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When Duct Meets Beam: Solving Real-World Conflicts Fast

January 13, 2026
•
Project

When Duct Meets Beam: Solving Real-World Conflicts Fast

Mechanical and structural teams collaborated on a notched beam solution to resolve a duct-beam conflict—avoiding redesigns, delays, and cost overruns on a tight-schedule Edmonton project.

When a duct path meets a beam, the clock doesn’t stop ticking.

On a recent commercial project in Edmonton, our mechanical and structural teams hit a familiar roadblock: a main supply duct was set to pass directly through a steel beam. The schedule was already compressed—tenant move-in dates were locked, and any rework would mean lost time and cost overruns.

Instead of defaulting to a costly beam redesign, we pulled the mechanical and structural leads into a quick coordination huddle. The mechanical team proposed rerouting, but that would have compromised airflow and ceiling heights. The structural team suggested a slimmed-down beam, but that would have meant a deeper review and possible delays with city approvals.

In the end, we opted for a notched beam detail, coordinated with the fabricator and reviewed with the city. It wasn’t the textbook answer, but it kept the project moving and satisfied both code and performance. The lesson: Collaboration under pressure isn’t about finding the perfect answer—it’s about making the right tradeoff, fast, with everyone at the table. Real teamwork means knowing when to bend (literally and figuratively) to keep the project on track.

How do your teams handle these real-world tradeoffs? Let’s compare notes.

#EngineeringExcellence #DWE #BuildingScience #ElectricalEngineering #StructuralEngineering #AEC #Revit

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