M+K Places 2nd In National Marketing Competition

We’re excited to announce that M+K’s 20th Anniversary Branding Program placed 2nd in the Corporate Events category of The Zweig Group’s National Marketing Excellence Awards competition!

In preparation for the company-wide celebration last December, the marketing team developed a brand identity that was applied to a range of materials for the event. The centerpiece of this program was the invitation which featured the brand identity and introduced the venue to M+K employees.

The gala was held in Philadelphia at the venerable Franklin Institute, one of the nation’s oldest centers of science education and development in the United States. By all measures, it was a great night…certainly one for the ages!

The M+K marketing team is very proud of this recognition by our peers in the engineering, architecture, and building industries. As always, we look forward to the development of future projects that showcase our award-winning culture and the exceptional work that we do for our great clients.

Engel Group | Bedford Arms

Just a short walk from the Brooklyn Museum and Prospect Park, Bedford Arms is a 9-story apartment building completed a few years ago in Brooklyn, NY. Unlike most new multi-family projects which may provide a small percentage of affordable units to meet minimum municipal requirements, Bedford Arms was designed to offer 100% of its units as affordable housing for the surrounding community. Alongside architect John Schimenti, our multi-family team provided designs for mid-rise residential developer Engel Group as both the Engineer of Record and Designated Engineer for the light-gauge metal bearing wall system.

To help keep costs down, hollowcore concrete plank floors supported on light-gauge metal bearing walls were selected for the 8 residential levels as a less expensive alternative to a flat plate cast-in-place concrete system and helped streamline construction for the cramped urban site. While accounting for a partial basement with all the challenges of tight property line margins common to city projects, the foundation design required an intricate combination of eccentric footings, grade beams, and mat foundation slabs.

BCA Architecture and Design | Harvest Pizzeria

While most of our projects with BCA Architecture and Design are high-end custom homes, we took a detour to tackle this adaptive re-use project in the heart of the South Slope Brewing District in Asheville, NC. What is now a contemporary pizzeria serving up local ingredients with a focus on sustainability began as just a shell of the original 1920’s construction.

This sustainable mission began with construction, where an effort to keep much of the existing 2-story masonry walls and steel bowstring trusses made this project an exercise in thinking outside the box from the start. Through a series of slotted connections, over-sized holes, and hand-tightened bolts, our design team was able to thread the needle in detailing a new steel frame to brace the existing masonry from the inside without imparting new load. Our final design incorporated most of the original bowstring trusses, offering a rustic aesthetic for the diners below. In recognition of our innovative design solutions in overcoming these challenges, the project earned a second-place finish at the 2022 DVASE structural engineering awards.

The result was a two-story dining area with mid-height mezzanine, all beneath a partially covered rooftop bar. From the unique history and intriguing finished product to the one-of-a-kind design, this ambitious project was a pleasure to be a part of, no matter which way you slice it.

M+K Teams Up with Habitat for Humanity

Giving back has always been a main pillar of the Mulhern+Kulp culture. While our efforts to lend a hand to those less fortunate takes on many shapes and sizes, it’s particularly meaningful when our volunteer work crosses paths with our professional careers. We recently had an opportunity to put our expertise in wood-frame construction to the test right in our backyard, helping Habitat for Humanity with a build just outside Philadelphia in Hatboro, PA.

Jeannie Sachs, the local Director of Programs for Habitat, noted: “While we appreciate all of our volunteers, it’s really great to have the kind of skilled help that a structural engineering firm like M+K provides.”

The site will eventually be home to 2 duplexes built for local families in need of permanent housing. Seven volunteers from our home office teamed up with a Habitat Project Manager and two veteran volunteer team-leads to keep construction moving, framing out interior walls and exterior window openings. Getting to swing a hammer while supporting a great cause was an absolute pleasure, and helping create a quality product from the other side of the drawings was an experience we hope to do again soon!