During the summer of 2008 the City of Boston launched the “Visit the Pin” campaign to get local residents to appreciate all the attractions the City has to offer. The campaign involved the placement of 12-foot-high red pushpins at various key locations around the City, including The Boston Common, Boston’s City Hall Plaza, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston’s Children’s Museum, New England Aquarium, Christopher Columbus Park, Copley Square, Franklin Park Zoo, and Roslindale Village.
THE CHALLENGE
CBI was engaged to provide structural engineering services for the design of these temporary “Map Pin” signs used around the City of Boston.
CBI’S SOLUTION
The Pins needed to resist wind loads, as well as potential people loads, without any anchorage to the ground. The signs needed to be easily disassembled, while still being tamperproof. The Pin was constructed with a round aluminum tube that slides over a smaller steel tube, welded to a large steel base plate. CBI designed all connections for the structural pieces.