
<p>René Vignos is a Principal and licensed structural engineer at &nbsp;Forell | Elsesser. After entering the firm in 1999 and after more than two decades of experience, he is still invigorated by the challenge of creating the most elegant, inspired engineering solutions possible to translate an architect’s vision into a constructible reality.</p>



<p>As &nbsp;Forell | Elsesser’s Chief Operations Officer, René Vignos serves as part of the executive management team that guides the firm as a whole in addition to his responsibilities overseeing the operations of the core engineering practice.&nbsp; His skills in organization, administration, and collaboration serve him well as one of the leaders of the firm.</p>



<p>René has developed broad engineering skills in new design and retrofit, with a specialty in preserving and protecting historic landmark structures. He is currently providing state-of-the-art structural engineering design services for the complex rehabilitation and seismic strengthening of the historic Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This project involves the unprecedented base isolation and retrofit of a massive unreinforced stone masonry structure. In addition to his cultural facilities experience, he also works on athletic facilities, education facilities, national laboratory facilities, and overseas earthquake reconnaissance efforts. René is a licensed Structural Engineer in California, Utah, Oregon, and Wyoming. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a Master’s degree from the University of Texas, Austin.</p>



<p>In his downtime he enjoys tinkering with home improvement projects, camping with his family, and following the latest NHL hockey game.</p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Professional Associations</strong></h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>San Francisco Code Advisory Committee, Structural Subcommittee</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>University of California at Berkeley, Seismic Review Committee</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC), Protective Systems Committee, Past-Chair &amp; Member</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), Member</li>
</ul>



<p></p>


Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City Main Temple, Seismic Retrofit

Dignity Health, Saint Joseph’s Hospital Patient Pavilion, Women’s & Children’s Center

Meta, MPK 21

Meta, MPK 20

Baker & Hamilton Building, Adobe HQ

Utah State Capitol Seismic Retrofit

Oregon Supreme Court, Modernization and Seismic Retrofit

LBNL, Building 33, General Purpose Laboratory

USF, John Lo Schiavo Center for Science and Innovation

UCSF Mission Bay Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Hall

Oregon State Capitol, Seismic Retrofit

University of California, Berkeley, Simpson Training Center

UC Berkeley California Memorial Stadium Seismic Upgrade

UC Berkeley, Blum Center for Developing Economies

UC Berkeley Barker Hall Seismic Upgrade

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

California Maritime Academy Simulation Center

California Maritime Academy Dining Center & Bookstore Complex

Build Change Haiti Reconstruction Effort

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Rooftop Garden

San Francisco Planning + Urban Research (SPUR) Urban Center

Meta, MPK 22

Chief Operating Officer

René Vignos


<p>With the firm since 1984, Mason is a Senior Principal at Forell | Elsesser. One of Mason’s most effective roles at the firm is orchestrating teams of engineers to leverage their varied areas of expertise, and quickly develop solutions to even the most complex problems. He constantly explores solution concepts and ideas that are outside the norm, leading to unexpectedly elegant and efficient solutions–a practice he encourages with those he mentors. Mason has also had success in crossing lines between engineering disciplines and construction processes to improve existing structural engineering methods to the benefit of F/E’s clients.</p>



<p>As a well-known industry leader, Mason is a resource for in-house staff and colleagues. His engineering expertise includes such diverse areas as sustainable concrete mix design, seismic isolation of new and historic buildings, long-span bridge design, and performance-based seismic design of steel structures. He excels at the analysis, testing, and design for unusual projects that fall outside the scope of traditional building codes. In the early 1990’s, he developed specifications and testing requirements that were used for the U.S. Court of Appeals seismic retrofit in San Francisco, the first federally funded seismic isolation project.&nbsp;Mason is&nbsp;a licensed Structural Engineer in California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and licensed Professional Engineer in D.C. Mason earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master of Engineering degree in Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics from UC Berkeley.</p>



<p>Mason’s recreational interests include hiking, fly fishing, cinema, metalworking, and carpentry.  He sometimes integrates the latter two interests into his structural engineering practice by building physical models of structures and structural hardware to quickly enhance the clients’ and colleagues’ grasp of complex structural concepts.</p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Professional Associations</strong></h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>University of California Office of the President Seismic Advisory Board (Charter Member, Chair 2017-2022)</li>



<li>Caltrans Seismic Advisory Board</li>



<li>Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC), Solar Photovoltaic Systems Seismic Committee, Voting Member</li>



<li>Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC), Director (2003-2005); Convention Technical Committee, Former Co-Chair;&nbsp;Program Committee, Former Chair; Subcommittee on Protective Systems;&nbsp;Subcommittee on Non-Building Structures</li>



<li>American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)</li>



<li>Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)</li>



<li>International Association for Bridge &amp; Structural Engineering (IABSE)</li>
</ul>


University of California, Berkeley, Archeology Building

University of California, Berkeley, Hildebrand Hall

University of California, Berkeley, Latimer Hall

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), Biosolids Digester Facilities Project

GSA, James R. Browning, U.S. Court of Appeals Building

San Francisco Mint, Seismic Evaluation & Seismic Upgrade

Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center

PG&E HQ, 245 Market Street Complex

345 Brannan, Office Complex

San Francisco City Hall, Seismic Retrofit

San Francisco 911 Emergency Communications Center

Oakland City Hall Seismic Rehabilitation

LLNL, Building 453 Terascale Simulation Facility

Hiram W. Johnson State Office Building + Earl Warren Supreme Court Building

East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) Mokelumne Aqueduct Seismic Upgrade

JCC, Mono County Courthouse, Mammoth Lakes, CA

San Francisco International Airport Concourse H BART Station

West Cargo Facility

UC Berkeley, Sutardja Dai Hall, CITRIS HQ

UC Berkeley Jacobs Institute of Design Innovation

Stanford University, McMurtry Art & Art History Building

Stanford University, Bass Biology Research Building

Lick-Wilmerding High School, Expansion & Renovation

University of California, Berkeley, Bakar BioEnginuity Hub

UCSF Parnassus Ray & Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine

San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge Seismic Retrofit

SFJAZZ Center

Congregation Beth Sholom

Tulare County (Porterville) Courthouse

SFMTA, Central Subway Chinatown – Rose Pak Station

San Francisco International Airport Rental Car Parking Garage

San Francisco International Airport North & South Public Parking Garages

Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)

UCSF Parnassus Clinical Sciences Building

Senior Principal

Mason Walters


<p>A California licensed Structural Engineer, Susan has been with Forell | Elsesser since 2007. With a detail-oriented approach, she is proactive and thorough in addressing client needs throughout the design and construction phases of a project.</p>



<p>Susan has worked on new construction and retrofit projects including healthcare, educational, institutional, and multi-family housing structures. She especially enjoys developing simple, customized solutions for the complex problems that often occur in retrofitting existing buildings. She also has extensive experience responding to clients and addressing field issues during the construction administration phase of projects. Susan received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and a Master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.</p>



<p>Susan is an outdoor enthusiast and can often be found backpacking in the Sierras. When not exploring National Parks, she loves cooking and baking for her family and friends.</p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Professional Associations</strong></h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC), Board Member, Business Forum Past Chair, Continuing Education Committee Past Chair</li>
</ul>


San Bernardino County, Valley Communications Center

Congregation Emanu-El, Seismic Retrofit and Addition

AOC South Monterey County (Greenfield) Courthouse

Las Positas College Child Development Center

Chabot Community College Math & Science Building Modernizations

Futures Without Violence San Francisco Presidio Building 100

San Francisco Friends School Seismic Retrofit

Foothill Community College Physical Sciences & Engineering Center

Chevron Richmond Research Park Technology Center Building 24

Senior Associate

Susan LaFore


<p>Brenna Marcoux is a licensed Structural Engineer with extensive experience in structural design. Over her career, Brenna worked on a variety of projects, including single and multi-family residential, commercial, aviation, and seismic retrofit projects. She enjoys working with architects and contractors to deliver thoughtful, creative, and cost-effective designs. Brenna received a Bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University and a Master’s degree from UC Davis.</p>



<p>Outside of work, Brenna enjoys hiking in the parks around the Bay Area, exercising, traveling, and reading.</p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">Professional Associations</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC)</li>
</ul>


City of Mountain View, Rengstorff Aquatics Center

SteelWave, The Lab Parking Structure, 4th Street, Berkeley, CA

University of California, Berkeley, Heathcock Hall, College of Chemistry

Senior Engineer

Brenna Marcoux


<p>As a Senior Engineer at Forell | Elsesser, Casey works on a variety of projects from the design of new buildings to the development of retrofit schemes for existing buildings.  She enjoys collaborating with Forell | Elsesser’s diverse team of engineers to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions to meet our client’s needs.  After personally seeing the devastation from the Christchurch earthquake, she strives to use her structural engineering expertise to make cities more resilient to potential earthquakes.</p>



<p>Casey received both her Bachelor’s and her Master’s degree from UC Berkeley.&nbsp; Having an interest in the interdisciplinary nature of the A/E/C industry, she broadened her educational experience by taking courses in architecture and city planning.&nbsp; As a graduate student, Casey was invited to be a teacher’s assistant for the upper-division structural engineering class which initiated her passion for teaching and mentorship.</p>



<p>Outside the office, Casey likes to explore the rich urban and natural landscape of the Bay Area. She enjoys hiking, traveling, visiting museums, and photography. During the evenings, she enjoys cooking with friends, playing board games, and winding down with a good book.</p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">Professional Associations</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC)</li>



<li>American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)</li>
</ul>


Sacred Heart Academic Arts Building

LinkedIn, Middlefield Campus

Millbrae Recreation Center

Casey Ching


<p>As a Senior Engineer at Forell | Elsesser, Lindsey brings a technical and analytical portfolio with a diverse range of projects varying in material, type of construction, and geographic location.  She has aided both in design collaboration, as well as construction administration phases and enjoys working with clients to achieve a desirable structure that is both simplistic and creative, as well as cost-effective. Additionally, Lindsey has aided in the forensic analysis and remedial efforts of existing structures and values the educational aspects of restoring and preserving historical structures.</p>



<p>Lindsey’s expansive knowledge in modeling three-dimensional structures both in Revit, as well as structural analysis software, has utilized the advanced capabilities of sharing real-time building information models for cross-discipline collaboration efforts.&nbsp; She is also a gifted writer and looks to further business development aspects with the firm.</p>



<p>Lindsey received her Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&amp;M University, College Station, and her Master’s degree from Stanford University.</p>



<p>Apart from Engineering, Lindsey enjoys fashion design, contemporary dance, swimming, and yoga.</p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">Professional Associations</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC)</li>
</ul>


Lindsey Koenig


<p>As an Engineer at Forell | Elsesser, Poly is deeply passionate about structural engineering and exploring innovative ideas to create seismically safe and sustainable communities. Growing up in Greece, a region prone to seismic activity, she possesses a unique perspective on the significance of not only focusing on new construction but also on preserving and retrofitting existing structures of historical and cultural importance.</p>



<p>Poly’s academic journey led her to pursue both her Undergraduate and Master’s degrees at UC Berkeley. There, she actively engaged in various student organizations, like the SEAONC Student Chapter, where she served as co-president.</p>



<p>When Poly is not working, she enjoys traveling, solving puzzles, and playing basketball.</p>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">Professional Associations</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC)</li>
</ul>


Natural History Museum Los Angeles County, Jezet Seating Structure

Engineer

Polytimi Kontothanasi

Historic Renovation

Projects

Team

Categories