Entertainment News

McLaren Engineering was retained this summer by Global Scenic Services to provide structural analysis and design of a stand-alone exterior wall frame used to enclose a 62’x54’ temporary tent.

SOURCE: Engineering News Record · POSTED: 10/23/08 · AUTHOR: William B. Gorlin, PE

How strong is strong enough in resisting wind loads for temporary structures? Engineers have long wrestled with that question and its important corollary, how to erect a temporary structure that balances costs with safety benefits.

The fact is there are no definitive standards governing the wind-resisting strength of a spectrum of temporary structures, from concert stages and tents to temporary display structures, screens, roofs and shade structures, to lighting and speaker towers.

Hired by the Shubert Organization, McLaren Engineering Group served as the structural engineer for the renovation of Longacre Theater, a 91-year-old entertainment landmark in New York City’s Theater District.

McLaren Engineering Group was a proud sponsor of the North American Theater Engineering and Architecture Conference (NATEAC) held in Manhattan on July 20-21, 2008. NATEAC is a conference of industry professionals, ranging from architects and engineers to consultants, manufacturers and end-users, which seeks to promote communication and a higher level of understanding between those professionals in order to further the progress of the entertainment industry.

Freed from a suspended capsule nearly 15 stories up, the silver sedan plummeted toward the ground at 17 miles per hour. With gravity seemingly in control, the Earth appeared to be all that would stop the car’s rapid descent.

But just as it seemed the sparkling-new vehicle would be put through yet another crash test, a complex brake system engaged and brought the car to a halt, peacefully suspended less than 10 feet above the ground.