The Polynesian Cultural Center

The Polynesian Cultural Center was established in 1963 on the Hawaiian island of Oahu with a purpose of sharing the cultures of the nations of Polynesia with the rest of the world. The PCC has drawn many thousands of visitors over the years to its 42-acre attraction by offering interesting products such as stage shows, Luaus, canoe rides, recreated villages, and various other activities and exhibits that promote island culture. These attractions allow guests to learn about the cultures of such Polynesian island nations as Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, and Hawaii.

The PCC has expanded over the years and added attractions and buildings such as a restaurant, retail shops, a 2800 seat amphitheater, and an IMAX Theater. Renovations to the amphitheater took place in 2009. Western Wood Structures was awarded a contract to design and install a post tensioning system to seven of the main Glulam roof members. The post tensioning system added capacity to the beams which allowed the owners to suspend new catwalks from the existing roof structure. The largest of the beams, which measure 12.25” wide x 55.5” deep and more than 100’ in length, required fourteen high strength post tensioning cables each to provide the additional carrying capacity. Renovations to the IMAX Theater are currently under way to convert it to a themed show attraction called the “Hawaiian Journey”. The existing building will remain a theater but is being remodeled using “rockwork” to give the illusion of a volcano from the outside. The interior of the remodeled structure will give seated guests the sensation of being inside a restless volcano through the use of lighting, sound effects, mist, special effects seating, and finishes that will resemble a lava tube. The building, originally constructed in 1989, is a pre-fabricated steel building with rigid steel frames spanning 90’- 9” spaced at 20’ centers. After performing an analysis of the building, structural engineers determined that the existing frames were 34% overstressed in bending which would prevent any additional loads from being applied to the roof structure. In order to bring the structure into compliance with current building code, the design team weighed their options and determined that the frames could best be code upgraded by installing an external post tensioning system.

Western Wood Structures was hired to design and implement the post tensioning system. The steel anchor brackets, cable guides, and stiffeners, were manufactured in Oregon and shipped to Oahu by barge in advance of the arrival of our crew. The steel anchor brackets, cable guides, stiffeners, and diagonal bracing members were welded into place by a local sub-contractor under the supervision of a WWS engineer and WWS personnel installed the high strength cables and tensioned them.

Not only do the steel frames now meet current building codes, but the owner has the added benefit of being able to install a new catwalk system which will be supported by the upgraded roof structure. The catwalks will be used to access the lighting and special effects required for the new show.

The Bridges of Bothell

The Sammamish River Trail extends along the Sammamish River for nearly 11 miles connecting the communities of Bothell and Redmond in the state of Washington. The 12’ wide trail is paved its entire length and is used extensively by hikers and joggers as well as by non-motorized commuters. A bridge designed and supplied by Western Wood Structures was built in 1986 to connect the Park at Bothell Landing to this trail. The “Bowstring” Truss style bridge spans 80’.

Within the past four years, Western Wood Structures has supplied and installed three more treated timber bridges in the Bothell area. They span North Creek and are located along North Creek Trail, a multi-purpose shared path linking the communities of Bothell, Mill Creek, and Everett. Two of the bridges are nearly identical spanning 100 feet. One is located next to 195th Street and the other next to 228th Street. The third bridge is located at 240th Street and spans 74 feet.

The pre-fabricated bridges were assembled on site and lifted into place as a complete unit.

The three newer bridges resemble the original curved bridge at Bothell Landing and the city of Bothell, known as a city of rivers, has adopted a small arched bridge as its new city logo.

St. Mary's Church Renovations

The historic St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mt. Angel, Oregon was dedicated in 1912. The 50’ tall steeple that was perched above the bell tower was constructed from wood and the heavy timbers that formed the main outside supports were lap-jointed and bolted together to achieve the required length.

Water spotting on the ceiling was discovered during the Fall of 2010 by church members but it wasn’t until a severe Oregon rain storm during the following winter that the water damage grew enough to cause plaster to fall from the ornate ceiling.

Realizing that something had to be done, the Church turned to Schommer & Sons Construction of Portland to perform a thorough inspection and make repair recommendations. Schommer’s initial inspection showed that water was leaking into the structure through several places including openings in the steeple’s copper sheathing which resulted in significant decay to the steeple’s timber framework.

Schommer & Sons then employed the services of Conley Engineering, Inc. who concurred with Schommer’s initial inspection and designed the needed structural repairs.




In front of a large gathering of interested community members, the steeple was cut loose from its support beams and lowered to the ground with a crane. It was first believed that the steeple could be repaired but after a more thorough inspection the decision was made to replace the steeple due to the extent of the damage and the cost of repairs.

Western Wood Structures was then hired to design, fabricate, and deliver a new steeple. The Heavy Timber steeple, which measures 50’ in length and just over 12’ across at the base, was fabricated and assembled in our shop. It was constructed of full length Glulam ribs, 4 x 6 struts, and 1-1/8” T & G plywood and trucked to the site on a special “stretch double drop deck” trailer.






Schommer & Sons completed the attachment of the ice and water shield and the installation of the copper cladding in the church parking lot and safely set the new steeple back into place in early October, 2011.

Whistle Stop Trail Bridge

The Whistle Stop Bridge, currently under construction, is a cooperative venture between the US Forest Service and the Alaska Railroad to make the Alaskan backcountry more accessible. This bridge is located along the Alaska railroad between Portage and Moose Pass, Alaska. The area is accessible to recreationists by a self-propelled rail car. The Glulam Bridge will span 282’ and cross the Placer River and when complete will be the longest clear-span timber bridge in North America.

The USFS solicited proposals and considered several design-build options but settled on a design submitted by Western Wood Structures through Patrick Engineering, a General Contractor from Denver, Colorado. To meet the Forest Service’s preference, the bridge design is a Camelback Truss style which is typical of many bridges built in the early 1900’s.

The bridge was pre-fabricated and trial assembled at our facility prior to pressure treatment. Due to its length, we could only pre-assemble three of the five 56’ sections at a time.




The bridge components were shipped to Anchorage by barge and railed to the site for final assembly. The installation scheme called for assembly to take place on either side of the river. Pinned connections were used in the bottom chord splices to facilitate assembly and erection.




Western Wood Structures furnished a superintendent to assist the Contractor in the truss assembly.

Ultimately, hikers will be able to safely cross the Placer River to access the spectacular Spencer Glacier and not be tempted to use the existing railroad trestle.

Dana Hall Repairs

Dana Hall, on the campus of SUNY College of Technology in Canton, New York, was constructed in 1969. It was built to accommodate the College’s athletic teams and physical education classes. The main framing consisted of Glulam arch frames spaced at 18’ centers spanning 108’-6”.

About two years after the building was opened, cracks were noticed at the moment splice locations which concerned the owners enough to call for a series of inspections. It was determined that the cracks were not structurally significant as long as they did not propagate but since the cracks were evident in the same location in each of the Glulam frames, this confirmed that an inherent issue existed with the design. It was decided that the splits would be “monitored” to make sure they didn’t progress further.

In 1998 Canton experienced a heavy snow storm. In 2006, maintenance personnel noticed that the cracks had propagated and opened further. Following another inspection, an attempt was made to repair the most heavily split arch frame using lag screws inserted from the bottom of the arch. But new splits occurred after the lag screws were installed near the tops of the new lags so a second attempt was made to close the splits using steel angles and an HSS section to clamp the arches.

These attempts proved unsuccessful so the College began exploring the cost to demolish the building. Initial demolition estimates were in the vicinity of $2.3 million. But before the final decision was made to demolish the building, the College decided to make one final attempt to repair the Glulam frames. An internet search led them to Western Wood Structures who was hired to perform an inspection, complete a structural analysis, and make recommendations for a permanent solution.

The College decided to accept Western Wood’s opinion that the frames could be repaired as well as brought to current code and the decision was then made to advertise the job to the general public on a design-build basis. Western Wood turned in a bid and was eventually awarded the contract for just over $1.1 million.

There were four repair and code upgrade methods used by Western Wood Structures to complete the necessary repairs:

1. The frames were post-tensioned due to being over stressed in bending;

2. Additional laminations were added due to being over stressed in bending;

3. Shear dowels were installed to restore the shear capacity of the members. Some of the holes drilled into the arch frames were 54" deep;

4. Side plates were installed at the moment splice locations to transfer the reaction of the beam to the arch section.

Dana Hall has been saved from the wrecking ball and today, SUNY College of Technology has a multi-use building that will safely serve their needs for many years to come.

Dana Hall Repair White Paper

The Angus Bowmer Theater

On June 16th of this year, a loud “cracking” sound was heard by crew members rehearsing Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” so owners of the 600-seat Angus Bowmer Theater in Ashland, Oregon decided to have the sound checked out. Using a catwalk for access, a crew member discovered a large crack in the main Glulam carrying beam above the stage so the decision was made to evacuate the building. The following day, an Ashland City engineer examined the beam and declared the building unsafe for public usage. Alternate plans were then adopted by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) so the show could go on.

Adroit Construction of Ashland was hired to shore the massive 14.5” x 78” x 70’ Glulam. Once the shoring was in place, the roof was secure. OSF then hired two engineering firms, Marquess & Associates of Medford and KPFF of Portland, to study the problem and three emergency repair options were considered. In the end, a proposal from Western Wood Structures to design and implement a repair scheme was accepted. Our design was preferred because it did not add a significant amount of weight to the existing roof structure and because the work could be completed in a timely manner.

The Glulam had been split so badly that it was functioning as two small beams rather than one large one. With shoring towers in place, Adroit Construction successfully jacked the beam back to its original position and closed the crack. Western Wood Structures arrived on site July 5th to begin the repairs.

Our first task was to seal the outer surfaces of the beam with an epoxy paste to prevent epoxy leaking. After roofing was removed to allow access to the top of the beam, we then drilled 180 holes into the beam which measured 1-3/8” in diameter and approximately 66” in depth. One inch diameter rebars were placed in the holes and then filled with epoxy, 105 gallons total. Once the epoxy cured, the “shear dowels” had essentially “stitched” the beam back together.

Finally, the beam was post tensioned using steel cable anchors, a steel cable guide, and 15 high strength cables in order to increase its carrying capacity and to meet current code requirements. The cable anchors were installed to the soffit of the beam also using rebars set in epoxy-filled holes.

In our review, we determined that the cause of the failure was attributed to a connection detail on the original drawings. 9” x 32.5” Glulam purlins that measure framing in to one side of the failed beam were attached in hangers near the bottom of the main beam and below its neutral axis which can cause excessive tension perpendicular to grain stresses in the member. Current timber construction standards identify this as a connection detail to avoid.

Our work was completed on July 17th several days ahead of schedule. OSF has announced that the Bowmer will re-open on August 2nd. The owners and Shakespeare fans can rest assured knowing the next play will be performed beneath a main carrying beam that is stronger today than it was when originally manufactured in 1969.

America's Car Museum

This beautiful timber building, designed to meet the requirements of Heavy Timber Construction, is currently being built in Tacoma, WA. and is scheduled for opening in May 2012. The 165,000 sq. ft. four-story museum will house vintage cars, many of which were collected and owned by Harold LeMay, who owned a succesful refuse company in Tacoma. Mr. LeMay amassed the world’s largest private collection of cars.

Western Wood Structures supplied and installed this unique Glulam roof system and also has design responsibilities for the roof structure. The timber roof framing took about 3 months to install. The museum is being built on land donated by the city of Tacoma adjacent to the Tacoma Dome, another Western Wood Structures project.

The museum is dedicated to the preservation of automotive history and will be utilized for special events such as weddings and corporate meetings and conferences. It will also feature the availability of banquet facilities as well as an outdoor field for festivals and concerts.