Long Island City, NY
Sunbather
Scope/Solutions
Created by Ohad Meromi from cast silicon bronze and painted bright pink, the Sunbather enlivens Jackson Avenue in Long Island City. The artwork was commissioned by New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs’ Percent for Art program, Department of Transportation, and Economic Development Corporation. SGH consulted on the sculpture’s structural design.
SGH evaluated the Sunbather’s thin-shelled structure for overall stability, strength, and deflections. Highlights of our work include the following:
- Used a three-dimensional scan of a scale model to create and discretize a surface appropriate for our finite element analysis software
- Determined the applicable loads on the 9 ft tall sculpture, including the self-weight of the 1/4 in. thick bronze casting, snow, wind, ice, and people
- Collaborated with the New York Art Foundry to obtain material properties, such as material yield point, behavior at welded joints, and fatigue resistance
- Designed the stainless steel anchor rods and baseplates in coordination with the engineer at the local department of transportation for the reinforced concrete base
- Provided stamped structural drawings for permitting
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Project Summary
2016
Completion Date
Solutions
New Construction
Services
Structures
Markets
Culture & Entertainment
Client(s)
Mr. Ohad Meromi
Key team members
Additional Projects
Northeast
Studio Museum of Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem was operating in a 1929 bank building that no longer met their programming requirements for showcasing works by artists of African descent. SGH designed the structure for the new building and served as the structural engineer of record for the project.
Northeast
National September 11 Memorial and Museum
The “bathtub” slurry wall at the World Trade Center (WTC) site survived when the WTC towers collapsed in 2001, making it a symbol of endurance. SGH evaluated, analyzed, and designed strengthening for a portion of the existing slurry wall.