Structural engineering for complex buildings. Verified by our own inspectors.
Design, analysis and construction support for new buildings, additions and landmark rehabilitations. We work in steel, concrete, wood, masonry and light-gauge metals, modeled in Tekla Structures and STAAD.Pro.
Steel frame · Tekla modelFrom foundations to finished frame.
New buildings & additions
Complete structural design from foundation to roof, including floor additions and enlargements on existing buildings.
Renovation & landmark rehabilitation
Strengthening, repairs and conversions of pre-war and landmarked buildings, designed from scanned existing conditions.
Foundations & excavation support
Piles, pile caps, underpinning, sheet piling, shoring and retaining walls, designed to protect neighboring property.
Construction support & shop drawings
Steel shop drawings, connection design, erection sequencing and CNC files for fabrication.
Specialty assemblies
Precast systems, truss walls, sunshades and long-span roofs, analyzed with finite element modeling.
Forensics & assessments
Condition assessments, construction-defect investigations and repair design.
Engineering that thinks like the whole team.
We review the architect’s details with a fresh eye on how the system will perform and how the contractor will build it. Issues get solved on paper, not on site.
Featured structural projects
Structural engineering for $1M to $26M projects across New York and New Jersey.
Since 1997: residential towers, healthcare, commercial, entertainment and infrastructure, designed in STAAD.Pro and Tekla and supported through construction with shop drawings and special inspections.
Crown Landmark at Vista Pointe
Twin five-story condominium joined to an existing three-story brick building on the East River, over two parking levels 20 ft below water level.
- Value
- $26M
- Scale
- 134 condos · 139 parking spaces
- System
- CIP concrete + steel moment frame
- Our role
- Structural & foundation design, construction support, shop drawings
Roosevelt Long-Term Care
Three-story steel frame and masonry shear wall facility with a basement, delivered with phased fabrication and crane-pick planning.
- Value
- $16.5M
- Scale
- 110,000 sq ft
- System
- Steel frame + masonry shear walls
- Our role
- Construction support: connection design, erection & shop drawings
Millennium Toyota
Three-level sales and service building over a 100,000 sq ft underground service level, with ramps to three streets.
- Value
- $12M
- Scale
- 100,000+ sq ft below grade
- System
- Structural steel + concrete
- Our role
- Structural design, construction support, special inspections, shop drawings
Brighton Beach Avenue Residences
Eight-story building over underground parking: steel moment frame carrying precast hollow-core planks and prefabricated wall panels.
- Value
- $10.5M
- Scale
- 34,000 sq ft · 8 stories
- System
- Steel OMRF + precast plank
- Our role
- Construction support, connection design, special inspections, shop drawings
Jones Beach Theater Expansion
Fast-track second-level deck for the outdoor theater, built between the November and May concert seasons from precast members.
- Value
- $2.0M
- Owner
- NYS Office of Parks
- System
- Precast concrete on steel
- Our role
- Structural design of precast elements, JV with Galli Engineering
Hofstra University Arena
Analysis of the arena’s existing roof trusses to carry broadcast, sound and lighting rigging for a presidential election debate.
- Client
- Hofstra University
- Scope
- Existing roof trusses
- Code
- NYS Building Code
- Our role
- Structural analysis & rigging load drawings
Project index
Every project, at a glance.
For shortlists and qualification packages: location, sector, construction value and our role on each job. Filter by sector to narrow the list.
| Project | Location | Sector | Value / size | Our role | Key scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Landmark at Vista Pointe | College Point, Queens, NY | Residential | $26M | Structural & foundation design, shop drawings | Underpinning, sheet piling with de-watering, 50-ton augered piles, finite element slab design |
| Roosevelt Long-Term Care | Edison, NJ | Healthcare | $16.5M | Construction support | 110,000 sq ft; steel connection design, erection and shop drawings |
| Millennium Toyota | Hempstead, NY | Commercial | $12M | Structural design, inspections, shop drawings | 100,000+ sq ft underground service level, ramps, CNC shop drawings |
| Brighton Beach Avenue Residences | Brooklyn, NY | Residential | $10.5M | Construction support, inspections, shop drawings | 8-story steel frame, precast plank and wall panel review |
| 84th Drive | Queens, NY | Residential | $6.5M | Structural design, inspections | 8-story masonry shear wall with precast plank, excavation shoring |
| Lexus Sales Building | Farmingdale, NY | Commercial | $4.0M | Structural & foundation design | 66,000 sq ft; 30-ton timber piles, 20-ft retaining wall on piles |
| Vetro Restaurant & Lounge | Cross Bay Blvd, Queens, NY | Hospitality | $4.0M | Structural design, inspections | “Bathtub” cellar below basin level, sheet piling, augered piles |
| Millennium Honda Parking Structure | Hempstead, NY | Parking | $4.0M | Structural design | Four-level precast parking structure on spread footings |
| Richner Communications Press Building | Garden City, NY | Industrial | $3.5M | Structural design, construction support | Press-machine loads, reused steel, light-gauge mansard |
| Villa de Hempstead | Hempstead, NY | Residential | $3.1M | Structural design, inspections | 6-story steel moment frame with cantilevered façade support |
| Selvaton Terrace | Staten Island, NY | Mixed-use | $2.1M | Structural & foundation design | 40 units, adjacent conversion, 3-level garage, underpinning |
| Jones Beach Theater Expansion | Wantagh, NY | Entertainment | $2.0M | Precast design (JV) | Rake beams, seating stadia, stairs and vomitories |
| Abitino Residence | Brooklyn, NY | Residential | $1.75M | Structural design, inspections | Gut renovation behind a retained façade, underpinning, shoring |
| Raritan River Rail Bridge | New Jersey | Infrastructure | $1.0M | Inspection & repair design | Century-old truss: load rating, ultrasonic testing, repairs |
| Passaic Elementary School | Passaic, NJ | Education | 950 tons | Connection design & shop drawings | 125,000 sq ft, three stories, job standards and erection drawings |
| American Airlines Terminal, JFK | Queens, NY | Aviation | — | Delegated design & shop drawings | 60-ft truss wall and light-gauge mezzanine, buckling analysis |
| Greenhope Building | East 119th St, Manhattan | Mid-rise | 43,000 sq ft | Connection design & shop drawings | 8 stories; inverted-V braced frames, column splices |
| Hofstra University Arena | Hempstead, NY | Education | — | Structural analysis | Existing roof trusses for event rigging loads |
Specialties
Foundations, waterfront, temporary works and the hard details.
The specialties owners and contractors bring us in for, each backed by work we’ve delivered.
Underpinning & excavation support
Underpinning of mid- and high-rise buildings, from rubble stone to concrete, with soldier piles, rakers and self-drilling tiebacks.
Waterfront bulkheads & seawalls
Steel, vinyl, composite, timber and concrete bulkheads, cantilevered or tied back, designed for wave and impact loads.
Pile load testing & supervision
Static and high-strain dynamic tests on steel, timber, helical and self-drilling piles, with redesign from field results.
Precast & parking structures
Precast and prestressed framing with reinforcement and strands modeled for shop drawings and bills of material.
Scaffolding, sidewalk bridges & hoisting
Temporary works for façade and roof renovations on mid- and high-rise buildings, including freestanding scaffolds around monuments.
Specialty staircases
Helical, elliptical and curved stairs in steel, wood and laser-cut heavy-gauge plate, with minimal supports for clean lines.
Solar & rooftop equipment
Roof framing checks, racking system review and dunnage design for wind uplift, drag and added dead load.
Building envelope & wall-panel framing
Light-gauge and aluminum framing for metal panels, louvers and long openings, including blast loads where specified.
Steel connection design & shop drawings
Tekla models, connection calculations, erection sequencing, job standards and CNC files for fabricators.
Forensic engineering & expert witness
Investigations of collapses, settlement, overloading, fire, flood and hurricane damage, with reports for owners, insurers and litigation.
Bridge inspection & load rating
Hands-on inspection, load rating, repair design and budget estimates for aging steel bridges.
For RFPs & qualifications
Shortlisting engineers? Here’s what you need.
- Established
- 1997, Potential Engineering, PC
- Principal
- Sam Ghaida, P.E., Q.E.W.I. (Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector), C.S.I. (Certified Special Inspector), President and Principal Engineer
- Licensed
- Professional engineering in NY, NJ, CT, PA, DE and FL (in progress)
- Roles we take
- Engineer of record, sub-consultant, joint venture partner, delegated design, construction support, special and controlled inspections, expert witness
- Codes
- NYC Building Code, NYS Building Code, IBC, ASCE 7, ACI, AISC, AISI, OSHA
- Software
- STAAD.Pro, Tekla Structures, finite element analysis
- Principal experience
- Project engineer for Daniel Frankfurt, PC on the $47M NYSDOT BQE–Williamsburg Bridge connector ramp, a precast post-tensioned segmental bridge
Request our qualifications
Ask for our qualifications package, or send an RFP or scope for a fee proposal. Both open the contact form.
Request our qualifications →Send an RFP or scope →1-hour response. We reply to every request within one business hour.Have a structural challenge? Let’s look at it together.
Send drawings, photos or a scan and we’ll tell you what it will take.