Consultant Spotlight: Steve Spence
The ever so cool Mr. Steve ‘Spencey’ Spence
To show some love to many amazing collaborators that we work with, we are introducing a new ‘Consultant Spotlight’ feature through our Tangents blog posts. To start us off, we are going deep into the consultant pool to highlight one of DBRDS’ closest collaborators, with whom we’ve shared many project highlights over the course of 20-years. We are kicking this off highlighting KPFF Principal, Steve Spence! Enjoy getting to know a true Jedi Master in the Structural Engineering world, and one of our most trusted & engaged collaborators…
DBRDS: You’ve worked on quite a few of our projects over the years. What stands out to you about collaborating with DBRDS, especially when it comes to balancing aesthetics and structural performance?
Spencey: DBRDS has a clear vision for what they want to achieve with their projects and I’ve gotten a pretty good feel over the years for what you all find important in your designs and what you are willing to adjust with respect to efficiency or project economics. Once you know those parameters, then it is all about working together as a team to fulfill the project’s vision and potential. The discussion always focuses on how the end user will experience the space being designed and what we can do to execute the vision to maximize that experience and make it a reality. It is always fun to collaborate in an environment like that because it feels like a partnership rather than being treated like I’m just a consultant, or worse, a commodity.
DBRDS: Are there any structural design trends or innovations you're seeing more of lately that architects and designers should be paying attention to?
Spencey: I think the design community should be thinking more about resiliency in our communities. There has been a strong push in recent years to design and construct a more sustainable built environment, and rightfully so. We should be looking to design and construct more efficiently and more in harmony with our environment and great strides have been made in this regard. But what is more sustainable than being able to reuse the facilities that we currently have or design new spaces to be able to handle whatever challenges are thrown at it, especially in the face of an increasing hostile climate? Disasters like the firestorms in Malibu and Lahaina or the devastating earthquake in Christchurch, NZ should be a call to action for the design community to look hard at how we design and protect our communities so that they can bounce back when natural disasters strike. We may not be able to avoid the next hurricane or seismic event, but we can certainly impact how our built environment responds to it so that societal disruptions are kept to a minimum. If you have the ability to influence a developer to think more holistically about what they are building or a government entity to reprioritize how they protect and maintain what is in their trust, you should do your part. Smart design does not need to be much more expensive or lengthy than what has conventionally done; it just involves a thoughtful approach and the willingness to invest in the long-term future of our communities.
DBRDS: You've known DBRDS since its inception. What's a fun story, outside of the office (that won't get any of us in trouble), that you can tell?
Spencey: A long time ago, Pauly and I were talking about getting together for dinner and heard that the San Diego institution Albie’s Beef Inn was closing and wanted to make sure that we were able to soak in the retro décor, unique vibes and $19 Filet Mignons before it was gone forever. We decided to make a night of it; inviting our significant others and other friends in the industry and ended up having an absolute blast! This has started our tradition of getting together and seeking out these lost culinary gems before they disappear. If the furnishings consist of dark wood paneling and well-worn crimson leather booths, count us in. If the serving staff has been working there since before the internet existed and if it is still fairly obvious where the smoking section was back in the day, then we’ve found the right place. Over the years, we’ve hit up The Butcher Shop, Imperial House, The Original Red Fox Room, Saska’s, the list goes on. I’m looking forward to the next renewal of our tradition, maybe in the vicinity of one of your other offices. Do they have old-school American steakhouses down under?
Bonus credit
DBRDS: Years ago, during Covid times we believe, you sent us this absolute gold image of Spencey, the Stashman…you had to know it would come back to haunt you at some point.
Spencey: Please don’t publish that.
