Tindall Engineers Gulf Coast’s First Structure Equal To 200-Mph Hurricane Forces

Precaster Tindall announces the completion of a new 582-unit Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Miss., replacing one severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and demolished in late 2007

Source: Tindall Corporation, Spartanburg, S.C.
Photos: Tindall Mississippi Division (project); Tindall Corp. (plant)

Precaster Tindall announces the completion of a new 582-unit Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Miss., replacing one severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and demolished in late 2007. Tindall Mississippi Division, whose Biloxi waterfront plant was itself decimated in the storm (see photo below), furnished architectural cladding for the entire complex from a new plant in Moss Point. The contract consists of 1,075 white concrete panels, with minimal color variation, featuring architectural reveals and medium sandblast, averaging 15 ft. x 8 ft. x 6 in. each.

The structure is the first built on the Mississippi Coast to withstand winds over 200 mph in a Category 5 hurricane. No penetrations were allowed into the waterproofing barrier located at the cavity of the building envelope. Tindall’s engineers developed a system of hanging connections to satisfy the stringent architectural requirements. Since 95 percent of the project required erection with four tower cranes, a second engineering challenge was presented. Panels had to be designed to keep the maximum weight of each under the capacity of two different crane arc charts.

The veteransÌ retirement home features four pavilions rising from the main floor with a garage located at ground level. A landscaped green area with walking paths, bicycle trail and swimming pool surrounds the 600,000-sq.-ft. main building.