In an industry that struggles naturally at risk, structural engineer Cary Kopczynski wants everyone to learn to share. It says the good of all those involved. It is for the sake of the efficiency, construction and productivity of projects.
With more than 45 years of experience as a structural engineer, all based in the Seattle region and 35 years as the main behind Cary Kopczynski & Co. (Also known as CKC or CKC structural engineers), Kopczynski has made known to design Alt Rise Towers in the north -west of the Pacific and beyond, thanks to its more than two dozens of 20 -story or more towers in Seattle and Bellevue Only and more than 80 regional, national and international awards par excellence in engineering. But now Kopczynski wants to be known for something much more personal: collaboration.
“Cary has always been interested and aware of the problems of tall building builders,” says Lyall Hadden, from Core Receive Fabricion, which Kopczynski has known for more than 30 years. “I especially appreciate its opening to collaboration and its innovative approach to problem solving.”
Rose Garden Arena’s parking structure was redesigned in Portland, CKC’s effort saved $ 4 million.
Photo courtesy Cary Kopczynski & Co.
In recognition of his many hits and impacts on the industry, Enr has named Kopczynski the winner of the 2025 Enr West Legacy Award for the northern subregion -west.
An excellent example of the impact of Kopczynski is its promotion of materials that improved the productivity of the workplace. Hadden says it was Kopczynski who pioneered the use of the 100ksi confinement steel bar of great resistance to the columns and the elements of the limit, which reduced congestion to the workplace and increased construction . The Seattle 31 -story residential tower built in 2009 was the first to combine high strength concrete and receive high strength to speed up the calendar and improve labor safety.
“This only happened because Cary laid time to listen to all the parties involved, understand his challenges and collaborate in a solution,” says Hadden. “Today, this positive and innovative spirit continues with its support for initiatives such as ACI Pro and the support of the use of the modular bar to accelerate concrete construction.”
CKC incorporated the use of high strength concrete and high strength reinforcement in the design of Seattle House.
Photo courtesy Cary Kopczynski & Co.
Improvement of productivity
Kopczynski’s work on Pro – Short at the American Concrete Institute Center for Excellence to advance productivity, a high school that created as President of ACI, is something that is proud of. The goal, according to him, to help the entire industry, create a team effort that moves the needle in the world of productivity.
“The most fundamental thing we are trying to encourage with Pro is to improve the collaboration between designers and builders and suppliers,” he says. “You may have hundreds of different companies involved in a project and do not always work together; And you are not always incentive to work together. Due to the way the industry is currently shaped and contracts are written, collaboration is often talked about, but it is rarely performed. Too many major projects tell a good story, but even before schematic design is over, they are already fighting. “
“What I wanted to be different about CKC is to adopt the industry and relate to contractors and subcontractors and steel manufacturers to listen to and listen to what they want.”
—Carry Kopczynski, CEO, Cary Kopczynski & Co.
That is why Kopczynski focuses on initiatives that revolve around the industry working together, sharing the risk proportionally and fostering innovation by writing contracts that do not discourage innovation. The Pro is working, according to him, but it is a monumental company against rooted practices.
“I think I’m probably more proud of the fact that my efforts to innovate, improve industry collaboration, improve design construction, is really where my efforts are apparently recognized,” he says. “I am proud of this because I think the industry really needs it.”
The focus on Kopczynski’s collaboration began before he was an engineer. Growing on Spokane, Wash., The son of a general contractor, Kopczynski met the industry from a young age. And while studying to become a structural engineer, after school he left between being an engineer or entering the world of construction. He decided that engineering and design was his home, who worked for some Seattle companies, each company for which he worked once he has bought, before leaving on his own. Buildings, mainly in the private market.
“When I started my business, you initially only try to bring enough work to keep the doors open and keep the payroll on time,” he says. “As we gained momentum and stability, we remained true to our mission and our mission was to follow great urban projects.”
Lincoln Square South’s project demanded high seismic requirements, although it met the demanding architectural requirements.
Photo courtesy Cary Kopczynski & Co.
In the first days, Kopczynski says he received advice from a consultant who taught him the importance of saying not to keep him aligned with his mission. This allowed him not to have his company balanced by the market and, on the other hand, led to the creation of the firm’s compass. Its first major getaway came in the late 1980’s in Seattle when what is now known as the South Lake Union area began to develop. CKC, as it is known by the company, collected a series of the first and high residential towers. He says customers and contractors were satisfied with CKC’s efforts, and that caused more work.
“This is where we cut our teeth,” he says. “We did a series of projects and went very well and went.”
Even before launching CKC, Kopczynski knew the value of innovation. He worked on what was then called the Continental Plaza Project in Seattle, a 37 -story concrete tower, at the time the highest concrete building on the west coast.
“I think I’m probably more proud of the fact that my efforts to innovate, improve industry collaboration, improve design construction … they are apparently recognized.”
—Carry Kopczynski, CEO, Cary Kopczynski & Co.
“It was exciting,” he says, “and I played a key role.” After this project, he became the manager of the signature of the Department of Structural Engineering, and this consolidated his interest in large buildings and helped launch his own company. “I always had it as one of my main goals to run my own company,” he says.
He had a clear goal of executing him in the way he wanted, focusing on innovation, embraced new ideas and technology, and integrating his permanent knowledge of the importance of industry collaboration.
“What I wanted to be different about CKC is to adopt the industry and relate -me with contractors, subcontractors and steel manufacturers to listen to them and listen to what they want,” he says.
This effort required to build a network and obtain its contribution before finishing a design. He says small things like knowing which team will use a contractor, where they could put a tower crane on the site, as they intend to form a structure or where they will assemble the receipt, is all the valuable information for a design.
“The more you know about the builder and how they prefer to build, the more you can adapt the design to the contractor’s needs and build it more efficiently,” he says.
Mainly a west coast firm, CKC has an office in Bellevue, but also an office in Chicago and really has taken off the country, especially in the north -East, Florida and Denver, which helps Kopczynski to expand his Trust network.
Kopczynski continues to devote its time to the American Concrete Institute center of excellence to advance productivity.
Photo courtesy Cary Kopczynski & Co.
Innovative approaches
Scott Douglas, now director of the Link Design Group, has worked with Kopczynski since the mid-1980’s when it became known as the type of local concrete in the northwest of the Pacific.
“I found it exceptionally innovative with our office and residential projects built with concrete,” says Douglas. “It was, and is, an excellent educator for young architects like me in the 1980’s, and to date, still incorporating new ideas into senior architects to consider. I learned to design buildings through many rules that Cary goes to me Teaching the magic of what the concrete can do and not doing it very well.
Kopczynski assures that keeping it at the helm can be a thorny task in such a risky industry. But an inverse risk mentality does not help the industry to move forward. “I want to be in a position where I can help the entire industry and help introduce new ideas and help solve problems is willing to listen,” he says.
He is already a journalist twice as a pioneer in the use of reinforcement steel of great resistance and fibrous concrete in seismic design, he says that innovation can be to embrace change and help him to drive him . Making this change on the good of others is the differentiating.
“It’s something to design a building and make it up. Any qualified structural engineer can do it,” he says. “Is it efficient? Was there any way to modify the design that you could accelerate the calendar? Do you stay in the budget? Are you helping the industry to build more effectively and effectively? “Kopczynski has made its mission to focus not only on design, but also the collaboration and productivity of design.
