Robert (Bob) Metcalfe

PE, LEG

Principal Geotechnical Engineer

Combining my love of the outdoors with my degree in engineering geology and my curiosity with the built environment made the geotechnical profession a natural fit.

Hired

  • 1998

Location

  • Redmond, WA

Practices

Bob works with property owners and their design teams to investigate geological and geotechnical characteristics of commercial, industrial and educational development sites. He also leads investigations for infrastructure and roadway improvements, reclamation of mining facilities, and development over complex brownfield sites such as landfills and mined pit fills.

“Combining my love of the outdoors with my first degree in engineering geology as well as my curiosity with the built environment made the geotechnical profession a natural fit,” Bob says. “Working with members of design teams and collaborating with them to develop practical and cost-effective solutions is particularly rewarding.”

Bob especially enjoys working on education projects for various colleges and universities. “I would have to say that the University of Washington Bothell/Cascadia Community College co-located Campus project was very rewarding. Construction of an entirely new campus and the diversity of engineering solutions for the various structures made the project quite interesting,” he says.

Outside of work, Bob stays involved with the ASCE Seattle Geotechnical Group (Board member) and his alma mater, the University of Washington, and enjoys giving back his profession and the students. He and his sons are also avid fans of the UW Huskies and football season ticket holders. “I enjoy traveling to occasional away games, including the bowl games and regular-season games in places like Hawaii,” he says. Skiing, camping and fishing are also high on his list.

Articles
  • Metcalfe, R.C., Holtz, R.D., and Allen, T.M. (1995). Field Investigation to Evaluate the Long Term Separation and Drainage Performance of Geotextile Separators. Proceeding of the Geosynthetics 1995 Conference, Nashville, Vol. 3, pp. 951-962
  • Metcalfe, R.C. (1993). Performance of Geotextile Separators in Western Washington. M.S.C.E. Thesis, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 262 pp. Also published as Metcalfe R.C. and Holtz, R.D. (1994). Performance of Geotextile Separators in Washington State, Washington State Department of Transportation, Final Technical Report No. WA-RD 321., 265 pp.

Selected Project Experience

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