Chris Hartnett, PE (MN, WI, CO, MI, FL, VA, WY) Owner and Principal Engineer, LLC
Chris Hartnett & Associates Preservation Engineers

Chris Hartnett preparing to ascend for an inspection of a church steeple.

Chris Hartnett preparing to ascend for an inspection of a church steeple for its preservation.

Restoring and preserving the Minnesota State Capitol Dome

Restoring and preserving a nineteenth century church.

chris hartnett bio

Chris specializes in the structural engineering needs of existing and historic buildings. Expertise includes structural design, forensic evaluation, renovation, restoration, rehabilitation, repair and stabilization, and adaptive reuse. 

His passion for the historic built environment requires research of an archaic building system before considering changes or repairs. An existing structural system must be understood, before it can be modified.

Converting old buildings into beautiful new spaces is our passion. A unique knowledge in structural engineering and design for existing and historic buildings makes Chris an invaluable member on any preservation team.

EXPERTISE

Metals
19th century iron (wrought and cast); 1890s early steel; riveted steel and iron construction.

Concrete
Pre-1920 (proprietary) concrete design and construction; early precast concrete panels;
two and four-way concrete flat-plate; early pan-and-joist construction; tall and large concrete grain silos.

Masonry
Terra-cotta (flat-tile) arch; true masonry arch; Guastavino dome/arch/vault (based on early Byzantine arch construction); unreinforced mass concrete and masonry; battered masonry foundations.

Wood
Heavy-timber construction methods, historic log construction, fireproof mill construction, early glued-laminated structures. Successfully preserving historic timber buildings by visually grading and investigating wood species; these methods maximize calculated capacities of existing structures.

EDUCATION

  • Bachelor in Civil Engineering (BCE), 
    University of Minnesota 1998. Graduated with honors.

  • ABET accredited program.

  • BA Economics. University of California, Irvine. 1984.

  • Basic Meteorology, US Air Force Institute of Technology (1985).

  • Elementary Education Teaching Certificate,
    California State University (1991).

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

  • Structural Engineers Association, MN Branch. Past president and Executive Committee member.

  • International Existing Building Code (IEBC) Code Writing Committee (2005-2010).

  • Past Commissioner on the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC)

  • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

  • Association of Preservation Technology (APT).

  • National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Converting old buildings into beautiful new spaces is our passion.

Please Contact us for additional information and assistance.