Exciting News!

Florida Geotechnical Engineering is pleased to announce the addition of our new Principal Structural Engineer to our team, Mr. Vitaly Feygin.  Vitaly is a licensed professional engineer with over three decades of diverse experience in structural and geotechnical engineering across the globe.

Mr. Feygin received a Master’s of Science (equivalent) degree in Civil/Structural Engineering from the Kharkov Academy of Transportation, Kharkov, Ukraine in 1980, and holds Professional Engineering licenses in Florida.  Vitaly is a Principal Structural and Geotechnical engineer with Florida Geotechnical Engineering (FGE) and brings his 35+ years’ experience of working on multiple challenging projects around the world (Russian Federation, Ukraine, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Indonesia, and Australia) to bear for our clients.  Mr. Feygin specializes in structural and geotechnical design of large commercial, industrial and residential buildings, waterfront, port, seawalls and environmental structures.  His recognized accomplishments include two US patents, eight technical publications in Professional Journals (STRUCTURE magazine, ASCE Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, and Global Journal of Research in Engineering), three ACI “Grand-prize” awards for excellence concrete design and construction, an AAPA award for innovative design and multiple professional presentations to technical audiences.

Engineering Awards

• 2006 ACI Grand Prize Award for Excellence in Concrete Design and Construction (Maryland Chapter), Harbor View Waterfront Development
• 2006 ACI Grand Prize Award for Excellence in Concrete Design and Construction (Maryland Chapter), Ritz Carlton Waterfront Development
• 2008 ACI Grand Prize Award for Excellence in Concrete Design and Construction (Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware Chapter), Harrah Chester Down Race Track and Casino.
• 2008 AAPA Facilities Engineering Award for innovative design, Berth 3, Jacksonville Port Authority
• 2015 ASCE SEI New Orleans Chapter Award for Lecture (Annual Herbert J. Roussel, Jr.)

Publications

• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2010, July). Sea Wall Systems – Sea Wall vs. Bulkhead. STRUCTURE magazine, 16-18. Publication Link
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2011, May). Rational Approach to Design and Analysis of Piers and Marginal Wharves. STRUCTURE magazine, Part-1, 24-25.Publication Link
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2011, November). Rational Approach to Design and Analysis of Piers and Marginal Wharves. STRUCTURE magazine, Part-2, 24-26. Publication Link 
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2011, December). Rational Approach to Design and Analysis of Piers and Marginal Wharves. STRUCTURE magazine, Part-3, 16-20. Publication Link 
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2012, May). Flexible Seawalls: Modified Bulkhead Approach. ASCE: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, 17(2), 74-80. Publication Link
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2012, March). Seismic Design of Pile-to-Pile Cap Connections in Flexible Pier Structures. STRUCTURE magazine, 21-24. Publication Link
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2012, August). Survival of a Crane Truss in a Waterfront Project. STRUCTURE magazine, Part-1, 22-26. Publication Link 
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2012, November). Survival of a Crane Truss in a Waterfront Project. STRUCTURE magazine, Part-2, 16-20. Publication Link
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2012, July). Waterfront Crane Runways. STRUCTURE magazine, 34-37. Publication Link 
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2013, February). Common Mistakes and Omissions in the Design of Pressurized Concrete Water Holding Structures: Case Study. ASCE: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, 18(1), 28-34. Publication Link 
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2015). Design of Semi − Flexible and Flexible Dolphins with Concrete. Global Journal of Researches in Engineering, 15(1), 1-22. Publication Link
• Vitaly B. Feygin, P. (2015). Performance Based Design of Wharves with Steel Pipe Piles. Global Journal of Researches in Engineering, 15(3), 1-16. Publication Link 

STRUCTURAL PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER

As a professional engineer for FGE, Mr. Feygin oversees all structural design activities and forensic investigations performed by FGE.  These activities include the design of industrial, commercial and residential structures, bulkheads, foundations (both shallow and deep) and (earth and water) retaining structures.  Vitaly leverages his expertise in the forensic structural investigation of construction defects, slope stability, stormwater damages and water intrusion, and sinkhole/settlement related damages for waterfront, industrial, commercial and residential structures.  Additionally, he offers a wealth of geotechnical experience which translates into creative foundation designs, and the realization of these approaches in real-world applications.  Mr. Feygin also oversees remediation measures, including design, installation, and remediation evaluations.

PROFESSIONAL DESIGN EXPERIENCE

Prior to joining FGE, Mr. Feygin worked for several international engineering companies in the US and around the globe.  His most significant projects where he led or participated in the structural design include:

• Warf Bravo; US Naval Base Guantanamo Bay Cuba;
• Ritz Carlton Waterfront Hotel Development in Baltimore, Maryland;
• Harbor View Waterfront Development in Baltimore, MD;
• Locus Point Marginal Wharf, Maryland Port Authority;
• Auto Berth Terminal, Diamond State Port Authority, Delaware;
• Global Terminal, NY, New Jersey Port Authority;
• Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio;
• Extension of the Severance Hall, Cleveland Ohio;
• Harrah Chester Down Race Track, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
• Mayaguez Desalination Plant, Trinidad;
• Sacramento River Water Treatment plant, Sacramento, California;
• Red Rock Flood Protection System, Las Vegas, Nevada;
• Mahoning County Flood Control System, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania;
• Mahoning County Jail, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania;
• Bascule Span Bridge Fender, Tacony Palmyra Bridge, Pennsylvania;
• Birth 3, Jacksonville Port Authority;
• Wheatstone LNG Terminal, West Coast, Australia;
• Material Offloading Facility, Caisson bulkhead, Wheatstone LNG;
• Three LNG facilities on Curtis Island, East Coast, Australia;
• Underground Parking garage for Mt. Sinai Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky;
• Design of the Chernobyl Sarcophagus, Chernobyl, Ukraine
• Design of Special Operation Building, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
• Redesign of Vibrastand for Alaska Air Defense System (1998)

This impressive commercial and industrial structural design is complemented by numerous residential design efforts.

PROFESSIONAL FORENSICS AND INVESTIGATORY EXPERIENCE:

Mr. Feygin has performed a full spectrum of successful structural forensic investigations over his 35+ years of tenure in the industry.  Additionally, via his sinkhole and settlement related damage investigation experience, Vitaly has leveraged his expertise in concrete design to analyze causes of damage to concrete structures and determine structural significance as required under Florida law.  The broad spectrum of forensic investigation projects he has supported or led over the years includes the assessment of building structural and foundation systems, large crane systems and the respective supporting structure, bridges, earth and water retention systems and other structural systems.

PROFESSIONAL LEGAL EXPERIENCE:

Mr. Feygin was previously retained as an expert witness on several high profile projects where he successfully testified and gave expert depositions.  The list of most significant testimonies and depositions include:

• Overhead crane and building failure, Cleveland Steel manufacturing company, Fatigue failure investigation, 1996, Cleveland, Ohio ($2 mil settlement): Mr. Feygin performed the initial peer review of the plant building certification. Based on recommendations of another engineer, the building operator upgraded the capacity of the overhead crane without realizing that some elements of the building and crane columns were inadequate for supporting the respective upgraded loads. As a result of the review, Mr. Feygin concluded that the building was improperly certified and recommended re-certification of the building on condition that connections between the building and crane columns were remediated. The building was subsequently reopened by another engineer and collapsed only two weeks after reopening. Mr. Feygin was retained as an expert witness in the law suit following the subsequent collapse.
• Catskill Mountain Aqueduct, Concrete Tank Failure, 2006, NY, NY ($2.5 mil settlement): A concrete tank was designed for hydrostatic and mechanical pressure loads. However, the design model of the tank neglected significant secondary forces. Vitaly’s testimony included a review of the errors in the design model and a review of the design errors and omissions. Later, Mr. Feygin published a case study describing the design errors in his paper Common Mistakes and Omissions in the Design of Pressurized Concrete Water Holding Structures: Case Study.  ASCE. Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction. February 2013.
• Failure of Tacony-Palmyra bascule Span Bridge Fender, 2009-2011, Philadelphia, PA ($12.9 mil settlement):  Mr. Feygin’s forensic report and testimony included a review and testimony on the design errors, a review of the original design model and an explanation of the faulty design assumptions.  Later, after law suit settlement, Burlington County Bridge Commission requested the utilization of Mr. Feygin’s patented design for replacement of the Bascule Span Bridge Fender.
• Testimony on the failure of the Northeast Ohio Water and Sewer District Operation Building: The forensic analysis included a review and reporting on the design errors and omissions, and a review of construction defects.
• Expert witness on several high end residential projects (numerous): Testimonies included slope stability failures and building damages, differential settlement of foundations, wall rotation due to improperly constructed backfill, and miscalculated loads on basement walls.