Barrier Marine - Paint Booth Exhaust Tower
Summary: I designed a steel paint booth tower structure for Barrier Marine, including structural analysis, BCBC-based load calculations, material and member selection, AutoCAD drafting, and RFEM 3D modeling. The project required accounting for snow and seismic loads under the BCBC 2024, selecting appropriate steel members using the Handbook of Steel Construction, and producing drawings for client review.
Engineer / Drafter · ARCEN Structural Engineers LTD. · Structural · 2026-06-01 – 2026-06-26
Context
Barrier Marine required a steel support tower for paint booth duct/equipment that could safely resist gravity, snow, and seismic loading while remaining practical to fabricate and construct. The structure needed to be designed from the ground up, including member sizing, bracing layout, structural load path, and final drawings that clearly communicated the proposed tower design to the client.
Approach
I began by reviewing the design requirements and developing the overall tower layout, including vertical columns, horizontal members, diagonal bracing, and support conditions. I performed structural analysis to account for self-weight, snow loading, and seismic loading, then used the Handbook of Steel Construction to guide material selection and preliminary steel member sizing. After selecting appropriate member sizes, I drafted the tower design in AutoCAD to prepare client-facing drawings. I then built a 3D RFEM model of the tower to simulate the structure, check member behavior, review load effects, and confirm that the proposed design was structurally achievable.
Outcome
The project resulted in a complete preliminary steel tower design, supported by structural calculations, steel member selection, AutoCAD drawings, and RFEM 3D analysis. The final design package helped communicate the proposed tower to the client and provided the project engineer with a model and drawings for review, markups, and further refinement.