605-ton school steel package
Structural steel detailing for WSI covered the two-story school and its open learning and common spaces.
LocationGrand Junction, Colorado
Client and fabricatorWSI
Structural steelApproximately 605 tons
Building sizeApproximately 100,000 square feet
Project overview
Structural steel detailing for a new learning environment.
Orchard Mesa Middle School is a new approximately 100,000-square-foot educational facility constructed in Grand Junction, Colorado.
The two-story school was designed with flexible learning areas, open common spaces and architectural elements inspired by the surrounding landscape. It opened to students in late 2019.
Working for WSI, our team provided structural steel detailing for approximately 605 tons of steel.
Branching steel columns inspired by the site’s orchard history.
One of the school’s defining structural features is a series of custom “tree columns.”
These branching assemblies were constructed from round HSS members and designed to resemble trunks and limbs supporting the roof framing. The columns reference the orchards that once shaped the surrounding area and help establish the building’s architectural identity.
Their irregular geometry required the relationship between the branches, roof beams and connection points to be accurately developed in three dimensions.
Project team and technical details
- Owner
- Mesa County Valley School District 51
- Building height
- Two stories
- Project period
- 2018–2019
- Architect
- Blythe Group + co. / BG+co
- General contractor
- FCI Constructors, Inc.
- Primary scope
- Structural steel detailing
- Key steel elements
- Branching HSS tree columns and built-up trusses
- Coordination process
- Shared Google Sheets question log and biweekly meetings
- Typical question response
- One to two days
Detailing scope
Key steel elements
Branching round-HSS tree columns
Custom tree assemblies were modeled with their branch angles, member intersections, elevations and roof connection points.
Built-up long-span trusses
Large trusses above the main common area were coordinated with the surrounding structure and architecture.
Live model and question coordination
Shared RFI tracking and biweekly meetings supported updates to the model as project decisions became available.
Model to field
From coordinated geometry to the project on site.
01 / Coordinated model
02 / Fabrication & fieldTechnical complexity
Turning branching HSS geometry into fabrication-ready information.
Branching geometry in three dimensions
Round HSS members extended in multiple directions. Their intersections and roof relationships needed accurate spatial control for fabrication.
Tree columns and trusses together
The distinctive column assemblies and built-up common-area trusses needed review as a coordinated structure rather than disconnected two-dimensional views.
Fast answers within an aggressive schedule
A shared question log gave the team visibility into open issues. Responses typically arrived within one or two days and sometimes in real time.
Our approach
Complex geometry reviewed directly with the design team.
The structural model provided a common reference for coordinating the tree columns, built-up trusses and surrounding framing.
Model-based reviews helped the project team evaluate the branching assemblies and resolve questions about member positions and connections while the detailing work progressed.
This approach was essential to developing accurate fabrication information within the project’s aggressive schedule.
Questions answered in days—and sometimes in real time.
The team established a shared Google Sheets-based system for tracking RFIs and project questions.
Detailers, the fabricator, general contractor and design team could review and update the same document simultaneously. This gave all participants immediate visibility into:
- open questions,
- current responses,
- responsible parties,
- items requiring follow-up,
- decisions affecting the detailing model.
Questions were typically answered within one or two days. In some cases, responses were provided in real time while multiple project participants worked within the shared file.
Biweekly meetings supported by one live source of project questions.
In addition to the shared question log, the project team held biweekly meetings involving:
- our detailing team,
- WSI,
- FCI Constructors,
- the design team.
The live spreadsheet allowed the meetings to focus on current and unresolved issues without relying on separate email chains or disconnected RFI lists.
This process helped keep decisions visible and allowed the detailing model to be updated promptly as answers were received.
Project animation
Explore the project in motion.
Project result
Responsive coordination supporting an aggressive schedule.
The combination of 3D modeling, shared question tracking and regular coordination meetings helped the project team resolve complex steel conditions while maintaining the required schedule.
The workflow was particularly valuable for the tree columns and built-up trusses, where delayed or unclear answers could have affected multiple members and connections.
The result was a coordinated detailing package for approximately 605 tons of structural steel, including the school’s most distinctive architectural framing.