Turning Ideas Into Action

Fire Tower is an engineering and design firm specializing in timber structures.

Our team of engineers, with a keen understanding of the structural uses and capabilities of wood, brings a contemporary understanding to the craftsman’s tradition of timber framing. Fire Tower’s projects have helped advance the science of engineered timber use and created new possibilities in the realm of post & beam construction.

With knowledge derived from decades of high-level experience, Fire Tower has demonstrated a consistent ability to transform rough plans into exemplary heavy timber structures. Our basic services cover design, consultation, engineering, repair and certification, and we’re agile enough to adapt to your specific needs, including:

  • Concept development
  • Preliminary Cost Estimates
  • Bid qualification and review
  • 3D modeling
  • Value Engineering
  • Sustainable and exotic building systems
  • Evaluating code requirements
  • Assessing and repairing existing structures
  • Project documentation
  • Providing superstructures

Nearly Anything is Possible

When Science Becomes Art

Led by partners Ben Brungraber, a Ph.D.-wielding pioneer in the field of American timber framing, Duncan McElroy a gentle wizard with decades of experience, and Joe Miller, yet another Doctor of Framing, Fire Tower's partners have overseen the creation of some of the industry’s most ambitious and respected projects, a successful record borne from the rare fusion of proven science and passionate artistry. 

Among their shared experiences are having worked for at least a decade directly within a well-regarded timber framing company.  These unusual hands on credentials gives them a very real and thorough appreciation for the entire process, from selling to erecting, and a special flair for fitting good joinery into shop tooling realities.  From tackling climate and geography issues with thoughtful engineering, to solving seemingly impossible puzzles of mortise and tenon joinery, the Fire Tower team can help make your next heavy timber project an exciting reality. We invite you to explore the Fire Tower website and contact us to discuss the possibilities.