Associate Principal | P.Eng., Struct.Eng., M.Eng., PE, SE
List-maker, Seeker of order from chaos, Diplomat, Artist, Bread baker, Cross country skier
Ilana grew up in Alberta and graduated from the University of Alberta in 2008 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering. Hopping a few mountain ranges, she relocated to Vancouver where she began her career working mainly on institutional projects such as schools, recreation facilities, and seismic retrofits. In 2012 Ilana attended the University of British Columbia for a Master’s in Structural Engineering studying seismic design and timber structures. Her research focused on timber engineering in high-seismic zones, particularly connections for CLT diaphragms and shearwalls. Along the way, she got to break a few CLT panels.
With over a decade of structural engineering experience, Ilana has worked on a wide range of projects in Canada and the US including the UBC Aquatic Centre, the Audain Art Museum, the Oregon State University College of Forestry, and Tallwood 1 in Langford, BC. Experienced in all materials, she is passionate about mass timber design and seismic engineering, and recently designed the first ever hybrid BRB/timber frame lateral system.
Ilana believes in a collaborative and creative approach to design and problem solving and is an enthusiastic mentor to others. Inspired by her wise and endlessly inquisitive daughter to embrace the joy in learning, Ilana is motivated by hard problems and great teams.
These days, spare time means getting outside and getting moving, ideally in the mountains, but anywhere with trees will do. She dreams of a time when life slows down enough to pick up her brushes and start oil painting again.