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Decades ago, Art Johnson, founding principal of KPFF Consulting Engineers‘ Portland office, almost gave up studying engineering.

When Johnson took the entrance exam for the engineering school at the University of California, Berkeley, he tested in the 98th percentile. But his grades didn’t measure up, and he was called into a stern meeting with the school’s dean. Johnson dropped out.

He went to community college for a year, and returned to UC Berkeley. He eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s in structural engineering.

Johnson said he was motivated to show the engineering school’s dean that he was indeed cut out to be an engineer.

“The dean knew exactly what to tell me,” he said. “It was, if nothing else, going to prove to him.”

Engineering has become a lifelong passion for Johnson, 72. In October he will be feted by the Architecture Foundation of Oregon as its 2014 Honored Citizen. It’s the first time the AFO has given a structural engineer the prestigious recognition.

The nonprofit typically does not bestow the honor on an architect, AFO Executive Director Jane Jarrett said.

“We tend to try and honor and shed some light on the other industries and organizations that make a significant contribution to Oregon’s design environment,” she said.

Johnson, who served on the AFO board for years, was an obvious choice to be this year’s Honored Citizen, Jarrett said.

“Art has worked on many important buildings,” she said. “He’s an absolute favorite among many of the architects in (Portland).”

Johnson’s diligence in his work with architects is part of what makes him a great engineer, ZGF Architects partner Bob Packard said. Johnson has worked with ZGF on a number of prominent projects, including office buildings, hospitals and Portland International Airport.

“He’s just been an amazing partner for all of the design community – a creative and thoughtful problem solver,” Packard said. “The architectural community is passionate about having him at the table at the very beginning. He’ll suggest new ways of doing things. He’ll work to make any idea better.”

After graduating from UC Berkeley, Johnson worked for Boeing in Seattle before landing a job with KPFF’s Seattle office. He ended up spending a lot of time in Portland working with ZGF on two downtown office towers: Umpqua Bank Plaza, completed in 1975, and the World Trade Center, completed in 1977.

“I was traveling back and forth quite a bit, and the partners came to me and said, ‘Would you like to move to Portland?’ ” he said.

When Johnson moved to Portland in 1974 to start KPFF’s office there, he was the sole employee. Today, the office has 150 employees.

“I hired five people in the first few months and it’s been growing ever since,” he said.

In Portland, Johnson said he’s particularly proud of his contributions to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, the Grotto Meditation Chapel, the Oregon Convention Center and the canopy at Portland International Airport.

“All of those had that unique give-and-take between the architect and the engineer on how to do it right,” he said.

Communication between engineers and architects from a project’s conception is a crucial key to success, Johnson said. It’s a lesson he strives to pass on to young engineers at KPFF and architecture students he teaches at the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts in Portland.

“It’s a give-and-take, and you can accomplish so much more in a short period of time,” he said. “You can’t really totally share the (architect’s) vision, but you need to understand it and then throw out ideas.”

Johnson still uses the solid oak desk that he found upside down in his office on his first day in Portland. In those days, KPFF was a small shop that was easy to manage, but it quickly grew to the point where he had to become comfortable delegating work.

“That’s difficult for people to do, especially engineers,” he said. “If you give a problem to 10 different engineers, they’re not going to give the same answer. I got over that soon enough. Once you let go, it’s wonderful.”

He found great advantages to hiring mostly young engineers fresh out of school.

“It’s easier to delegate because they’ve been trained in our office,” he said. “You can trust what they’re capable of doing and what they’re not capable of doing.”

Johnson has assembled “an amazing cadre of colleagues at KPFF,” Packard said. “He’s mentored them, supported them and continues to be of that mindset.”

The engineering profession has changed a lot in the last 40 years, Johnson said. Computer modeling plays a much larger role, and building codes have become increasingly complex. But what he loves about engineering – “solving problems and dealing with people” – has remained a constant.