Coastal Florida demands more from a building’s engineering than most locations. This new 2,600-square-foot credit union branch in Panama City sits in a hurricane zone with sandy soils and flash flood exposure, driving decisions around foundation depth, wall construction, and wind load design under the Florida Building Code.

The structural system pairs stud-wall bearing with steel columns on spread footings sized for local ground conditions. G&W developed a structural narrative early in design to guide system selection and produced permit documents and calculation packages through construction administration. MEPFP Engineering covered the full building: site and interior lighting with photometric plans, generator backup, power and data distribution, IT room infrastructure, and sensor-operated plumbing fixtures. Having both disciplines under one roof meant structural and MEPFP coordination happened in real time rather than across separate firms.