Excellence in the making

Our firm was established in 1961 by Robert Darvas, an engineer who left his position as senior structural designer for the Chicago-based firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill to accept a position as Professor of Architecture at the University of Michigan. The firm grew from its initial part-time operation to one which does business on an international level. In September of 1979, Darvas and three registered engineers on his staff incorporated to form Robert Darvas Associates, P.C. Today the firm is committed to the same set of values that the company was built. Because of that commitment, 2022 marked our 60th year of business.

Robert M. Darvas S.E. P.E. is widely known as an authority in field of structural engineering. During his over sixty-year career, he has been a mentor, teacher, and chair of UM’s Architecture Department. Darvas has published books and articles on structural engineering, received numerous design awards, and has been involved in various committees that have shaped the built environment.

After leaving Hungary in 1956, Mr. Darvas worked in London and then later in Chicago for the firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. There, he designed the dynamic structure of the Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado, designated as one of the ten best buildings in America. He then became the structural engineer for Kaiser Aluminum Technical Services.

Departing from Kaiser, he joined the University of Michigan’s College of Architecture faculty and established Robert Darvas Associates, P.C., Consulting Structural Engineers. Committed to producing the highest quality designs, Darvas recruited similarly talented principals with strong backgrounds in structural engineering, as well as architecture. This concentrated diversity enhances the firm’s ability to understand the complete project and the interplay of the structural system with related building subsystems and overall architectural concept.

Darvas has over a half of a century of experience, a deep knowledge base, and a talent for innovation. As a principal and mentor, he consults on projects requiring unique solutions and is an active expert witness to the community. In addition, some of our principals have formal educations in architecture. This concentrated diversity enhances our ability to understand the overall project and the interplay of the structural system with related building subsystems and overall architectural concept. This ability is why we have a strong base of return clients that include highly awarded architects, successful developers, and experienced contractors.