Sebastian – The C.E.O.
In charge of the entire Orohaus Design crew. Loves nuggets, Cars, and Legos.
Martin E. Ruvalcaba, P.E. – The Designer & Engineer
Martin realized his interest in architecture, engineering, and construction at the age of 5. He was fortunate to have a father and uncles in the construction industry which exposed him to blueprints and construction stories. His father would record the family building commercial block buildings and homes with a VHS camcorder during the week. Over the weekend he would play the videos to his sons to show them what he was proudly working on.
The knowing what his father/family could build, his love for mathematics at a young age, passion for legos & Lincoln logs, being able to research architecture and civil engineering with the families World Book Encyclopedia set, plus his love of drawing cemented his goal that one day he would make blueprints.
Throughout his younger years in his spare time Martin had a passion for drawing cartoon characters, practicing architectural sketches, watching episodes of “This Old House” on KCET, researching California Spanish missions, assembling furniture, building model sets, playing little league baseball, and going to work with his dad when time permitted to learn the family business. All this in preparation for his future job as an architect or engineer.
As he grew older, from talking to professionals and his research on AOL, he realized that todays architects were no longer performing the structural engineering and the structural drawings. Changes from the UBC to IBC, and structural engineering changes from research after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake led many architects to hire subconsultants to execute a portion of their design work. They began hiring civil/structural engineers for residential projects. This led Martin to into the field of civil engineering with a specialization in structural engineering.
Martin went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering with structural specialization in 2006 from the University of California Irvine. In 2007 he also received his Masters Degree from UCI in Civil Engineering with structural specialization.
In 2005 during college, and after graduating college until May 2014, Martin worked at the prestigious engineering firm Parsons Transportation Group. Martin designed multiple million dollar bridges, retaining walls, sign structures, box culverts, mechanically stabilized earth embankments, and other transportation related structures that are still standing and in operation in California.
Being a civil engineer alone was not enough. The creative design aspect was missing from his career. His inner child and dreams of creating blueprints for beautiful homes kept calling. Martin wanted to venture off and start his own design and engineering firm. He took the leap and he founded Orohaus Design in 2015.
Martin is not an architect. He is MORE THAN AN architect. He is a RESIDENTIAL CUSTOM HOME DESIGNER & STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. Martin is a Registered Design Professional and can get your project approved and ready to build.
Orohaus Design strives to make your house golden. Martin designs structures that are beautiful, functional, and structurally sound. Located here in Long Beach, Orohaus is a unique firm serving all the surrounding areas with expertise service and attention to detail.
