Phillip Shinn

As a structural engineer, Phillip Shinn has over 42 years of experience in the design of steel, concrete, masonry, wood, aluminum, and light gauge steel structures. An expert in the design of new and existing buildings as well as seismic analysis and retrofit design, he has written several computer design programs in Fortran, Basic, and Visual Basic for each of these design materials. He also has structural expertise in the design of new and existing buildings, seismic analysis and retrofit design, and peer reviews of facilities with progressive collapse and force protection requirements. He is adept at supervising the detailing of structures and integrating architectural and structural details in the design and construction process.

Shinn has worked on a wide range of projects over the years, from small, single-story structures such as gate-houses, to large sprawling data centers, to multistory hospital and office complexes. His buildings include recreation centers, museums, hospitals, medical office buildings, medical research facilities, data centers, retail shopping centers, malls, aircraft hangars, military training centers, high schools, elementary schools, collegiate teaching buildings, collegiate dormitories, hotels, waste water treatment plants, municipal city halls, police stations, courthouses, performance theaters, nursing homes, and garages among others.

Shinn has done structural forensic work, appearing as an expert witness in depositions and courtroom testimony. This work usually deals with project problems or accidental occurrences, ranging from explosions to poor construction to building collapses. Often the work entails structural stabilization and repair efforts as well as forensic and legal work.

He has also worked on demolition projects including the implosion of the Checker Dome, also known as the Arena, in St. Louis; Mile High Stadium in Denver; and the McNichols Arena in Denver; as well as a number of garages and bridges in the St. Louis area.

Shinn is currently a subject matter expert with Jacobs, dealing in structural and architectural issues for offices throughout the firm. He also teaches four courses per year in the College of Architecture at WashU, working with approximately 60 graduate and undergraduate students each year, lecturing in structural engineering. Professionally, Shinn has worked as a construction laborer in Arkansas, a crew chief for a land surveyor in Arizona, a traffic engineer for St. Louis County, and a structural engineer and vice president for an engineering firm in St. Louis, before joining Jacobs.