Tyler Lahti

A hobby builder and tinker-er from the start, Tyler has always been a technically minded person who had an enduring fascination with how things were built and how they worked. He spent his early teens working at a bike shop with the future hope of becoming an engineer who designed them one day. This early interest led him to pursue engineering at the University of Toronto, but it wasn’t long before he discovered the connection between his love of building things and the structural practice – finding a special sense of accomplishment from creating things that other people could see and experience for generations to come. After first year of university, he began a student work term at RVA, returning every summer throughout his studies as he continued to develop his structural design skills and merge them with his technical knowledge.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in civil engineering in 2006, Tyler joined RVA under the mentorship of Tom Richardson, the firm’s structural lead at the time. As an Engineer in Training, Tyler had the opportunity to refine his skills on unique and memorable projects right out of school, such as the Behemoth roller coaster at Canada’s Wonderland and the Burloak Water Intake and Marine Pipeline. Since then, Tyler has amassed an impressive portfolio of projects that spans water and wastewater facilities, tunnels, shafts, dams, spillways, buildings, specialty structures, and district energy systems. Now, as the manager of our structures and tunnels practice, Tyler’s discerning eye for detail and broad technical expertise have made him a go-to resource for our teams. Whether it’s bringing large-scale visions to life in ambitious, multi-layered assignments, or designing custom solutions for one-of-a-kind, niche projects – he believes it’s the small details that make the difference.

Beyond his expertise in the structural realm, Tyler is also motivated to design with an eye towards a more sustainable future. He is focused on expanding meaningful initiatives and solutions for our clients that promote the benefits of well-built infrastructure that remains responsive to the needs of future generations. His design philosophy encompasses the idea that structures should be paragons not only of high-quality design, but also of durability and resilience. A forward-thinking leader, he is energized by the new challenges, and ensuing opportunities, presented by emerging technologies in the structural and tunneling industry, such as innovative high-performance materials, and revolutions in construction equipment and methodologies. From the integration of design disciplines to our cutting-edge approach and our commitment to sustainability and client care – Tyler ensures that our structural and tunnelling group truly offers our clients the whole package.

Outside the office, Tyler is a proud father of two with a never-ending list of hobbies that includes running, mountain biking, hockey, cross-country skiing, house renovations, and tinkering with electronics. He is also a hobby musician that plays the drums, guitar, and piano, and a proud member of the RVA rock band. A former competitive runner, Tyler’s personal goal is to be the fastest person at RVA – and he has his sights set on overtaking Bernardo on our next charity run!