Edwin T. Huston

Edwin T. Huston graduated from the University of Washington School of Engineering in 1971. After active duty training with the US Army, he returned to Seattle on reserve status. He worked with KPFF for seven years, managing a wide variety of industrial, commercial, residential, and governmental projects including the Fourth and Blanchard Building, a 25-story moment frame structure. Over the next five years, Ed worked in the offices of McMahan Consulting Engineers, John Graham and Associates, TRA, and Skilling Ward Magnusson and Barkshire. In 1983 he joined Richard Ballinger and Ted Smith as a principal at Ballinger and Smith, continuing since 1987 as Smith & Huston, Consulting Engineers.

Ed has nearly four decades of structural engineering experience with emphasis on unusual and challenging structures, as the structural engineer in charge of design for office, residential, commercial, and industrial structures as well as structural design of building components. Some of these projects have required earthquake retrofit of damaged structures or voluntary earthquake upgrading of existing structures. Notable structures around the Puget Sound area for which Ed has had a major role in the design include: Honeywell Marine Services Building Evaluation and Retrofit; Koll Northcreek Office Building, Bothell; Koll I-90; Group Health Campus, Bellevue; Cabot.Cabot & Forbes Center, Bellevue; Thousand Trails Corporate Headquarters, Bellevue; and in Seattle Bentley Office Park Buildings; Stevens Hospital Additions; McGinnis Office Building; Fourth and Blanchard Building; Fourth and Vine Building; 200 West Thomas Building; 100 First Avenue Building; Northgate Executive Center, Phase Two; and Alaska Airlines Headquarters Building.

In addition to building design, Ed has conducted damage investigations after blast, fire, flood, seismic, snow, and wind events. He has also conducted investigations of construction collapse, construction delay, construction dispute resolution, decay, foundation settlement, vehicle impact, vibration complaints, and overall structural evaluation. In many cases these investigations have led to the development of recommendations and designs for repairs and voluntary upgrades, including preparation of the contract documents.

Ed’s SEAW involvement includes his service on the Board of Directors of SEAW Seattle as well as the State Board of Trustees 1987-91, Earthquake Engineering Committee, Wind Engineering Committee, Code Advisory Committee, Building Engineering Committee 1993-98, Scholarship Committee 1988-96, and the Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration Committee.