KCE-About Us

Education: George Washington University, l963 - B.S.C.E.
Civil Engineering

George Washington University, Post Graduate Work

Residency: A 55 year resident of Washington D.C.

Experience: Beall & LeMay, Structural Engineers - l96l-l968
President KCE Structural Engineers, P.C. - l969 - l972
CEO KCE Structural Engineers, P.C. - l972 - Present
Executive Vice President, KTLH Engineers, P.C. - 1995 - Present

Professional Registration:

Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, N.C.E.E., New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Professional Activities:

PAST - Treasurer, American Society of Civil Engineers, N.C.S.A.M.F., President, George Washington University Student Chapter A.S.C.E., Phi Eta Sigma, Honorary; President, American Society of Civil Engineers, N.C.S.A.M.F.; Chairman, Publicity & Attendance Committee - National Transportation Engineering Conference (July l969 ¬Washington, D.C.): Associate Contact Member, American Society of Civil Engineers, George Washington University; Mayor's Building Code Advisory Committee; Board of Directors - Washington Building Congress; and Vice President Board of Trustees -Holton Arms School. Chairman Structural Division Mayor's Building Code Advisory Committee.

PRESENT - American Institute of Steel Construction; Advisor, Alpha Epsilon Pi; Board of Regional Governors, Alpha Epsilon Pi; Construc¬tion Career Council of Metropolitan Washington; Member, American Welding Society; Member, National Society of Professional Engineers; Omicron Delta Kappa; Member, Washington Building Congress; Member, Washington Engineers Club; Member, George Washington Engineers Club; ACI; ASCE; PCI; CECMW and CECUS.

Honors: Scholarship, George Washington University; Teaching Assistantship; George Washington University; American Society of Civil Engineers, l962 Spring Award; American Society of Civil Engineers N.C.S. Nominee, l970, for Outstanding Young Engineer, Elected to O.D.K.; l980 Engineer Alumni Achievement Award, George Washington University Engineer Alumni Association; Honored Speaker and Lecturer.

His experience encompasses a broad range of project types, including high-rise office buildings, commercial and industrial projects, residential and hotel complexes, medical facilities for both clinical and research use, military facilities, historical restoration and renovation of historic structures, emergency analyses and stabilization recommendations for "failures" (including post-earthquake work in Mexico City, San Francisco and Hurricane work in Charleston and Myrtle Beach), cost and feasibility studies for a variety of projects, etc.

Allyn E. Kilsheimer has had direct design responsibility for over 200 office buildings, hotels and apartment complexes in the Metropolitan Washington area alone. His experience includes design for the seven largest private developments in the area: Washington Square; National Place; The Grand Hyatt, Columbia Square, Bethesda Metro Center, Techworld, NRECA and FDIC headquarters, training and operations center.

Mr. Kilsheimer experience in building monitoring, slurry wall construction, and concrete and reinforcing inspection encompasses over thirty-nine years and 400 projects.

Mr. Kilsheimer's background as a Structural Engineer has provided him with extensive direct experience with virtually all types of construction methods and materials and has involved their application to a wide variety of specific economic, environmental, aesthetic, and functional requirements for projects located throughout the eastern and mid-western United States, as well as overseas. He is a Registered Professional Structural Engineer in 2l states, and has been in direct charge of over 11.5 billion dollars of construction.

Mr. Kilsheimer has been published in various magazines and publications and he has lectured, on multiple occasions, on various structural engineering issues.

Mr. Kilsheimer, has been involved in the structural design of numerous foreign embassies in Washington, D.C., including the Kuwait, Israeli, and Iranian. He further has been involved with the American Embassy in Kuwait, Ethiopia, Brunei and Afghanistan.

Mr. Kilsheimer has been consulted over the last thirty-three years in his own practice as a forensic engineering expert on over one hundred matters involving investigation, analysis, arbitration and/or litigation including but not limited to such cases as the Skyline Towers, Crystal City, Van Ness Center, Stanford, French Chancery, Mathew Brady Studios, 22nd Street and Florida Avenue Embassy, 14th & H Street and 1441 H Street, and for hundreds of catastrophic failure analysis, including numerous fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, structural damage by explosions and collapses or imminent collapses of buildings and or support structures throughout the United States and over seas, including the emergency recovery and restoration of the Pentagon after the September 11 attack.

Mr. Kilsheimer has been directly involved in the restoration, rehabilitation, facade retention, facade removal and re-construction, facade support and building moving and/or support design analysis for over 100 projects throughout his career, including the recovery and reconstruction of the Pentagon on the evening of and since the attack of September 11, 2001.

Mr. Kilsheimer has been involved in over 30 projects with GSA and other government tenants, varying from failure analysis, peer reviews, tenant work, and base building design, including those such as Postal Square, Bureau of Mines, Judiciary Office Building, National Science Foundation, NOAA, Department of Justice, The Patent and Trademark Headquarters, and others.

Mr. Kilsheimer has provided consultation to numerous overseas entities in England, USSR, Ukraine, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Barbados, Lebanon, Brunei, Ethiopia, Italy, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Vietnam, Egypt and Portugal.

KCE Structural Engineers, PC, was founded in Washington, DC, in 1968 after its founder, Allyn Kilsheimer, a 70-year DC resident, had worked in various capacities in the field and at one Washington, DC engineering firm beginning in 1959. The company has been successful in all phases of structural engineering work. With a total staff of over 20 and complete in-house computer and data processing equipment, the firm has completed structural design of projects with a construction value in excess of 47 billion dollars, concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States with other major projects throughout the United States. We have also provided structural consultation for a number of overseas projects.

We have also performed services such as Owner’s Representative and Construction Manager on such notable projects as The Phoenix Project at the Pentagon and the US Patent and Trade Office Headquarters.

The technology of building failure investigations and historic restoration, forensic engineering, emergency repair work and special demolition work, has been a special service of KCE for over forty years that has been drawn upon by government agencies, owners, contractors, attorneys, and major corporations alike throughout the USA and overseas.

Our structural design experience encompasses the full range of structural engineering services, from pre-design consultation through design to construction phase services. Our projects have utilized all types of construction including, but not limited to, poured-in-place mild steel reinforced concrete, precast concrete, steel frame, composite steel, masonry wall-bearing, post-tensioned concrete, etc., for a wide variety of uses, including but not limited to, mixed-use projects, office buildings, hotels and apartment buildings, warehouses, commercial buildings, parking facilities, hospitals, historic facilities and religious facilities, including several thousand single family homes.

We have provided Design Consultation for projects in 21 states, and projects for the countries of Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iran, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Brunei, Lebanon, and Mexico.

In addition to our design experience, KCE has been retained by contractors, engineers, owners, and law firms for forensic, emergency restoration, and/or expert witness consultation in all areas of construction.

Engineering Innovation and Expertise

We have developed specialized systems including: hammerhead brackets; specialized wind bracking structures; piggyback girders; iron cross columns; and widely used sloped columns; side by side girders; composite concrete and steel Vierendeel trusses.

We are also experienced in the design of heavy and light timber structures, light gauge metal structures, use of space frame systems, and structural glass wall systems.

In addition to our "conventional" structural design services, we are able to provide full time field inspection services for concrete reinforcing, structural steel, and formwork for projects throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Specialized Experience - Emergency Investigations, Failure Analysis, Reconstruction

Forensic Investigations of existing buildings, buildings in failure modes, emergency situations, and buildings requiring remediation of not only structure, but also mechanized roofs, seating bowls, long-span steel frames, etc. are our specialties.

We are known worldwide for emergency investigations and stabilizations, and are members of emergency response teams and consultants to numerous governmental agencies and fire and rescue departments. Pre-purchase walk-through inspections, and mortgage reviews are included in our expertise.

The technology of building failures, natural and manmade disasters, historic restoration, forensic engineering, including facade retention techniques, facade investigation, emergency repair work and selective demolition work, has been a special service of our firms for many years, which has been called upon by government agencies, owners, contractors, major corporations, and foreign governments alike throughout the country and overseas.

The most notable example is the Phoenix Project (Pentagon Reconstruction), in which KCE was retained on September 11, 2001, for emergency rescue and recovery for the portion of the Pentagon damaged by the terrorist attack, and served as the Prime Design Firm and Owner’s Representative for The Phoenix Project, rebuilding the Pentagon in one year.

Shortly after the completion of the Phoenix Project, we were called to the site of the collapse of a portion of a parking garage under construction in Rockville, Maryland, to investigate and then to conduct an exhaustive analysis as to the cause of the failure and to direct reconstruction efforts.

In subsequent years, we have been involved in many others not listed here, including the following recent events, including parking structures, sheeting, and building structures:

In October of 2001, we were called to review structural steel issues at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

In November of 2003, we were asked to review issues with the retractable roof at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In August of 2010, we were called to review concrete deterioration issues at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.

In June 2012, we were called in after the failure of a portion of a warehouse in Landover, Maryland to assist with emergency shoring during personnel rescue and recovery efforts, followed by a partial demolition plan. We then performed a thorough analysis to determine the cause of the failure.

In October of 2012, we were called to the site of the collapse of a portion of a precast parking garage under construction in Miami (Doral) Florida, to direct make-safe efforts and then to investigate and conduct an exhaustive analysis as to the cause of the failure and to direct deconstruction efforts.

In the fall of 2013, we were called to assist with emergency bracing of a failed sheeting and shoring system at a hotel site in Austin, Texas.

In May of 2014, we were called upon to provide emergency stabilization, analysis, demolition consultation, and remediation design services after the collapse of three adjacent buildings in downtown Washington, DC.

In June of 2014, we provided emergency stabilization and analysis of a façade failure in the District of Columbia.

In February of 2015, we were called upon to provide emergency stabilization, analysis, and demolition consultation during and after a seven-alarm fire at a ± one million square foot warehouse in Brooklyn, NY.

In February of 2015, we were also called upon to provide a review of issues with the retractable roof and steel trusses at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY.

In May of 2015, we were called upon to provide emergency stabilization, analysis, demolition consultation, and remediation design services after the collapse of a three-story parking garage at the Watergate complex in Washington, DC.

In September of 2015, we were called to provide emergency stabilization and remediation consultation in connection with a deep shear zone failure outside of Mexico City.

In October of 2015, we were called to provide emergency stabilization, make-safe direction, demolition consultation, and assistance with a partial failure of an overpass bridge under construction in Los Angeles, CA.

In May of 2016, we were called to provide structural consultation on the failure of a stone façade at a hospital in Baltimore, MD.

In August of 2016, we were called to provide structural consultation following a structural failure at a potash distilling facility in Saskatchewan, Canada.

In November of 2016, we were called to provide structural consultation when portions of a high-rise apartment building in Fairfax County, VA partially collapsed.

In February of 2017, we were called to provide structural consultation following a fatal trench collapse at a residence under construction in Washington, DC.

In July of 2017, we were called to provide make-safe and repair structural consultation for a dormitory being relocated in Towson, MD.

In January of 2018, we were called to provide emergency make-safe and demolition structural consultation following the partial collapse during demolition of a building on top of a Metro station in Bethesda, MD.

In March of 2018, we were called in on the collapse of a pedestrian bridge in Miami, FL.

We have been called upon to provide leadership and expertise in construction failure situations, including investigation and development of remedial repairs and/or damage to adjacent buildings.

KCE Structural Engineers, PC, was founded in Washington, DC, in 1968 after its founder, Allyn Kilsheimer, a 70-year DC resident, had worked in various capacities in the field and at one Washington, DC engineering firm beginning in 1959. The company has been successful in all phases of structural engineering work. With a total staff of over 20 and complete in-house computer and data processing equipment, the firm has completed structural design of projects with a construction value in excess of 47 billion dollars, concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States with other major projects throughout the United States. We have also provided structural consultation for a number of overseas projects.

We have also performed services such as Owner’s Representative and Construction Manager on such notable projects as The Phoenix Project at the Pentagon and the US Patent and Trade Office Headquarters.

The technology of building failure investigations and historic restoration, forensic engineering, emergency repair work and special demolition work, has been a special service of KCE for over forty years that has been drawn upon by government agencies, owners, contractors, attorneys, and major corporations alike throughout the USA and overseas.

Our structural design experience encompasses the full range of structural engineering services, from pre-design consultation through design to construction phase services. Our projects have utilized all types of construction including, but not limited to, poured-in-place mild steel reinforced concrete, precast concrete, steel frame, composite steel, masonry wall-bearing, post-tensioned concrete, etc., for a wide variety of uses, including but not limited to, mixed-use projects, office buildings, hotels and apartment buildings, warehouses, commercial buildings, parking facilities, hospitals, historic facilities and religious facilities, including several thousand single family homes.

We have provided Design Consultation for projects in 21 states, and projects for the countries of Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iran, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam Egypt, Ethiopia, Brunei, Lebanon, Mexico, and Malaysia.

In addition to our design experience, KCE has been retained by contractors, engineers, owners, and law firms for forensic, emergency restoration, and/or expert witness consultation in all areas of construction.

Engineering Innovation and Expertise

We have developed specialized systems including: hammerhead brackets; specialized wind bracking structures; piggyback girders; iron cross columns; and widely used sloped columns; side by side girders; composite concrete and steel Vierendeel trusses.

We are also experienced in the design of heavy and light timber structures, light gauge metal structures, use of space frame systems, and structural glass wall systems.

In addition to our "conventional" structural design services, we are able to provide full time field inspection services for concrete reinforcing, structural steel, and formwork for projects throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Specialized Experience - Emergency Investigations, Failure Analysis, Reconstruction

Forensic Investigations of existing buildings, buildings in failure modes, emergency situations, and buildings requiring remediation of not only structure, but also mechanized roofs, seating bowls, long-span steel frames, etc. are our specialties.

We are known worldwide for emergency investigations and stabilizations, and are members of emergency response teams and consultants to numerous governmental agencies and fire and rescue departments. Pre-purchase walk-through inspections, and mortgage reviews are included in our expertise.

The technology of building failures, natural and manmade disasters, historic restoration, forensic engineering, including facade retention techniques, facade investigation, emergency repair work and selective demolition work, has been a special service of our firms for many years, which has been called upon by government agencies, owners, contractors, major corporations, and foreign governments alike throughout the country and overseas.

The most notable example is the Phoenix Project (Pentagon Reconstruction), in which KCE was retained on September 11, 2001, for emergency rescue and recovery for the portion of the Pentagon damaged by the terrorist attack, and served as the Prime Design Firm and Owner’s Representative for The Phoenix Project, rebuilding the Pentagon in one year.

Shortly after the completion of the Phoenix Project, we were called to the site of the collapse of a portion of a parking garage under construction in Rockville, Maryland, to investigate and then to conduct an exhaustive analysis as to the cause of the failure and to direct reconstruction efforts.

In subsequent years, we have been involved in many others not listed here, including the following recent events, including parking structures, sheeting, and building structures:

In October of 2001, we were called to review structural steel issues at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

In November of 2003, we were asked to review issues with the retractable roof at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In August of 2010, we were called to review concrete deterioration issues at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.

In June 2012, we were called in after the failure of a portion of a warehouse in Landover, Maryland to assist with emergency shoring during personnel rescue and recovery efforts, followed by a partial demolition plan. We then performed a thorough analysis to determine the cause of the failure.

In October of 2012, we were called to the site of the collapse of a portion of a precast parking garage under construction in Miami (Doral) Florida, to direct make-safe efforts and then to investigate and conduct an exhaustive analysis as to the cause of the failure and to direct deconstruction efforts.

In the fall of 2013, we were called to assist with emergency bracing of a failed sheeting and shoring system at a hotel site in Austin, Texas.

In May of 2014, we were called upon to provide emergency stabilization, analysis, demolition consultation, and remediation design services after the collapse of three adjacent buildings in downtown Washington, DC.

In June of 2014, we provided emergency stabilization and analysis of a façade failure in the District of Columbia.

In February of 2015, we were called upon to provide emergency stabilization, analysis, and demolition consultation during and after a seven-alarm fire at a ± one million square foot warehouse in Brooklyn, NY.

In February of 2015, we were also called upon to provide a review of issues with the retractable roof and steel trusses at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY.

In May of 2015, we were called upon to provide emergency stabilization, analysis, demolition consultation, and remediation design services after the collapse of a three-story parking garage at the Watergate complex in Washington, DC.

In September of 2015, we were called to provide emergency stabilization and remediation consultation in connection with a deep shear zone failure outside of Mexico City.

In October of 2015, we were called to provide emergency stabilization, make-safe direction, demolition consultation, and assistance with a partial failure of an overpass bridge under construction in Los Angeles, CA.

In May of 2016, we were called to provide structural consultation on the failure of a stone façade at a hospital in Baltimore, MD.

In August of 2016, we were called to provide structural consultation following a structural failure at a potash distilling facility in Saskatchewan, Canada.

In November of 2016, we were called to provide structural consultation when portions of a high-rise apartment building in Fairfax County, VA partially collapsed.

In February of 2017, we were called to provide structural consultation following a fatal trench collapse at a residence under construction in Washington, DC.

In July of 2017, we were called to provide make-safe and repair structural consultation for a dormitory being relocated in Towson, MD.

In January of 2018, we were called to provide emergency make-safe and demolition structural consultation following the partial collapse during demolition of a building on top of a Metro station in Bethesda, MD.

In March of 2018, we were called in on the collapse of a pedestrian bridge in Miami, FL.

We have been called upon to provide leadership and expertise in construction failure situations, including investigation and development of remedial repairs and/or damage to adjacent buildings.