For over three decades, McNeil Engineering has provided sustainable engineering and surveying services to countless clients. We’ve built our reputation to become the very best in the Salt Lake City Area, and we remain true to our commitment.
This winter has been an exciting time for us at McNeil Engineering as we were involved in several impactful projects, where we applied our ingenuity and expertise to bring solutions to engineering problems. In this blog, we explore five of these inspiring projects and developments.
Traeger’s New Home
Traeger Grills recently announced its plan to expand its headquarters into the Post-District of downtown Salt Lake City. We were super excited when we were contacted to join the design team for this project.
This project involves the renovation of the former Newspaper Agency Corp to serve as the extended Traegars headquarters. Led by our president, Ted Didas, we would cater to the civil engineering needs of this project and we look forward to bringing our A-game.
Our goal is to give this new building superior aesthetics and life, just as it will bring life through the 120 new well-paid jobs it will provide.
Bri Village Apartments
This project involved the construction of luxury apartments. This retort-styled four-story timber-framed complex features 166 units above a 209-stall post-tensioned concrete parking garage, as well as several custom designs and amenities.
While the construction was led by Brighton Ventures and Anderson Construction, McNeil Engineering provided structural design services throughout the project phase. Our team, led by professional engineer Walter Travis, was able to provide a cost-effective solution within the budgetary constraints without sacrificing aesthetic appeal.
Although McNeil Engineering is relatively new in the structural engineering sphere, our work on this project cemented our reputation as an effective and robust engineering firm.
Blackstone Farms
We were invited to this project by Fig Development, and this was perhaps the most complicated project we worked on this winter. Blackstone Farms PUD is a beautiful 52 unit, four-plex development located in Downtown Provo. We rendered multiple services to the project, ranging from landscape engineering to civil engineering.
The complexity and size of the project made it crucial that we communicated with other engineering firms involved to ensure consistency in site improvements.
Our in-house team involved in this project was led by Survey Manager Michael Hoffman. We began by performing the ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey to provide multiple insights into the property. After the design phase, our Civil Engineering team developed the conceptual plats and engineering plans. Preliminary landscape plans were designed by our Landscape Architecture team.
As you can see, it took all hands on deck to make this project a success. At McNeil Engineering, we love taking on new challenges — and we’re always up to the task!
Designing with STEPPE
After a thorough analysis of our native environment, we decided to incorporate STEPPE plants into our landscape designs.
For sake of clarity, a steppe is an eco-region characterized by grassland plains, and largely the absence of trees. This landscape layout invariably results in a wide temperature variation, ranging from hot dry summers to cold rainy winters.
Sagebrush steppe is the dominant landscape throughout much of Utah. However, it is an endangered ecosystem, due to fragmentation, despite the seemingly large area it inhabits. As a company that believes in protecting the ecosystem, we have started using STEPPE plants in our designs.
This decision comes with several other benefits. First, because we predominately operate in a STEPPE region, steppe plants are better adapted to thrive with less water and maintenance. The result is a seamless growth that brings out the visual appeal of the landscape.
For our clients, utilizing STEPPE in our design saves their time and money without compromising looks. But most importantly, our clients will feel better at home and connected to nature. Our Principal Landscape Architect, Scott Schoonover, leads our STEPPE initiative.
A Roof That Lasts for a Utah State University Chapel
A chapel means different things to different people, but most will agree it’s a place to meditate, get inspired or connect with the divine. That’s why we associate a chapel with tranquility.
This was the case for the church used by married couples at the Utah State University until the roof fell into severe disrepair. It had deteriorated to the point that a large tarp had to be temporarily installed over one of the three shingled roofs. The building housed two-sized chapels, a gymnasium and several other rooms and interconnected walkways, all covered by a flat roof.
A team at McNeil Engineering — led by Consulting Manager, Carl Greene — was able to perform a full restoration. The process started with the design and construction of a better roofing system after the existing roof was removed. We used the highest quality shingle, single-ply roofing membrane, insulation, cover boards and wood deck. The new roof is guaranteed to last over 30 years — that’s why we gave USU a 30-year warranty.
At McNeil Engineering, we are confident in our expertise, and we only deliver the best!
This winter was an exciting time for us at McNeil Engineering — thanks to the intriguing projects we worked on, as well as the new initiatives we explored. Continuous learning and innovation are the heart of McNeil Engineering, and that’s why we always achieve spectacular results for our clients!
Feel free to reach out to us today for more information. We are looking forward to working with you.
