Plan B Engineering

Plan B Engineering is proud to share our work on the Empire State Building’s 102nd-floor observation deck reclad project, featured in STRUCTURE Magazine. Collaborating with Skanska USA, Greg Beeche Logistics, LLC, and Thornton Tomasetti, we developed a modular “cocoon” enclosure system to safely replace the observation deck’s envelope with stunning floor-to-ceiling glass panels—providing 360-degree views of Manhattan. Read more about the project and our approach, from wind tunnel tests to reinforced ice shields, in the full article, Access and Protection at 1,250 Feet, on STRUCTURE Magazine’s website - https://lnkd.in/eEacceJG #PlanBEngineering #EmpireStateBuilding #EngineeringInnovation #StructureMagazine

As the year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to our incredible clients, partners, and team members. Your trust, collaboration, and hard work have been the foundation of our success this year. From tackling complex projects to overcoming challenges, we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together and enthusiastic about what’s ahead. New opportunities, innovative solutions, and exciting projects are already on the horizon, and we look forward to building on this momentum in the year ahead. Here’s to continued success, growth, and partnership in the new year. Thank you for being part of the Plan B Engineering journey! https://lnkd.in/dCZruXyP #ThankYou #Teamwork #EngineeringExcellence #LookingAhead #2025

Happy Holidays from the team at Plan B Engineering! As we celebrate the holiday season, we want to take a moment to thank our clients, partners, and team for another successful year. Your trust inspires us to evolve our engineering strategies and continue bridging the gap between design and construction. This season reminds us of the importance of building strong connections—whether it’s through our projects or the relationships we’ve fostered along the way. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday and a happy, healthy New Year! #PlanBEngineering #HappyHolidays

It was a great experience writing an article on one the most challenging and creative projects in our 20 year history. I'll never forget doing site visits at ESB--being able to stand outside on the roof of level 104 was a memorable experience for a young engineer. Thanks to Andrew Angelilli and Anthony Mark, PE for helping sort through stacks of calcs, drawings, emails, and presentations to piece together a narrative. Its a good read, if I do say so myself!

Complex truss erection; engineering provided by Plan B Engineering 80’ long trusses weighing in at approximately 30 tons each. #metroiron #valconcrane #masterrigger #ironworkers #nyc #bronx #structuralsteel #truss #cranes #nyccranes #family #fth #esphesians611 #rigging #riggingnyc #gratitude

Innovation often sparks in unexpected ways. Six years ago, our founder, John McErlean, sat at home with a coffee, pondering a complex shoring challenge for the Landmark II project in West LA. A flash of inspiration hit, and John sketched a solution on a simple brown paper bag. That idea became the foundation for a design enabling a 4-story deep cut through an existing garage—true to John’s original vision. This moment of creativity not only shaped our mission at Plan B Engineering but continues to guide how we tackle challenges. Curious about how a brown bag turned into a breakthrough design? Read more: https://lnkd.in/e_5kbi-v #Innovation #Engineering #CommunityDevelopment #PlanBEngineering #ProblemSolving #LandmarkII #ConstructionLeadership #BuildingCommunities 

On December 8th, Fifth Avenue celebrates its 200th anniversary, marking two centuries as one of the world’s most famous streets. Known for its luxury shopping, architectural landmarks, and cultural significance, this historic thoroughfare has seen incredible transformation and investment, with the latest projects totaling $3.9 billion in real estate transactions. Recently, you may have seen a new attraction on this iconic street – Plan B had the opportunity to contribute to the Louis Vuitton scaffolding project. This fully enclosed scaffolding blends safety, functionality, and cutting-edge design, creating a standout feature on this legendary avenue. As the celebrations kick off with street closures, live music, and interactive experiences, take a moment to check out our latest project at 1 East 57th Street. Learn more about the anniversary events here: https://lnkd.in/eUdEDjhE #FifthAvenue #200Years #LouisVuitton #PlanBEngineering #NYC

Completed this year and set to open in 2025, the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, has undergone significant expansion with the addition of a new building for exhibitions and programming. The central feature in the building’s lobby is a four-story tall monumental steel-framed staircase clad with terrazzo panels, offering visitors views of an 85-foot-tall vertical art gallery. Project architect Cooper Robertson engaged Plan B Engineering to collaborate with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) to analyze the staircase’s complex deflection behavior in order to precisely detail the layout of decorative terrazzo panels hung from the steel framework. Our role was to determine the minimum spacing between panels so that the global deflections of the under dead and live loading would not locally cause the panels to come into contact and be damaged. The deflected shape of each cantilevered section of the stairs was carefully reviewed in SAP2000 to ensure that the desired 1/16” panel spacing was acceptable. We also coordinated load testing of select spans to verify the FEA analysis. Special thanks to Kevin Poulin at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) for leading the collaboration effort for both this project and the article. We’d also like to acknowledge the team at Sciame Construction, LLC for bringing yet another innovative design into reality. Read more about this project in STRUCTURE Magazine’s article: https://lnkd.in/gqE87nFX #EngineeringExcellence #StructuralEngineering #PlanBEngineering #StudioMuseumHarlem

This year, we’re thankful for our talented team and the incredible partners we’ve had the privilege to work with. Your hard work and collaboration make everything we do possible. We’re especially excited about a project that might just make an appearance in the Thanksgiving Day parade—stay tuned! Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving! #Thanksgiving #Gratitude #Engineering #PlanBEngineering

Plan B Engineering is hiring! Looking for an AutoCAD drafter with 5+ years experience in the structural or related field to join our team! #hiring #drafting #autocad #engineering