GNCB Names Charles Brown President
Old Saybrook, CT
GNCB Consulting Engineers, P.C. names Charles Brown, P.E. its new President. Brown, previously Vice President, replaces Kenneth Gibble, P.E. who retired from GNCB last December following 45 years of practice.
Brown brings with him over 35 years of experience as a structural engineer. His career includes the design and oversight of a multitude of projects including educational facilities, hospitals, and museums. A few of his recent projects include the Cornell Law School Expansion in Ithaca, NY; St. Katharine Drexel Chapel at Xavier University in New Orleans, LA; the renovation of the Henry Ruthven Monteith Building at UCONN’s Storrs Campus; the new West Beach Facilities Building at Hammonasset Beach; and the elevation of the Watch Hill Yacht Club in Westerly, RI. He holds B.S. and M.Eng. Degrees from Cornell University in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in CT, MA, NY, NH, and RI.
GNCB provides structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, and historic preservation services throughout the country in a variety of sectors. The firm has been based in Old Saybrook, CT for 52 years. When asked how he feels about taking over leadership, Brown stated:
"For as long as I can remember, the engineering of building things has been my passion. From the smallest consult to a large complex facility, each project brings with it challenges that make this profession so very rewarding. I am excited and honored to help lead GNCB as we move into our next 50 years of providing innovative solutions to our clients."
Cornell University Law School Expansion, Phase 1, Ithaca, NY: The Cornell Law School Expansion, Phase 1 included the renovation of the existing 1930s Myron Taylor Hall and the new design and construction of an underground lecture-room addition. The expansion consists of steel framing supported by concrete foundations. The 54-foot, clear-spanning structure was designed to support a green roof and traffic loading . The renovation of Myron Taylor Hall included underpinning foundations to provide a new sub-grade story at the same elevation as the addition. To facilitate the design, GNCB designed and monitored shoring efforts for the multiple upper library stack levels to ensure continued integrity of the historic structure. This is a LEED Platinum Project and the winner of the Boston Society of Architects Educational Facilities Award, the AIA-Southern NY Design Award, and the SCUPI/AIA_CAE Excellence in Architecture Award. Architect: Ann Beha Architects. Contractor: Welliver.
Xavier University St. Katharine Drexel Chapel, New Orleans, LA : New 12,000 square foot, masonry structure with a steel-framed truss roof and is supported on a reinforced concrete slab and 65-foot long friction piles. The building is located on a site that is on axis with the original campus quadrangle where Pope John Paul II spoke in 1987. Characteristic of many other Xavier campus buildings, the Chapel’s copper roof will slowly oxidize and turn green. The Chapel is LEED Silver Certified and is the winner numerous awards including the 2013 AIA-New Orleans Design Award , the 2014 AIA-CT Design Award, and the 2016 AIA Religious Art & Architecture Award. Architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Contractor: Landis Construction Co., LLC.
University of Connecticut Henry Ruthven Monteith Building Renovation, Storrs, CT : This project is a $17 Million renovate-as-new project for UCONN’s 1959 academic building. The steel and masonry structure was seismically retrofitted to allow modification of interior spaces for the new, LEED Silver Certified space. Architect: Perkins Eastman. Contractor: KBE Building Corporation
Hammonasset Beach State Park West Beach Facilities, Madison, CT : New timber-framed structure with deck and boardwalk to support the Park’s service needs. Architect: BH+A. Contractor: Lawrence Brunoli Inc.
Watch Hill Yacht Club, Westerly, RI : On-going elevation of existing structure to lift it out of the floodplain. Pictured are recordings of blow-counts for new steel H-piles. Architect: Burgin Lambert Architects. Contractor: A/Z Corporation.
