Newfound youth for an old foundry

Back in the early 1980s, owners of an aging foundry were given a choice: modernize the plant to optimize production or close it down. They chose to modernize the plant. Once the decision was made, structural engineers were given nine months to design a new 190,000 sq ft building within the existing foundry without disrupting plant operations. To modernize the foundry facilities and install new equipment, engineers and draftsmen prepared 52 structural building and equipment support packages which included demolishing a portion of the existing foundry and designing a new, taller structure with longer bays. This article describes the details of modernization and retrofitting of existing foundry building.