G.D. Gazis provides structural engineering, architectural design, and construction administration for owners, property managers, and developers across Chicago and the Midwest. We carry a project from first concept through permitting and construction, coordinating directly with architects, civil and MEP engineers, and the contractors who build it. The principal who walks your building stays on it through permitting and construction.

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CONTACT

About Our Founder: George Gazis

George Gazis established this firm, building upon over 45 years of distinguished experience in structural engineering. His profound expertise, unwavering vision, and steadfast commitment to core values such as integrity, precision, and meticulous attention to detail laid the robust foundation for everything we do. This dedication to excellence ensured every project bore the mark of quality and reliability. These enduring principles, instilled from the very beginning, continue to guide our work and define our commitment to excellence today, inspiring every design and solution we provide.

Nikolaos "Nick" Gazis, Ph.D., P.E., S.E.

Owner & Principal Engineer

Nick Gazis leads G.D. Gazis, LLC, the structural engineering practice he established together with his father, George, and holds it to the same standards of integrity and precision it was built on. Over nearly twenty years he has carried projects from initial concept through detailed design, permitting, and construction administration.

Rigorous Design for Extreme Conditions

Before returning to the family practice, Nick engineered subsea structures for the oil and gas industry — designing for hurricane loading, high seismic activity, and ultra-deepwater service. Those environments leave no room for approximation, and the method they demanded anchors every project since: quantify the loads, understand exactly how a structure might fail, and design against it deliberately.

His academic training reinforces it. A doctorate from the University of Liverpool and a master's from Rice University give him a depth of analysis few practicing structural engineers bring to the field, and it shows on the problems that resist standard rules of thumb — existing buildings with no drawings, heavy equipment foundations, and forensic investigations whose conclusions have to hold up under scrutiny.

Practice & Portfolio

Nick's portfolio spans single-family homes and large multi-family developments alongside commercial, industrial, and institutional structures: manufacturing campuses and equipment installations, adaptive re-use, ground-up construction, and facade restoration and Chicago facade-ordinance compliance. With structural engineering, architectural, and interior design integrated under one roof, he stays personally involved from proposal through occupancy — and builds the kind of long-term relationships that make G.D. Gazis a client's first call rather than one of three bids.

Credentials

Licensed Structural Engineer (S.E.): Illinois
Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.): Wisconsin, Texas, Alabama, Indiana
Education: Ph.D., University of Liverpool (2018); M.S., Rice University (2008); B.Sc., University of Illinois Chicago (2006)
Affiliations: ASCE, AISC
Dissertation: Approximate Stochastic Techniques for Diverse Engineering Dynamics Applications

Publications

Gazis N, Kougioumtzoglou IA, Patelli E. Ice Gouge Depth Determination Via an Efficient Stochastic Dynamics Technique. ASME. J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng. 2017;139(1):011501-011501-8. doi:10.1115/1.4034372.
Abdalla, B., Hossain, K., Gazis, N., Xu, J., Eltaher, A., “Bearing Capacity Predictions of Subsea Mudmats – An Integrated Analysis Approach” Proceedings of the Twenty- third International Offshore and Polar Engineering Anchorage, Alaska, USA, June 30–July 5, 2013.
Gazis, N., “A Probabilistic Approach for Mud Mat Stability Analysis” Proceedings of the Twenty-third International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, Anchorage, Alaska, USA, June 30–July 5, 2013.
Gazis, N., “A Probabilistic Approach for Reliability Assessment and Fatigue Analysis of Subsea Free Spanning Pipelines” Proceedings of the Twenty-second International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, Rhodes, Greece, June 17–22, 2012.
Gazis, N., "Monte Carlo-based response analysis of subsea free spanning pipeline systems subjected to non-stationary random seismic excitations," OCEANS 2011, vol., no., pp.1-8, 19-22 Sept. 2011.

Tara Becares

DESIGNER

Tara is a multidisciplinary designer with a strong technical foundation and a growing passion for interior architecture. She began her career in 2017 as a technical designer while earning her Associate’s degree in Architectural Technology. During this time, she worked primarily on commercial and large-scale projects, gaining hands-on experience in architectural design, construction documentation, and project coordination. Her early exposure to the built environment sharpened her problem-solving skills and deepened her understanding of how design translates from concept to construction.

Driven to expand her creative scope, Tara pursued a Bachelor's degree in Interior Architecture at Columbia College, where she refined her eye for spatial harmony, materiality, and human-centered design. She now works as a structural designer, blending her technical expertise with a nuanced design sensibility. With a growing interest in entrepreneurship, her goal is to offer design solutions that not only meet practical needs but also elevate the everyday experience through intentional and inspired interiors.