Brett Kaufmann, MS, SE
Principal
Mr. Kaufmann has more than 30 years of structural engineering and management experience. As a licensed Structural Engineer, Mr. Kaufmann has broad structural design experience including commercial projects, hospitality, retail, education, parking, residential, and mixed-use projects, as well as deep experience in design-build and fast track delivery systems. Before joining VCA Structural in 2014, Mr. Kaufmann served as Vice President for Thornton Tomasetti, a leading Global Structural Engineering firm, directing mid- and high-rise projects. Mr. Kaufmann is known in the industry as a hands-on veteran who is very customer centric and team-oriented. At VCA, Mr. Kaufmann leads a team of engineers engaged in mid-rise construction and is responsible for VCA’s Commercial & Special Projects Studio. Mr. Kaufmann has in-depth expertise in complex structural engineering systems and is an expert on the intent and application of structural engineering regulations including IBC, CBC, ASCE, AISC and ACI codes.
As a Principal of VCA Structural, Mr. Kaufmann is a member of the VCA Executive Committee and the VCA Operations Committee and is also involved in training and education. He has served as a lecturer of multifamily and high-rise concrete design, taught concrete design for the P.E. and S.E. licensing review courses and, since 2012, has been a client-consultant mentor at University of California, Irvine. Mr. Kaufmann is a past Board Member of the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC).
Mr. Kaufmann holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Structural Engineering, both from U.C.L.A. Mr. Kaufmann is a licensed Structural Engineer in California and Nevada, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Alabama. In addition, he is a Registered California Emergency Management Agency Safety Assessment Program Evaluator, is a Certified DSA Structural Plan Reviewer and is a member of numerous industry technical groups.