“Joe, I got a question,” says Gary, his longtime collaborator and architect. “You know, I’m in design for this project. What do you think about this?”

Joe Stewart, a structural engineer, and Gary are sitting at the Marriott hotel bar in Orlando, Florida. The beer is cold, the conversation flowing, and the napkins? Covered in rough sketches of beams and structural details only architects and engineers could understand. To the bartender, they’re just two guys geeking out over hotel renovations. But to Joe, this is the kind of moment that captures everything he loves about engineering: “the creativity, the ability to sit and figure out problems and help a client create their vision, not always easy but challenging.”

Joe didn’t always know he was going to become an engineer. Growing up as the oldest of five children in the “sleepy little beach town of Manhattan Beach,” his early life revolved around ocean activities, team sports, and putting things together.
He found his spark in his high school’s industrial arts classes, where hands-on projects and mechanical drawing piqued his interest in design. He started college at Cal State Long Beach, exploring architecture and taking drafting and architectural practice classes. That path eventually led him to transfer to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he found the perfect fit in architectural engineering, a blend of technical skill and problem-solving that aligned with his interest.

The journey wasn’t without its bumps. One summer, after a cement strike canceled his usual construction job, Joe went door to door looking for work. “I walked into this little one-man engineering office,” he remembers. “The guy told me he didn’t have anything. I turned to leave, and as I got to my car, he called out, ‘Can you come back tomorrow?” Joe did, and became his first employee.

That unexpected opportunity didn’t just give him a job. It shaped the way he would eventually mentor and lead others in his own career.

After a few years in the industry and a growing desire to earn his structural engineering license, Joe found himself looking for a firm that offered more than just a job; it needed to be a place that aligned with his values, projects that made the work meaningful, the freedom to lead, and the people. And that place was KPFF.

The year 1985, Joe joined KPFF in Los Angeles. Over the past four decades, Joe has helped shape not only buildings but also the company itself. From being one of just nine employees in the office to seeing the team grow to nearly 190 employees across LA and Orange County, he’s played a role in KPFF’s evolution. He’s been a mentor, a principal, and a steady leader in times of crisis like the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake, an intense period that pushed everyone beyond what they thought was possible.

Even now, semi-retired, Joe continues to work on projects with clients he’s built longtime relationships with. “At this point,” he says, “I don’t care what the project is—as long as it’s with the people I want to work with.”

What’s kept Joe around for 40 years? The satisfaction of solving problems, working with good people, and finding joy in the process.

Joe is excited to get back to his old hobbies of fishing and traveling, beginning with a long-awaited vacation to England, as he looks to the future. Joe Stewart’s story isn’t just about designing structures. It’s about building connections, embracing challenges, and never underestimating where a stack of cocktail napkins can take you.

The post Built to Last: Joe Stewart’s 40-Year Blueprint appeared first on KPFF Greater Los Angeles Structural.

It All Started Across the Street

This story begins in 2016. Hamilton was taking Broadway by storm, Superheroes were dominating the box office, Pokémon Go encouraged everyone to be outside, and me? I was wrapping up my college studies and transitioning into my career as an engineer. I had spent the last three years working and volunteering at Santa Ana Library, mentoring local students. Even though I was looking towards my own future, I knew I wasn’t ready to step away from serving my local community.

A conversation with my boss at the Library pointed me toward Thrive Santa Ana, a local nonprofit located across the street, which was spearheading an initiative to reclaim public land for community use through a Community Land Trust model.

Community Land Trusts, which emerged as a form of community development in the late 1960s in Georgia, were instrumental during the Civil Rights Movement. Local Black farmers sought to assist African American families in securing access to land. By working the land cooperatively, these families enhanced their economic security and supported their multi-family communities.

Santa Ana has long struggled with outside businesses coming in, profiting from the people of Santa Ana, and sending those dollars back to the surrounding Orange County cities. Rallies were held, asking for “community lands in community hands.”

Thrive’s idea was ambitious: convert underutilized public land into a community farm and marketplace, operated by and for the residents of Santa Ana. When I heard their vision, I knew I had to be part of it. Their approach resonated with me, both as an engineer and as a resident invested in Santa Ana’s future.

Engineering Meets Grassroots

From the start, this project required a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. I served as a connector between Thrive and key industry partners.

By this point, I had started working at KPFF. I reached out to my colleagues in our civil department, who were more than willing to help. They reviewed the schematic design and helped me put together a list of deliverables THRIVE would need from the civil engineer they planned to hire. Along the way, I learned about the importance of a Water Quality Report (WQR), something the City of Santa Ana’s Planning and Building Department would expect. Thanks to Ali Khamsi and his team’s experience working with the City, they knew exactly how to navigate the requirements and set the project up for success.

I also leaned on the support of our structural reporting center managers, who helped me understand that when shipping containers are repurposed for public use, they require foundations and some limitations on new openings in the containers. Bill Thorpe, who shares a strong commitment to civic engagement through his work with local school foundations, was a great advocate for the project. He understood that a community project like this couldn’t be approached with a typical “sticker price” mindset. With that in mind, I eventually pushed to formalize our involvement with a proposal.

Next, I connected Thrive with several architects I had built relationships with during my time at KPFF, and I even promoted the project on LinkedIn to help them find the right consultants. Thrive invited me to sit in on the interviews, since navigating the consultant selection process was new territory for them as well. In the end, they chose to collaborate with City Fabrick, a nonprofit organization based in Long Beach.

Throughout this process, Thrive recognized the value I brought to the project, not just as an engineer, but as a passionate advocate and a resource familiar with the city. They wanted to continue working with me, and asked City Fabrick to partner with KPFF as their structural consultant. From there, Thrive assembled an incredible team to bring the project to life:

• City Fabrick for architecture
• Ardurra as civil engineers
• All American Construction Solutions as the contractor

Our design centered around using shipping containers as the primary structures. This approach was eco-friendly, modular, and cost-effective. It also presented valuable learning opportunities such as designing foundation pad footings to distribute the loads between containers. We also structurally “stitched” together the containers so, in case of an earthquake, the containers would move in unison rather than colliding against each other. To complement the design, Bill Thorpe and I designed a cost-effective wooden walkway to connect the containers and other structures across the site.

While the City provided the land under a 99-year lease, the funding was secured through grassroots fundraising and grants.

Designed by the Community, for the Community

Thrive made it a priority to keep Santa Ana residents and future vendors at the center of the process. In fact, the idea for the farm came directly from the community itself. Early on, as part of the city’s Sunshine Ordinance, which requires residents near planned construction sites to be notified, we went door-to-door to share the land-use plans. During those conversations, residents shared a common desire: they wanted spaces where they could gather, learn, and cultivate healthy food.

It’s not uncommon in Santa Ana for households to contain entire extended families. The crowded environment creates a strong desire to build something of your own. Additionally, many of Santa Ana’s residents work in the hospitality industry across neighboring cities, often relying on full buses each morning to get to work. Having a community space close to home meant more than just convenience. It represented belonging. Even before construction officially began, Thrive hosted community events on the graded land to build awareness for the project, making sure the vision remained truly community-led from the start.

Pandemics, Lead, and Plan Checks (Oh My!)

No great project comes without hurdles. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, plan check rounds, and the discovery of lead contamination in the soil, delays in the project were inevitable. But through City Council meetings, community advocacy, and lots of late-night emails, we kept the project moving forward.

My involvement extended beyond engineering; I frequently attended City Council meetings, advocating for the project’s community-driven mission and sharing insights on soil unpredictability to reinforce the need for flexibility in timelines. It was my own passion for the project that guided me to fight for the space Santa Ana deserved.

The City closely monitored the project, as the lease agreement for the land required regular reporting and accountability. Branded as “Santa Ana’s First Community Land Trust Project,” Thrive understood the significance of setting a strong precedent. Their hope was that this success would encourage the city to continue investing in its residents by repurposing some of the ninety-plus vacant lots scattered throughout the city. The goal was to demonstrate that even at a micro-farm scale, these small plots of land could become vibrant community assets.

As the plan for the farm developed, it became clear that we needed to collaborate with the OC Health Department, as the City intended to serve food from the containers. After clearing those final obstacles and receiving project approval, the real magic began to happen.

Construction Meets Community

Thrive made sure the inhabitants—local residents and vendors—were always part of the process. After we craned in the shipping containers and framed out entrances on them, we invited the community to help us with painting murals on the containers. We planted seeds together: both literally in the soil and metaphorically in the heart of the community.

My favorite moment though? Inviting students from Valley High School (as part of the ACE Mentorship Program) to the site. They toured the farm, learned about Community Land Trusts, and saw firsthand how engineering and architecture can shape communities. Fortuitously, the OC/LA ACE program is focusing on Community Land Trusts for their 2024-2025 All-Schools Student Presentations. Although still in development, I recently heard the students brainstorming ideas for food cultivation, which warms my heart.

The Grand Opening

The grand opening was a celebration of culture. The ceremony featured indigenous dances honoring and celebrating that soil is a living organism. Local vendors sold artisan crafts. There was free food for visitors and coffee tastings to promote the coffee shop container. Lines wrapped around the entrance. I invited City Council members, who showed up and witnessed firsthand what I had known from the beginning: Santa Ana wants more spaces like this.

Leaving a Legacy

With the land secured under a 99-year lease, this hopefully means the farm will thrive long after I’m gone. Knowing I played a role in creating something that will benefit generations to come is profoundly meaningful. Seeing young gardeners already working the land means I’m leaving something in the world that will have generational benefits. It’s why I do what I do.

I’m excited to see how this farm sparks more opportunities for community spaces in Santa Ana and beyond. By demonstrating the success of this model, I hope it inspires additional projects that blend engineering with community engagement.

As Lin-Manuel Miranda says in Hamilton, a legacy is “planting seeds in a garden you’ll never get to see.” Well, I’m glad I got to see this one flourish.

Photos by Felipe Ramirez, and courtesy Erik Sanchez and Thrive

The post Built to Belong: The Story of Santa Ana’s First Land Trust Farm appeared first on KPFF Greater Los Angeles Structural.