THE PIKE BRIDGE
CLIENT: GOSSAMER SPACE FRAMES
Bringing new life to the Shoreline Village area of Long Beach, CA, the city began construction of Rainbow Harbor, a new entertainment complex adjacent to the Aquarium of the Pacific. The city of Long Beach called upon Gossamer Space Frames with their evolutionary coaxial joint system to construct a pedestrian bridge resembling the city's former roller coaster landmark, connecting the two tourist attractions.

Gossamer had completed the structural design phase, but feared that their current 2D CAD solution may not be sufficient to complete the task at hand. Datum3 stepped in, introducing them to Autodesk Inventor, proceeding with implementation of hardware, software & training.

Our work continued throughout the project. After importing the wireframe model from GSF’s structural design software, we deployed work flows optimizing productivity. Embracing the software’s feature set, parts adapted to the correct size, generating a BOM with automated cut lengths. Soon the virtual design & shop drawings were complete and fabrication began.

Designing within the software’s tight tolerances left no surprises during on-site construction. The results were predictable and reliable.

Being Gossamer’s first project in a virtual environment, to their amazement, walking down the completed bridge was an exact mental flashback to a few months prior, while conducting virtual fly-throughs within the 3D model.