San Jose office leader John Gouchon started his geotechnical engineering career in 1991 — the same year that the World Wide Web was released to the public.

Little did he know how the Internet would shape his own career by becoming a major component of the firm’s client base. Today, Google, Apple, LinkedIn, Oracle, Adobe, Samsung, and Yahoo, among others, count on Gouchon and his team for their expertise on their Silicon Valley projects.

“In the beginning of the dot-com boom, we saw an opportunity to support the underserved tech market by providing multidiscipline engineering and environmental services,” said Gouchon. “Today, with Silicon Valley being the center of the ‘virtual’ universe, real estate demand for commercial and multifamily development is outpacing existing stock. As a result, Langan’s San Jose office is well-positioned to help the growing population where it works, plays, and lives.”

Such demand has in turn led to the expansion of the Langan San Jose office, which has taken new space at 1 Almaden Boulevard. From that location, Gouchon’s team addresses challenges associated with the region: soft soils, potentially liquefiable soil, soil and groundwater contamination, vapor mitigation, high groundwater table, stormwater pollution prevention plans, and seismic activity.

Furthermore, downtown San Jose limits building height, forcing developers to go deep below ground — sometimes 40 feet — to provide sufficient parking. Gouchon relishes these challenges with one of his most recent projects involving a deep excavation and base-isolated supported green roof to resist earthquake forces.

To learn more about Langan’s Silicon Valley practice, contact John Gouchon at jgouchon@langan.com or 408.283.3600.