And yesterday an owner asked if the ‘extra column’ (a W10x49) could be removed to keep sightlines clean; my load path analysis replied that the roof joists prefer not to meet the floor slab at 9.81 m/s². What’s your best “decorative” load-bearing element story before the tributary area explained the punchline?
Had an owner try to nix a W10x49; we kept it and wrapped it in white oak, turned it into a light shelf with exit signage, and suddenly it was “feature” not “extra.” > prefer not to meet the floor slab at 9.81 m/s². What’s your best Same — I keep a 2‑minute Revit toggle that shows the roof joists frowning when the column disappears, which usually ends the open‑concept chant. If they still can’t live with it, I’ll trade to an HSS 8x8 with a shallow header as a portal — did you try that before the moment?
Quick example: we swapped a W10x49 for a round HSS, aligned it with the mullion grid, and ran the pendant feed through it — suddenly it read as a “lighting spine,” not a post. Small caveat: we bumped the transfer beam one size and checked drift so the tube could stay slender. @chawils, ever disguised one as a return air chase or is that just asking gravity to file an HR complaint?