Building structural steel
Structural steel detailing covered the treatment facility’s building structures within an approximately 650-ton steel package for S&S Steel Fabrication.
LocationVan Nuys, California
Client and fabricatorS&S Steel Fabrication
Structural and miscellaneous steelApproximately 650 tons
Project year2025
Project overview
Supporting Los Angeles’ water reuse infrastructure.
The Advanced Water Purification Facility is part of the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant development in Van Nuys, California.
The project is intended to increase water reuse and groundwater replenishment capacity for the City of Los Angeles.
Working for S&S Steel Fabrication, our team provided structural steel detailing for approximately 650 tons of steel.
Project team and technical details
- Primary scope
- Structural steel, stairs and miscellaneous steel detailing
- Delivery method
- Design-build
- Detailing platform
- Tekla Structures
- Primary challenge
- Frequent design revisions and high RFI volume
Detailing scope
Structural and miscellaneous steel across a large-scale treatment facility.
Steel stairs
Stair steel formed a distinct part of the detailing scope alongside the primary building structures.
Miscellaneous steel elements
Secondary and miscellaneous steel components were included with the building frame and stairs in the coordinated project package.
Tekla model and revision control
The model was updated against successive design documents, with affected information reviewed and changes coordinated with the fabricator.
Technical complexity
Managing a continuously evolving design.
Frequently issued design-build drawings
New drawing sets arrived regularly during detailing. Each issue required comparison with the current model and identification of affected steel information.
High-volume RFI tracking
Previously submitted RFIs and responses had to be reviewed again after revisions to confirm that earlier answers remained applicable.
Re-verifying earlier design assumptions
Changing documents could affect decisions already reflected in the model. Systematic checks kept earlier assumptions aligned with the latest design information.
Our approach
Strict revision tracking and continuous model verification.
Managing the changing design required disciplined document control and close coordination with S&S Steel Fabrication.
Our team’s work included:
- tracking successive drawing revisions,
- reviewing the status of previously submitted RFIs,
- re-verifying earlier design assumptions,
- identifying information affected by new drawing sets,
- updating the Tekla model to reflect current documentation,
- coordinating changes with the fabricator.
This process helped the team maintain model accuracy as the design continued to evolve.
Project animation
Donald C Tillman Water Reclamation Plant AWPF model sequence.
The project animation presents the coordinated structure and its construction sequence in a clear visual format.
Project result
Flexibility supported by disciplined document control.
The project reinforced the importance of adaptability in a design-build environment.
Frequent revisions required the team to respond quickly without losing control of earlier decisions or assumptions. Clear RFI tracking, systematic revision reviews and continuous model verification were essential to managing the detailing scope.