Higgins Designs — Structural Engineering

Stress-Free Creations for the Visionary

Collaborative structural engineering for ambitious architecture.

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TERRALUZ — 2026 AIA AUSTIN HOMES TOUR
Higgins Designs

Structural engineering in Austin, TX — for visionary architecture.

AUSTIN-BASED STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING · RESIDENTIAL + COMMERCIAL · TEXAS PE #146132

Bright timber pavilion with a soaring wood roof

Creativity

We are excited and inspired by your most obscure ideas that require us to engineer outside the box.

Curved standing-seam roof over rammed-earth walls in daylight

Quality

We are committed to delivering exceptional quality of service in both deliverables and our relationships.

Warm modern residence with deep wood soffits in daylight

Joy

We are driven by the higher joy of creation, infusing our passion into each and every project.

Selected Work

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Terraluz barrel-vault roofs at twilight — Davey McEathron Architecture2026 AIA Austin Homes TourTerraluzDavey McEathron Architecture · AustinTerrace Mountain — hillside residence, Ravel ArchitectureTerrace MountainRavel Architecture · West Lake Hills
The Last Resort — high-wind coastal estate, RockportThe Last ResortHigh-Wind Coastal · Rockport, TXEast Annie — gabled metal cottage, Murray Legge ArchitectureEast AnnieMurray Legge Architecture · AustinWoodrow — black metal cube house, Murray Legge ArchitectureWoodrowMurray Legge Architecture · AustinBruton Springs Residence — cantilevered roof at dusk, A Parallel ArchitectureBruton SpringsA Parallel Architecture · AustinBurleson Road — corten pergola entry, Chioco DesignBurleson RoadChioco Design · Austin
Tarrytown residence — cantilevered wood-clad roof over blonde brick, coXist StudioTarrytowncoXist Studio · AustinJW Tower — vine-covered corten tower, Murray Legge ArchitectureJW TowerMurray Legge Architecture · AustinLake Travis Pool — hillside pool and terraceLake Travis PoolPools & Site · Lake TravisSugar Creek Addition — screened glass volume above the pool, François Lévy Architecture + InteriorsSugar CreekFrançois Lévy Architecture + Interiors · AustinGraves Building — steel shoring towers bracing the historic facade during restoration, ArchiTexasGraves BuildingArchiTexas · Austin
South Lamar Hotel — boutique hotel, Chioco DesignSouth Lamar HotelChioco Design · AustinDesoluna — rammed-earth residence, Davey McEathron ArchitectureDesolunaDavey McEathron Architecture · AustinHouse of Joy — wide modern residence, coXist StudioHouse of JoycoXist Studio · AustinSide by Side — pool beneath a cantilevered roof, coXist StudioSide by SidecoXist Studio · AustinPaperboy restaurant interior — green leather booths, white tile, and tall brick windows on South LamarPaperboyRestaurant · South Lamar, Austin
Figment Creative — expressive commercial building with angled black roofs and a playful entry, renderingFigment CreativeCommercial · AustinTap-In Patio — green steel trellis shading a planted hospitality patio, renderingTap-In PatioHospitality · AustinFrame x Frame — cantilevered residence floating among the trees, coXist StudioFrame x FramecoXist Studio · AustinEnfield Residence — stone and stucco residence glowing at duskEnfield ResidenceResidential · AustinMore Projects

The Structure

Behind the
Architecture

Bridging vision and reality through clarity, performance, and buildability.

Structure view: Terraluz under construction — curved rammed-earth walls in timber formwork. Finished view: the Terraluz facade — curved zinc roofs over rammed-earth walls.

Terraluz rammed-earth walls under construction
Finished Terraluz residence with curved rammed-earth facade

Advanced Modeling & Analysis

We see the whole structure.

From individual connections to the behavior of the complete building.

Dark analysis viewport: panoramic 3D model of a complete building steel frame with golden decks and blue shear panels
Dark analysis viewport: full-building 3D model under lateral loading, glowing above the ground plane
Full-building lateral
Dark analysis viewport: complete 3D structural model of a multi-story residence
Residence model
Dark analysis viewport: steel frame lateral system model with blue shear panels
Steel frame system
Dark analysis viewport: spiral stair structural wireframe model, shown in full
Stair wireframe
Warm wood interior with open glazing — engineered structure disappearing into architecture

Our Philosophy

Design Mindful.
Engineered Beauty.

We engineer so the structure serves the architecture — concealed where it should disappear, expressed where it should be seen. The result feels effortless because the engineering isn’t.

Our Philosophy

Beyond the Surface

The Details Do the Work

Behind every clean line is a connection detailed to fabrication clarity — drawn so it gets built the way it was designed.

East Annie — perforated-steel stair connection detail, upper run 3D viewBurleson Road — steel awning and trellis framing detail at concrete tilt-up panelsLexington — welded steel stair frame connection drawingMill St. — steel frame elevation detail with wood infillCustom stair structural shop drawing — connection details drawn to fabrication claritySteel awning strut and outrigger bearing on green ZIP-sheathed wood framing, photographed from below on site
  • Steel Connections
  • Wood + Steel Hybrids
  • Foundations
  • High-Performance Building Systems
See Our Details

Our Expertise

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295+ Projects Since 2022 · 70+ Architect Partners · 14+ Years of Experience

Warm modern residence with deep wood soffitsResidential
Corten pergola entry of a commercial projectCommercial
Stress
Free
Creations
Hillside pool and terrace above Lake TravisPools & Site
High-wind coastal estate in RockportHigh Wind
Historic storefront under shoring during restorationHistoric & Assessment
Barrel-vaulted roofs over rammed-earth wallsUnconventional Materials
Rebar grid of a slab foundation before the pourFoundations
Vine-covered corten steel towerCustom Stairs & Steel
Residence under construction with exposed framingConstruction Support
Benjamin Higgins, PE, Assoc. AIA — studio portrait
Benjamin Higgins rock climbing a steep face

Founder

Benjamin Higgins,
PE, Assoc. AIA

Founder & Principal Structural Engineer

He founded Higgins Designs in 2022 to bridge architectural ambition and structural clarity. Trained in both structural engineering and architecture, he has been practicing since 2012. Since 2022 the firm has engineered more than 295 projects alongside 70+ architecture and design studios. He works closely with architects, builders, and owners to develop systems that are rigorous, buildable, and true to the design — whether that means rammed earth, sculptural steel, or a foundation on a hillside lot.

BS Civil Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · M.Arch, Clemson University · Est. 2022

Meet Benjamin

What Clients Say

“Ben is a great engineer and excellent collaborator. I enjoy working with him so much on our office projects that I hired him for my own house. I always recommend Ben.”

— Dan Fields· Ravel Architecture

Ready to Start

Bring us the hard part.

Tell us what you’re working on — the ambitious geometry, the unconventional material, the site that shouldn’t work. That’s the part we love.

Start a Project

[email protected]  ·  (708) 715-9403  ·  1103 Lambie St. Unit B, Austin, TX 78702