About Us

Founded in 2003 by Kenneth A. Hayes, P.E., South County Design Group, Inc. (SCDG) provides licensed civil and structural engineering services to residential, commercial, and industrial clients throughout Rhode Island. The firm’s practice is primarily concentrated within the coastal communities of Washington and Newport counties, where the environment demands specialized engineering solutions to address high wind speeds and complex flood-zone requirements.

Kenneth Hayes has practiced structural engineering since 1992 and has been a licensed Professional Engineer in Rhode Island (#7252) since 2000. SCDG was established to provide a precise, code-grounded approach to structural design, ensuring that every project — from coastal estates to commercial retrofits — is engineered for long-term resilience against the Atlantic climate.

Engineering Practice

Our practice is defined by the unique structural and civil engineering challenges specific to Rhode Island’s coastal building sites, which require a sophisticated understanding of how extreme weather events interact with the built environment.

Our engineering services focus on the following critical areas:

• Wind-Load Analysis: We conduct rigorous lateral-force analysis using ASCE 7-16 standards. This ensures that the main wind-force resisting systems of a structure are capable of withstanding the specific design wind speeds required by the Rhode Island State Building Code for coastal zones.
• Wind-Borne Debris Region Compliance: For properties located in high-velocity wind zones, we provide the necessary structural detailing to meet debris-impact requirements, protecting the building envelope from catastrophic failure during storm events.
• FEMA V-Zone Elevated Foundations: We specialize in the design of high-hazard flood zone foundations. This includes open-pile and column-based systems engineered to withstand not only the vertical loads of the structure but also the lateral forces of breaking waves and storm surges.
• Load Path Continuity: A primary focus of our design narrative is the establishment of a continuous, verifiable load path. We ensure that every structural component — from the roof rafters to the foundation anchorage — is mechanically connected to resist the uplift and shear forces common in coastal environments.

Current Codes and Standards

At South County Design Group, every project is grounded in the latest regulatory framework. We provide clarity for homeowners and builders by citing the governing code sections directly in our calculations and design narratives. This transparency allows reviewers and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) to trace every design decision back to its primary source.

Our engineering analysis is governed by:

• Rhode Island State Building Code: RISBC-1 (Commercial) and RISBC-2 (Residential).
• The December 2025 RISBC Rewrite: We are currently designing in accordance with the state’s adoption of the 2021 IBC and 2021 IRC, including all Rhode Island-specific amendments.
• ASCE 7-16 & 7-22: We provide engineering transitions as the state moves toward the updated minimum design load requirements.
• Material Standards: Our calculations adhere to the standards of the AISC (Steel), ACI (Concrete), and the AWC Wood Frame Construction Manual.

Reference Material and Resources

SCDG maintains a library of published reference material on Rhode Island wind-load design and coastal structural engineering. Available on our Resources page, these articles are intended for architects, builders, and homeowners who require a technical, primary-source explanation of how the Rhode Island State Building Code applies to specific coastal design challenges. We update these resources regularly as building codes evolve and field experience warrants.