ZO Consulting
Kirsten Zeydel, S.E.
President/Founder
Kirsten has over 22 years of experience in structural engineering and spent the last five years with a start-up cold-formed steel pre-fabrication company specializing in interior/exterior wall panels, load-bearing wall & floor panels, and pre-finished exterior wall panels. Joining early on when the company was just an idea on paper, Kirsten led the structural engineering group, developed a QA/QC process acceptable to OSHPD, and obtained IAPMO product certification for the framing members, sheathed panels, and pre-finished exterior panels. In addition, she handled most of the building architectural responsibilities, including fire/sound ratings, construction type implications, and coordination with the project architect. Kirsten was also involved in the development of pre-finished exterior panels from EIFS to metal panel rain screens. Kirsten was integral to developing connection designs for the shop and field that lead to over 800 days of zero recordable incidents.
Kirsten’s experience covers the design, management, and construction administration of over 250 projects. These projects have been of varying sizes, from minor tenant improvements to 990,000 square foot hospitals and a dorm project that included nine multi-story CFS load-bearing buildings totaling 800,000-sq-ft. With projects across the United States, Kirsten has experience with design-build, design-bid-build, and design-assist projects. In addition, she has worked with various owners, including healthcare, developers, municipalities, universities, and amusement parks, to name a few. Kirsten has extensive experience designing with light gauge steel, both load-bearing and non-load-bearing. She also has experience designing and detailing other materials, including concrete, steel, masonry, and wood. She thrives on challenging projects and has successfully overseen many projects through the rigorous DSA and OSHPD approval process.
Her greatest joy is supporting projects and companies in achieving their goals. Every situation is different, and she thrives on collaborating with teams to develop practical solutions to small and significant challenges.