DVASE Resources

DVASE April 23, 2025 Breakfast Seminar

Date: Apr 23, 2025

Two Award Winning Project Presentations from DVASE 2024 Awards Program

Ellis Mass Timber Office Building

Presented by:Â Dennis Mordan, PE, SE, President, O'Donnell & Naccarato Structrual Engineers

This Ellis Preserve building is a five-story, 106,000 SF mass timber office building which is the Philadelphia regionâ€™s first building to offer an entirely sustainable design for general office use.Â The building is comprised of glulam beams, girders, and columns. The floor deck is 5-ply CLT and the shafts are also made of CLT. The structure includes an additional 2 levels (115,000 SF) of parking under the building as well as an associated contiguous precast concrete parking deck with one elevated level of 44,000 SF for a total of 159,0000 SF of parking.Â

This building is situated in the Ellis Preserve Campus and the new office building will offer walkability to the surrounding shops, restaurants and conference facilities and the trail system of the Ellis Preserve. Exposed timber framing and 14â€™ high wood ceilings present a beautiful contrast to the brick and glass faÃ§ade.

The Ryland at One Dock St ï¿½" Philadelphia, PA

Presented By:Â Jason Squitiere, PE, Senior Project Manager, IMEG and Ricardo Munoz-Rojas, PE, Project Engineer, IMEG

The Ryland" is a 31-story cast-in-place concrete structure standing 364 feet tall, located just inches from the existing Society Hill Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. This landmark project, the first major development in Society Hill since the 1970s, delivers 272 luxury apartment units and 15 below-grade parking spaces within a constrained 68-foot-wide, 9,200-square-foot site. Spanning over 300,000 square feet, the building includes high-end amenities such as a rooftop pool, fitness center, and multiple lounges. This presentation will highlight the unique structural challenges and solutions that contributed to the success of this $100M+ project.Â

About Our Speakers:

Dennis Mordan, PE, SE, is President of Oâ€™Donnell & Naccarato, a 40-plus year-old consulting structural engineering firm which supports projects of all types and scales from its Philadelphia headquarters and six regional offices across the country. With more than 35 years of engineering experience, Dennis has contributed to the structural design and management of building projects across every major construction sector, largely concentrated in healthcare, education, multi-family, office, commercial, industrial, high rise, and parking.Â

Since 2019, Dennis has pioneered the use of mass timber in multiple O&N projects, including 675 E. Swedesford Road and Swarthmore Collegeâ€™s Sharples Dining Hall & Community Commons. Currently, he is part of the project team for Ellis Preserve Mass Timber Office Building, the regionâ€™s first commercial structure to offer this entirely sustainable technique for general office use.Â

Dennis is a nationally recognized thought leader dedicated to spreading awareness of mass timberâ€™s enormous sustainability and cost-efficiency benefits. He and his team regularly present O&Nâ€™s AIA-accredited â€œMass Timber 101â€ program and have worked with groups like the Wood Council to increase education and excitement about its use.

A 1988 graduate of Villanova University, Dennis maintains his licensure as a Professional Engineer in 18 states and is a member of the Structural Engineers Association, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society.Â

Jason Squitiere, PE, has 20 years of experience as a structural engineer. A Senior Project Manager at IMEG, he guides the design process and is responsible for coordinating design disciplines and achieving project goals.Â Jason understands the schedule pressures that modern projects demand and emphasizes responsiveness.Â He employs his experience in coordination, analysis and design to provide the highest level of customer service for clients and project team members alike.Â Jasonâ€™s focus with every project large and small is to develop solutions that realize the ultimate goal of getting the project built.

His extensive experience in the structural design of a variety of hospitality and gaming, residential, healthcare and parking projects includes new design and casino renovation projects for MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Rivers Casino Philadelphia, Parx Casino Hotel and Conference Center, and multiple projects for Penn Entertainment nationwide; and large-scale, mixed-use residential projects in Philadelphia, PA including The Ryland at One Dock Street, 800 Vine Street and 3737 Chestnut Street.Â Â

Jason is a member of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers (DVASE), and the Structural Engineers Association of Pennsylvania. He has also authored several articles for publications such as Modern Steel Construction and STRUCTURE Magazine.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.Â

Ricardo Munoz-Rojas, PE, has six years of experience as a structural engineer. As a Project Engineer at IMEG, Ricardo provides structural solutions and designs for the project while working as a team player to execute the design disciplines and project goals. He employs his experience in coordination, analysis and design to achieve the highest level of customer service for clients and project team members alike.

His experience in the structural design of a variety of hospitality and gaming, residential, and parking projects includes new design projects for Penn Entertainment in Aurora, IL, Lafayette Collegeâ€™s McCartney Phase 2 student housing, and The Ryland in Philadelphia.

Ricardo is a member of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers (DVASE). He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of New Jersey.Â

Date:
Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Where:

DesignPhiladelphia

1218 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Featuring a breakfast buffet

Time:

Registration and Breakfast begin at 7:30 am, Remarks and Presentation at 8:00 am (please note the later start time for this month's breakfast seminar)

Cost:

DVASE members: FREE, Non-members: $55.00*

*Invite engineers at your firm to attend!Â Non-members can pay with credit card via Authorize.net.

If you have any questions, please email Barbara Sagusti at DVASEngineers@gmail.com or call 215-300-9225.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR LEADING SPONSOR

OFFIT KURMAN, P.A.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING SPONSORSÂ

FREYSSINET, INC.

HILLIS-CARNES ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES

IDEA STATICA

LANGAN

MAINSTAY ENGINEERING GROUP, INC.