Christopher S. Childers, P.E.
Associate Principal
Director - Tallahassee Office

Chris' three decades of experience in structural engineering have spanned design, fabrication, construction and inspections. He has been successfully managing Bliss & Nyitray's Tallahassee office since its opening in 1992. Prior to joining Bliss & Nyitray, Inc., Mr. Childers worked as the Chief Engineer for a major steel fabricator in Jacksonville, Florida and as a Project Manager for a major plate steel design and fabrication firm in Birmingham, Alabama.

Drawing on the insights he has gained working for steel fabricators and as a site representative and field engineer, Chris always considers constructability when designing structural systems. His projects have utilized structural steel, reinforced concrete, precast concrete, post-tensioned concrete, masonry and wood.

In addition to his extensive amount of work on educational facilities working with Florida State University,  Chris' project experience includes mixed use projects, residential, parking garages, sports facilities and office buildings. 

Chris is a Florida Certified Special Inspector.

Education

BSCE, University of Florida, 1982
Major: Civil Engineering

Licensed Engineer

Florida
Georgia

Memberships

American Institute of Steel Construction

Select Projects

LeonCountySchools-FortBradenSchool Addition, Tallahassee, Florida

  • 32,000 sq ft addition to the existing K-8 school including the addition of a new gymnasium, locker rooms, and a new classroom wing.
  • Primary structural frame, concrete masonry with structural steel beams and steel open web roof joists.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Leon County Schools – RobertsElementary School, Tallahassee, Florida

  • 90,000 sq ft new elementary school.
  • Primary structural frame, concrete masonry with structural steel beams and steel open web roof joists.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Leon County Schools -Adult Community Education School Addition
Tallahassee, Florida

  • 13,500 sq ft addition to the existing school including the addition two new classroom wings.
  • Primary structural frame, concrete masonry with structural steel beams and steel open web roof joists.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Liberty County Schools -Bristol K-8 School, Bristol, Florida

  • 86,200 sq ft new K-8 school including four independent buildings; administrative wing, primary wing, middle wing and gymnasium.
  • The primary wing is designed as a hurricane shelter.
  • Primary structural frame, concrete masonry with structural steel beams and light gage steel roof trusses.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Florida State University Communications Building

  • New facility and renovation of the north end zone of Doak Campbell Stadium
  • Primary Structural Frame, cast-in-place concrete, with precast prestressed composite concrete joists with cast-in-place concrete floors and structural steel roof system with open web steel joists and steel corrugated roof deck.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record, Threshold Inspector

Florida A&M University Coleman Library Additions

  • Addition of 47,000 GSF to the existing Coleman Library
  • Primary Structural Frame, cast-in-place concrete, with precast prestressed composite concrete joists with cast-in-place concrete floors and structural steel roof system with open web steel joists and steel corrugated roof deck.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record, Threshold Inspector

Florida State University Research Foundation Buildings

  • 169,176 GSF research/office space in two buildings
  • Primary Structural Frame, cast-in-place concrete, with precast prestressed composite concrete joists with cast-in-place concrete floors and structural steel roof system with open web steel joists and steel corrugated roof deck.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Florida State University Parking Garage No. 3

    • 1,500 space, 4 story parking garage for Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
    • Primary Structural Frame; deep pile foundations using augercast piles and pile caps supporting precast concrete columns, beams, walls, double tees and flat slabs.
    • Principal in charge, Engineer of Record

Florida State UniversityJohnston Dining Hall Renovation

  • Renovation of an historic two story building on the Florida State University Campus. The original building was constructed between 1914 and 1921 and consisted of load bearing brick masonry walls wood floor system and wood kings post trusses.
  • The renovation consisted of removing the existing second story wood floor system and replacing it with a new concrete flat slab floor. We incorporated the existing brick masonry walls and columns into our design.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Florida State University West Dining Facility

  • New one story dining hall for Florida State University.
  • The structure consisted of shallow spread footings, load bearing masonry walls, structural steel roof framing, light gage steel roof trusses, open web steel roof joists and steel roof deck.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Florida State University Parking Garage No. 4

  • 1,000 space, 4 story parking garage
  • Primary Structural Frame; deep pile foundations using augercast piles and pile caps supporting precast concrete columns, beams, walls, double tees and flat slabs.
  • Principal in charge, Engineer of Record

Florida Stat eUniversity Howser Baseball Stadium Renovations

  • Renovation and expansion of the existing stadium
  • Including grandstand and bleachers, pressboxes, locker rooms and training spaces, administrative spaces
  • Primary Structural Frame, deep pile foundation system, precast prestressed columns, beams, and single “L” bleacher seating units.
  • Project Manager, Threshold Inspector, Engineer of Record

Press Box Tower Renovation and Addition at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

  • 10,000 Seat Addition to North End Zone of the existing football stadium.
  • Primary structural frame, cast-in-place concrete with precast prestressed composite joists.
  • Project Manager

Florida Commerce Credit Union

  • New 3 story office and bank building
  • Primary Structural Frame; concrete cast-in-place shallow spread footings, load bearing masonry shear walls, structural steel columns, composite steel beams, 2" composite steel floor deck, 5 1/2" concrete elevated slabs, steel open web roof joists, 1 1/2" steel roof deck
  • Principal in Charge, Engineer of Record

Wakulla Bank - Crawford Main Bank

  • New one story building adjoining an existing building and renovation of the existing one and two story bank buildings.
  • Primary Structural Frame; concrete spread footings supporting structural steel roof framing with steel I beams, open web steel joists and corrugated steel roof deck.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Swiss Bank Building

  • New three story building with mechanical mezzanine for Swiss Bank on Grand Cayman Island
  • Primary Structural Frame, cast-in-place concrete, with precast prestressed composite concrete joists with cast-in-place concrete floors and pre-engineered wood roof trusses with plywood roof deck.
  • Design Engineer

Gyst Building

  • New three story office building on Grand Cayman Island
  • Primary Structural Frame, cast-in-place concrete, with precast prestressed composite concrete joists with cast-in-place concrete floors and pre-engineered wood trusses with open web steel joists and steel corrugated roof deck.
  • Design Engineer

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Bixler Emergency Addition

  • 653,000 SF expansion to Florida’s eighth largest hospital.
  • Phase I includes a parking garage and the Bixler Emergency Center.
  • Phase II consists of a Family Care unit, Women’s and Children’s Center and a professional office building.
  • Threshold Inspector

Tallahassee Center

  • Addition of an 11 story residential condominium on top of an existing 4 story underground parking garage.
  • cast-in-place concrete columns, beams with two way flat slabs.
  • Primary Structural Frame; cast-in-place concrete flat slab system supported by concrete columns.
  • The project was severely handicapped by the limitations of the existing garage foundations which had been designed for only a 6 story office building.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Plaza Tower at KlemanPlaza

  • New mixed use building with 2 floors of retail, 4 parking levels, 17 residential levels, mechanical level and roof.
  • The building is constructed with concrete augercast piles, pile caps, columns, post tensioned flat slab, and transfer girders, with a structural steel roof structure with steel beams, sloping open web steel joists and steel roof deck.
  • The parking garage has two levels below grade with a concrete basement retaining wall.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

The View Condominiums

  • New 22 story condominium including two levels below grade. One residence is located on each floor.
  • Structure consists of deep augercast pile foundation and concrete pile caps, concrete columns, post tensioned flat slabs.
  • Project Manager, Engineer of Record

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • 65,000 seat football stadium for the New England Patriots
  • Primary structural frame, structural steel
  • Project Engineer.

Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • 65,000 seat football stadium for the Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Primary structural frame, structural steel, including a 75 foot cantilevered canopy
  • Project Engineer