1,473-ton primary steel frame
Tekla modeling and detailing covered the school’s two-story structure and its academic, athletic, administrative and common spaces.
LocationEctor County, Texas
Client / FabricatorTrueNorth Steel
Structural steel tonnage1,473 tons
Project overview
A large-scale steel structure supporting flexible education.
Designed to accommodate approximately 1,000 students, the Ector County ISD New Middle School is a two-story educational facility providing more than 190,000 square feet of academic, athletic, administrative, and collaborative space.
Working with TrueNorth Steel, our team used Tekla Structures to detail approximately 1,473 tons of structural steel, developing a coordinated model and fabrication information for the school’s primary steel framing and connections.
The new middle school was designed around contemporary educational needs, combining classrooms and instructional areas with common spaces, administrative functions, and athletic facilities.
Its structural steel system supports large, open interior areas and flexible learning environments while accommodating the varied functional requirements of the two-story building.
Steel framing shaped around architecture and function.
The school’s structural system had to respond to both architectural form and functional requirements. Curved façade elements and dynamic framing arrangements contributed to the building’s distinct architectural identity, while long-span steel framing helped create open spaces capable of supporting flexible educational and collaborative uses.
The framing arrangement also accommodated large windows and natural daylight throughout key areas of the school. Accurate three-dimensional detailing was particularly important where the structural steel interacted with the curved façade, architectural openings, and other building systems.
Project team and technical details
- Year
- 2025
- Engineer of Record
- Kubala Engineers
- Architect
- PBK Architects, Inc.
- General Contractor
- Teinert Construction
- Detailing platform
- Tekla Structures
- Market
- Education
Detailing scope
Structural steel detailing scope.
Long-span structural framing
Steel members and connections supported large open interiors and flexible learning environments.
Curved façade geometry
Curved envelope steel and nonstandard framing layouts were developed against the architectural design and building openings.
MEP coordination and drawing production
The model supported mechanical, electrical and plumbing clash reviews together with shop, erection and prefabrication information.
Technical complexity
Coordination and detailing challenges.
Curved steel at the building envelope
Member geometry and connection locations had to align with the curved façade, large windows and adjacent architectural systems.
Long spans and varied framing layouts
Open educational and athletic spaces required accurate modeling across long-span members and complex geometric arrangements.
Steel interfaces with MEP systems
Potential conflicts with building services were identified in the coordinated model before the affected steel reached fabrication or the construction site.
Our approach
From model coordination to fabrication information.
Tekla Structures was used to model the structural steel, detail connections, and prepare shop and erection information for TrueNorth Steel.
The coordinated model also supported the review of interfaces between the structural framing and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Potential clashes and conflicting conditions could be identified and addressed before the affected steel reached fabrication or the construction site.
Model-based detailing supported:
- Structural steel modeling
BIM coordination supporting fabrication and construction.
The use of Tekla Structures enabled the detailing team to coordinate the structural steel package within a detailed BIM environment. This improved the accuracy of the fabrication information and provided a consistent source of data for the shop and erection teams.
By identifying geometric and interdisciplinary coordination issues in the model, the team was able to reduce execution errors and support a more streamlined assembly of the steel components.
The BIM workflow also assisted with prefabrication logistics and quality control by providing accurate information for the fabrication, delivery, and erection stages of the project.
Project result
One coordinated model from geometry to field assembly.
The Ector County ISD New Middle School demonstrates how structural steel detailing and BIM coordination can support the delivery of a large and geometrically varied educational facility.
Through Tekla Structures and close collaboration between the detailer, fabricator, engineers, architects, and contractors, the project team developed a coordinated steel package supporting fabrication efficiency, installation accuracy, and quality control throughout construction.