News

Over the past few months, the world has slowly opened its doors, thrown out the welcome mat, and gotten back together. This concept of togetherness has taken on new importance for many of us, and we doubt we're alone in feeling excited and grateful for the opportunity...

It's been a year since we made the decision to dedicate our newsletter to addressing industry and MEP design questions, concerns and considerations brought to light during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, we went with the title "COVID-19 Design Impact Series"...

Last Spring, many of us became acutely aware of the availability (or lack) of supplies in our local grocery stores, drug stores, and other retailers. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the nation’s supply chain for food, medications, and other items we traditionally took...

Planning, programming, phase 1, or our personal favorite - charrette - no matter how you say it, the process of evaluating and making smart recommendations for building systems and construction can be a critical tool in the design toolbox. Traditionally, planning and...

Feb. 21-27 is National Engineers Week! To celebrate not only our engineers but all our staff who work toward making this profession possible, we’re planning a couple of fun events including breakfast and prize drawings throughout the week. Despite the challenges we’ve...

Our previous issue of Plains Talk introduced our COVID-19 Design Impact Series by talking about how HVAC design considerations can slow the spread. The use of UV in air handling units and isolation room ventilation both support the fight against COVID-19, but in this...

The Proof is in the PerformanceGiving Fresh Life to SDSU's Wagner Hall Originally built in 1969, Wagner Hall has been known by many names and housed multiple programs at SDSU. The building was opened as Home Economics and Nursing (HEN) before becoming the Nursing,...

We recently shared some initial insights into how MEP systems can impact the spread of COVID-19. Our COVID-19 MEP Design Response remains available on our website. For the next several months, we'll build on these concepts in our Plains Talk newsletter by continuing...

A major renovation to the concession building and restaurant at Mt. Rushmore National Memorial recently received LEED Platinum certification for sustainable design. West Plains Engineering provided electrical engineering design for elements of the project, which is...

By: Marty Christensen, P.E., Principal Mechanical Engineer The course of events in 2020 has forced all of us to make adjustments. How we live, work, and interact as human beings has changed dramatically in a relatively short time. This also impacts the way we interact...

As Americans, it can be all too easy to take the availability of good, clean water for granted. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and our world's focus on hand washing and disinfecting, this resource has never been more critical. Local municipalities take care of...

On Sept. 6, members of our Sioux Falls team had the great honor of attending a ribbon-cutting for the SDSU Animal Disease Research & Diagnostic Laboratory in Brookings. At $58 million, it’s the single largest construction project ever to take place at a state...