Keast & Hood opens Charlottesville, Va., office

Charlottesville, Va. — Structural engineering firm Keast & Hood opened an office in Charlottesville, Va., led by Associate Craig D. Swift, P.E., S.E., LEED AP. The Charlottesville location responds to a growing business presence and client base throughout Virginia, where Keast & Hood provides structural engineering for new construction and historic preservation projects at institutions and historic sites including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University, Charlotte County Courthouse, and the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.

“On behalf of the Keast & Hood team, I am excited to offer our Virginia clients increased personal attention combined with the depth and breadth of engineering service for which the firm has been known for over 60 years,” said Swift. “We look forward to building new relationships with architects, design professionals, and institutions throughout the region.”

Named an associate in 2014, Craig Swift’s career has included involvement with new construction, historic structures, and seismic analysis, design, and retrofit in the U.S. and abroad. His recent projects include earthquake repairs at the Baltimore Basilica, Haiti’s Gymnasium Vincent, and the Sherman Building in Washington, D.C.; and historic renovations at Gettysburg College and the University of Virginia’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“Craig has proven himself in over a decade of experience as a well-rounded and creative structural engineer, an organized project manager, and a terrific mentor,” said Principal Matthew J. Daw, PE, LEED AP, who leads Keast & Hood’s Washington, D.C. office. “With a keen interest in architectural history and strong experience collaborating with, and representing, the owner’s perspective, Craig understands the goals of the entire project team. We are enthusiastic about his leadership role.”

Keast & Hood’s Charlottesville location is on the Downtown Mall, a pedestrian-friendly urban area at the center of town. The office at 418 East Main Street is in space known as the “Collab” where architects, engineers, landscape architects, and others work in formal and informal business collaboration.