A Day in the Life: Site Visits and the Magic of Seeing Designs Come to Life

"One of the best parts of my job is getting out of the office and onto the job site. There’s something about stepping away from the screen, throwing on a hard hat, and seeing a project in real life that makes all the effort come to life. Whether it’s an existing conditions survey at the start of a project, a punch walk at the end, or any of the visits in between, site visits are where the magic happens. They’re where relationships are built, problems are solved, and designs take shape." - Meribeth Wothe, Senior Project Engineer

Why We Go: More Than Just a Field Trip 

Our site visits are more than just a chance to stretch our legs; they’re essential to making sure a project is successful. Take the Ozark National Scenic Riverways Big Spring project, for example. This project, a collaboration with Anderson Hallas and Otak, has been a major part of my career since 2019. Spanning years of design, coordination, and construction, it was a massive effort to restore and rehabilitate historic cabins, a museum, and a dining lodge that had been devastated by flooding. Seeing it through from concept to completion meant multiple site visits, each one a critical piece of the puzzle. 

On our first visit, we had to put on our detective hats to figure out how 1930s electrical systems had evolved over the years (often without clear documentation). When you don’t have existing drawings, tracking down where power runs and what can be saved vs. what needs replacing is part of the challenge. Renovations and demolitions tend to leave behind surprises, sometimes in the form of artifacts, other times in the form of mislabeled (or missing) components that need sorting out. It’s a bit like a treasure hunt, except instead of gold, you find wasp nests in electrical enclosures (ask me how I know!). 

The Best Lessons Are Learned on Site 

Beyond existing conditions surveys, site visits offer invaluable opportunities to connect with contractors and truly understand how a design translates into the real world. Getting real-time feedback from the electrical contractor, for example, is huge. It’s one thing to put a system on paper; it’s another to see how it actually gets installed and troubleshoot when things don’t quite fit the way you expected. Sometimes, fitting electrical gear into a space without disturbing the historic fabric is a matter of inches. 

One of my favorite parts of site visits is learning from other disciplines. On this project, I got to talk with Anderson Hallas’s team about their approach to historic preservation. They had a sharp eye for details like making sure conduit was painted to match darker beams and routed to be nearly invisible in the space. Watching them work helped me understand how to blend electrical solutions into a historic setting without disrupting its character. 

Unique Challenges (and Wildlife Encounters) 

Big Spring wasn’t just about buildings; we also tackled a major utility overhaul, undergrounding power lines across hilly, forested terrain—all while preserving historic elements, including century-old retaining walls (who knew those could be historic too?). We also designed eight lift stations, all located in a floodplain. Our solution? Giant NEMA 6P gasketed submersible enclosures—each weighing 800 pounds and secured with 180 bolts altogether. Good thing we tested them, because just this past November, heavy rains flooded the area again. The lodge and cabins were spared, but the site was a mess, and transformers shifted off their pads. But our NEMA 6P enclosures? Bone dry. 

Another wild aspect of site visits—sometimes literally—is encountering local ecosystems. On past projects, our team has found tarantulas, scorpions, and more than a few wasp nests tucked away in electrical enclosures. Thankfully, this project didn’t add any new species to our list, but working in National Park settings always comes with a bit of adventure. 

The Fun Stuff!

After years of work, wrapping up this project felt like a major milestone. And while site visits are always about problem-solving and progress, we make sure to have a little fun, too. After the final punch walk, we celebrated by tubing down the river. Some of our team even got to kayak to the job site early on in the process. Not your average commute! These site visits bring us to every corner of the country, taking us to places we would never have visited on our own. We had no business visiting Southeast Missouri 6 times if it wasn't for this project, but we loved to take in the scenery and contribute to its maintenance and protection. 

Why It Matters 

At the end of the day, site visits are where everything comes together. They remind us why we do what we do, allow us to adapt and improve our designs, and help us build lasting relationships with clients and contractors. Seeing a project transform from an idea on a screen to a living, breathing space is what makes all the effort worthwhile. And with National Park projects, that’s just one part of the adventure.