This week, architects, engineers, designers, technologists, and builders will come together for Chicago Innovate 2026, a four day event exploring how new technologies, materials, and ways of working are reshaping the AEC industry. Forefront Founding Partner Josh Dortzbach will join the symposium on September 25 as a panelist for the Advanced Materials + Construction discussion. His presentation, From Digital to Physical: Engineering a New Way to Build, explores an idea that h

Columbus’s first mass timber building and, at 13 stories, the tallest mass timber student housing structure in the U.S., has topped out, a construction milestone.

Forefront Structural Engineers is proud to announce that 517 W Main Street has been awarded the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI) Excellence in Structural Engineering Award in the category of Best Project – Up to $10 Million.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the 9th & High Off Campus Student Housing project site in Columbus, Ohio, which will have twelve stories of mass timber supported on a one-story concrete podium making it the tallest mass timber student housing building in the U.S. And after spending months working through the design, it was great to see the building starting to take shape in real time. Being on site is always so rewarding because you see your hard work translated into

We are excited to share that Jon Guttello will be speaking at the 10th Annual Young Engineers Symposium , hosted by the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois . The symposium brings together emerging professionals from across the region for a day focused on connection, learning, discussion, and professional growth. Jon’s presentation will focus on the three hour mass timber fire test in which Forefront recently participated. The testing provided valuable real world da

I recently had the opportunity to join XR Realty for a podcast conversation that covered a wide range of topics shaping cities today. The discussion moved naturally between development in Chicago, the future of large scale civic projects, and the evolving role of materials and construction methods such as mass timber and componentized housing. It was a thoughtful conversation that reflected how interconnected these topics really are. From my perspective at Forefront Structur

After we shared our reflections on the 3-hour mass timber fire test , I had the opportunity to continue that conversation in a different format. I was recently invited by Neutral to join their podcast and talk more openly about why the testing mattered, what we learned, and how it’s shaping the way I think about mass timber moving forward. In Episode 19 of the Neutral Podcast , I talk through the motivation behind the test, what it was like to see the assembly perform in rea

This month at Forefront Structural Engineers, we’ve been proud to break ground on 9th & High , a project that represents not only a major milestone in mass timber construction but also a powerful example of what thoughtful structural design can help bring to life in today’s built environment. Read the full press release here. Located just off the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio, 9th & High is rising as what will be the tallest mass timber student housing buildi