Geiger Engineers
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Structural engineering consultancy |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | David H. Geiger, Paul A. Gossen, Kris P. Hamilton, David D. Chen, David M. Campbell, Mike Liao |
| Headquarters | Northwest of New York City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Structural engineering services, tensile membrane structures, sports venue engineering, entertainment sector engineering |
Geiger Engineers operates as the commercial identity of Geiger Lynch Emery Campbell Engineers, P.C., a U.S.-based structural engineering consultancy situated northwest of New York City. Established in 1988 by founders David H. Geiger, Paul A. Gossen, Kris P. Hamilton, David D. Chen, David M. Campbell, and Mike Liao, the company has executed significant projects on a global scale. While initially concentrating on long-span and tensile membrane structure designs, the firm has broadened its expertise to include engineering for sports venues and the entertainment sector.
Among their prominent recent undertakings are the new roofing system for Syracuse University's JMA Dome (previously known as the Carrier Dome), which earned the NCSEA 2021 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award for Renovation/Retrofit projects exceeding $20 million; the Credit One Stadium upgrades featuring a new Stage House and canopy structure; the USTA’s Louis Armstrong Stadium, recognized as a finalist in the SEAoNY 2020 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards; and Ariens Hill within the Titletown District, honored with the 2019 Wisconsin Award from ASLA and the 2018 Michigan Building Award from AIA.
In addition to project execution, Geiger Engineers actively contributes to advancements within the industry. They co-created Tensotherm™, an innovative composite fabric that integrates Lumira aerogel insulation, first utilized on the Dedmon Athletic Center roof in 2008. More recently, they secured a patent for a nonlinear bearing designed for large-scale movable structures like retractable roofs. This bearing enhances conventional linear models by allowing combined rotational and translational movement, thereby expanding structural design possibilities.
History
In 1968, while serving as an adjunct professor at Columbia University, David Geiger was contacted by New York-based firm Davis-Brody, which had won the design competition for the United States exhibition pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. They sought a structural engineer to realize their concept of a 30-story air-supported fabric structure. To adhere to budget limitations, Geiger developed an innovative low-profile cable-restrained air-supported roof. The success of this Osaka Pavilion project triggered widespread adoption of air-supported roofing systems.
During this engagement, Horst Berger joined forces with Geiger to establish Geiger Berger Associates, which became a leading entity in the air-supported roof market throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The firm engineered eight stadiums across the United States featuring such roofs during that era.
Expanding beyond air-supported roofs, Geiger Berger was at the forefront of designing long-span cable systems, tensile membrane structures, and tensegrity frameworks. Their notable projects include the tensile membrane Hajj Terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport, awarded the 2010 AIA 25-Year Award; Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Venue’s pioneering tensegrity dome; and Calgary’s Talisman Centre (currently MNP Community & Sport Centre), which featured the world’s first translucent insulated fabric roof. The firm also played a role in advancing structural fabric technologies such as Teflon PTFE-coated fiberglass.
By the early 1980s, the partnership dissolved when Berger departed in 1983, leading Geiger Berger Associates to revert to Geiger Associates. In 1986, KKBN acquired Geiger Associates. Subsequently, in 1988, David Geiger along with Kris Hamilton, David Chen, Paul Gossen, David Campbell, and Mike Liao established Geiger Engineers alongside former colleagues from Geiger Associates.
Sports venues and convention facilities
- Louis Armstrong Stadium, situated within the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, U.S.
- Snow Catchment Walls at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
- Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Pool and Rink, located in Queens, New York, U.S.
- TD Arena at the College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
- Athletic and Wellness Center at the SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, New York, U.S.
- Resch Center Arena in Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
- Xcel Energy Center based in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
- Lenovo Center located in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
- Simmons Bank Arena (previously known as Verizon Arena and Alltel Arena), Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
- Bon Secours Wellness Arena (formerly Bi-Lo Center), Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
- Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island, New York City, U.S.
- Myao Li Arena situated in Myao Li County, Taiwan
Upgrades and expansions
- Enhanced stage house with canopy, expanded seating capacity, and new entrance at Credit One Stadium, Daniel Island, Charleston, South Carolina
- Installation of a new roof on the JMA Dome (formerly Carrier Dome) at Syracuse University
- Addition of a retractable roof to Arthur Ashe Stadium within the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
- Comprehensive revitalization including a new roof for BC Place stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Roof replacement project for the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis
- Fabric roof refurbishment at Canada Place, part of the British Columbia Trade & Convention Centre in Vancouver
- Roof replacement at Radford University's Dedmon Center, Virginia
- Renovation works for Clemson University's Littlejohn Coliseum
- Upgrades to Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, University of Notre Dame
- Renovation of Stadium 3 at the USTA National Tennis Center
Entertainment and leisure developments
- Brooklyn Mirage outdoor venue for live music performances in Brooklyn, New York
- About Time: Fashion and Duration exhibit installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
- Seasonal décor installations for MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland
- Centerhung LED scoreboard installed at the Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
- Sami Family Amphitheater located within Zoo Miami
- Modular stage apron designed for the Lyric Theater, New York City
- Touring interactive Marvel Experience show presented inside air-inflated domes across various U.S. locations
- Outdoor prime-time stage structure for NBC's Million Second Quiz in New York City
- Outdoor stage and set design for the 150th Cinco de Mayo Celebration held in Puebla, Mexico
- Halo structure created for the opening ceremonies of the 2011 Pan American Games at Omnilife Stadium in Guadalajara
- Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark production in New York City
- Stage lift installations for Le Rêve aquatic theater at Wynn Casino in Las Vegas
- Structural elements for Aria Pool Deck at Aria Resort & Casino, Las Vegas
- Butler Amusements' Conference Table in the Sky attraction in Fairfield, California
- Large tilting turntable used onstage by LA Opera in Los Angeles
- Productions of Wrestlemania XXVI in Phoenix and Wrestlemania XXIV in Orlando
Tensile Membrane Structures
- Allianz Field, Fabric Exterior, Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Memorial Square at Meridian Place, Canopy for Stage, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
- Skyline, Canopies for Stations, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Parking Facility Covers, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
- Jacobs Pavilion, Nautica Entertainment Complex, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
- Florida Festival at Seaworld (credited as Geiger Berger Associates), Orlando, Florida, U.S.
- Gran Telescopio Milimetrico Alfonso Serrano, Rotating Dome, Cerro La Negra, Puebla, Mexico
- Hajj Terminal at New Jeddah International Airport (attributed to Geiger Berger Associates), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Ja-Yi Sports Gymnasium, Ja-Yi, Taiwan, R.O.C.
- Canada Harbour Place, Roof of Exhibit Hall, British Columbia Trade & Convention Centre (as Geiger Associates, Ltd), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- 2002 World Cup Main Stadium, Seoul, Korea
- Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
Domes (mainly under Geiger Berger Associates)
- Venues for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea:
- Olympic Weightlifting Gymnasium
- Olympic Fencing Gymnasium (renamed SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in 2012)
- Olympic Gymnastics Arena
- BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- JMA Wireless Dome (previously Carrier Dome), Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, U.S.
- Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
- MNP Community & Sport Centre (formerly Lindsay Park Sports Centre), Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- RCA Dome (originally Hoosier Dome), Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
- Redbird Arena, Normal, Illinois, U.S.
- UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa, U.S.
- Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.
- Stephen C. O'Connell Center (O'Dome), University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
- Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
- Tropicana Field (initially Florida Suncoast Dome), St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Center-Hung Scoreboards and LED Installations
- Center-Hung Scoreboard - KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
- Center-Hung Scoreboard - PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Center-Hung Scoreboard - Golden1Center, Sacramento, California, U.S.