Firm Profile
Proven Engineering Excellence, Personalized Client Dedication, and Uncompromising Structural Integrity.
About the Firm
Gavin & Assoc. Inc. and Gavin Forensic Engineering LLC were established in 1996 and are based in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. We conduct comprehensive structural engineering design and forensic investigation services for a diverse clientele, including commercial developers, real estate firms, major construction contractors, insurance carriers, legal counsel, and architectural practices.
We are committed to delivering highly personalized principal-level service. Because our leadership stays directly involved in every engagement, we respond with exceptional agility to demanding construction schedules, urgent emergencies, and complex technical challenges.
Firm Leadership: Charles Gavin, P.E.
The company president, Charles Gavin, P.E., possesses extensive career experience in structural engineering design, forensic investigation, and construction consulting. Over a career spanning more than four decades (over 26 years leading Gavin & Assoc.), Mr. Gavin has directed the engineering design and evaluation of more than 4,000 properties across the United States and abroad.
His landmark project experience includes many of the nation's most prestigious and high-profile structures:
- The Pentagon (9-11 Reconstruction): Emergency structural damage inspections, critical emergency shoring design, and reconstruction engineering following the 2001 attack.
- The Washington Monument: Engineering concept design, evaluation of foundations, and comprehensive restoration scaffolding work.
- Presidential Inauguration (U.S. Capitol): Structural engineering design of inaugural platforms and temporary structures on Capitol Hill.
- Citigroup Center Headquarters (Manhattan, NY): Engineering evaluation of the 800-foot skyscraper's Tuned Mass Damper and wind sway reduction systems.
- Commercial & High-Rise Developments: Major office towers, hotels, and complexes throughout Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Florida, and nationwide.
Engineering Software & Technology
Our engineering design and structural analysis utilize advanced computational modeling tools including RISA-3D finite element analysis and industry-standard computer-aided drafting (CAD) platforms. This rigorous computational capability allows us to model complex frame geometries, lateral wind and seismic forces, dynamic tuned mass damping, and non-linear load distributions with precision.