complex connection design work.
• LERA Consulting Structural Engineers: LERA is a structural engineering firm specializing in innovative and complex building structures. Comparable to Structures Workshop because both provide structural engineering services for high-profile steel and mixed-material projects with sophisticated connection requirements.
• Severud Associates: Severud Associates is a structural engineering consultancy known for complex commercial, cultural, and institutional buildings. Comparable to Structures Workshop because both deliver high-end structural engineering services for architecturally demanding steel-intensive projects.
• Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA): MKA is a structural and civil engineering consultancy known for large, complex steel and concrete buildings. Directly comparable to Structures Workshop because both focus on structural engineering services for major commercial and institutional projects, with overlap in steel-intensive design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/structures-workshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Structures Workshop