Chattanooga, TN
Wreath of Honor Memorial
Scope/Solutions
Dedicated to the Fallen Five—the five service members killed in a 2015 terrorist attack—the suspended Wreath of Honor is supported by five limestone pillars representing each one of them. The memorial, designed by RE:site, creates a place for reflection in the Tennessee Riverpark on the circular plaza framed by the pillars and anchored by a central granite bench. SGH was the structural engineer of record for the project.
SGH consulted on the structural design for the sculpture and provided stamped structural drawings. Highlights of our work include the following:
- Collaborated with the designer to evaluate the sculpture’s overall strength and stability based on the three-dimensional, parametric geometry
- Analyzed the twenty-foot-tall pillars that support the wreath, which is created with curved, brass-colored stainless steel ribbons
- Developed details to stack the five tapered blocks of Indiana limestone in each pillar by connecting them with a hidden 1 in. dia. tension rod that anchors the pillar to the foundation, maintains alignment, and counteracts the lateral bending stresses caused by tie-rods from the memorial wreath and environmental loads
- Designed cable connections that support and center the wreath as it appears to float between the supporting pillars
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Project Summary
2019
Completion Date
3.5M
Construction Value
Solutions
New Construction
Services
Structures
Markets
Culture & Entertainment
Client(s)
Metalab Studio
Key team members
Gary Strand
Structural Engineering Division Head, Washington, DC
Additional Projects
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Southern Methodist University, George W. Bush Presidential Center
SGH consulted on the building enclosure design for the brick- and limestone-clad structure.
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On 2 May 2009, the Dallas Cowboys Training Facility collapsed during high winds. The fabric-covered structure fell on approximately seventy people, trapping some under the rubble. SGH, working in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, investigated the causes of the collapse.