Structural design and project management

Designing and placing this digital display on existing columns in Mississippi helped get this customer’s business back to normal after Hurricane Katrina.

Everything has to fit correctly when parts built thousands of miles apart are joined for the first time. The large structure, shipped in two parts to travel via interstate, had to stack up within close tolerances in addition to fitting over the existing 30” diameter columns at a level 90’ above ground.

During the design process, the specification for the structure was upgraded to comply with 130 MPH exposure C wind forces (i.e. “hurricane ratings”) Although the weaker design was grandfathered into building codes, there were significant economic reasons to make a stronger structure. The use of Autodesk Inventor 3D modeling, along with ANSYS finite element analysis and conventional stress analysis, made re-quoting and adapting the design easy.

Theft was a problem here – the electrical service was stolen (1000’ of copper) so work inside the structure had to take place without the cooling fans running. We adapted by drinking lots of water… Next time we bring a generator.

Hospitality is alive and well on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  There are lots of great people there that could use our tourist money, and some terrific beachside restaurants.  I just love it when the project goes well enough to enjoy the local fare.