Dynamic Structures of the World is an American company with a history of steel fabrication dating back to 1927. They create

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

rides,

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

telescopes and other complex steel structures.

History

Dynamic Structures' history dates back to 1926, when Vancouver Art Metal was founded. The firm was renamed Coast Steel Fabricators Limited in 1952. In 1976, the firm was purchased by AGRA Inc., before being renamed AGRA Coast Limited in 1994. AGRA Inc. and its subsidiaries were acquired by British firm AMEC in 2001, with the company changing its name to AMEC Dynamic Structures. In 2007, AMEC sold the company to Empire Industries, who operate it as Dynamic Structures. In 2011, Dynamic Structures' amusement ride manufacturing was spun off into a sister company named Dynamic Attractions.

Astronomy projects

Dynamic Structures has been involved in the design and construction of most of the world's largest observatories. These include: *

Canada France Hawaii Telescope Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by total ...

- Enclosure, Hawaii *

Isaac Newton Telescope The Isaac Newton Telescope or INT is a 2.54 m (100 in) optical telescope run by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma in the Canary Islands since 1984. Originally the INT was situated at Her ...

- Enclosure, La Palma (Canary Islands) *

William Herschel Telescope The William Herschel Telescope (WHT) is a optical/near-infrared reflecting telescope located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The telescope, which is named after William Herschel, ...

- Enclosure, La Palma *

W.M. Keck Observatory The W. M. Keck Observatory is an astronomical observatory with two telescopes at an elevation of 4,145 meters (13,600 ft) near the summit of Mauna Kea in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Both telescopes have aperture primary mirrors, and when comp ...

, Phase 1 - Enclosure, Hawaii *

Owens Valley Radio Observatory Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) is a radio astronomy observatory located near Big Pine, California (US) in Owens Valley. It lies east of the Sierra Nevada, approximately north of Los Angeles and southeast of Bishop. It was established in 19 ...

- 3 Radio Telescope Support Structures, California *

Starfire Optical Range Starfire Optical Range (SOR - Pronounced as an initialism) is a United States Air Force research laboratory on the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its primary duty, according to the official website, is to "develop and demo ...

- Enclosure, New Mexico * W.M. Keck Observatory, Phase 2 - Enclosure, Hawaii * W.M. Keck Observatory, Phase 2 - Telescope Structure, Hawaii *

Subaru Telescope is the telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, located at the Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii. It is named after the open star cluster known in English as the Pleiades. It had the largest monolithic primary mirror in the wo ...

- Enclosure, Hawaii *

Gemini North The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two 8.1-metre (26.6 ft) telescopes, Gemini North and Gemini South, which are located at two separate sites in Hawaii and Chile, respectively. The twin Gemini telescopes prov ...

Gemini South The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two 8.1-metre (26.6 ft) telescopes, Gemini North and Gemini South, which are located at two separate sites in Hawaii and Chile, respectively. The twin Gemini telescopes prov ...

- 2 Enclosures, Hawaii & Chil & Texas & Brzile *

Atacama Cosmology Telescope The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) is a cosmological millimeter-wave telescope located on Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile. ACT makes high-sensitivity, arcminute resolution, microwave-wavelength surveys of the sky in ord ...

Currently the company is busy with the design of what will be the largest telescope in the world, called the

Thirty Meter Telescope The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a planned extremely large telescope (ELT) that has become controversial due to its location on Mauna Kea, on the island of Hawaiʻi. The TMT would become the largest visible-light telescope on Mauna Kea. S ...

Steel structures

Other structures that Dynamic Structures have constructed include: * Helix Pedestrian Bridge, Seattle, WA * Vancouver Olympic Ski Jumps, Whistler, BC * Richmond Olympic Oval, Richmond, BC * Lougheed Skytrain Station, Burnaby, BC,

Dynamic Attractions

Dynamic Attractions was a sister company to Dynamic Structures that was created in 2011 to serve the primary function of soliciting sales for rides systems that would be manufactured by Dynamic Structures. The firm entered the theme park ride system industry after one of the engineers on the Keck Observatory project asked the firm for assistance with steel fatigue on a roller coaster. Following the observatory project, this engineer secured a job at

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

in Florida.^{2 3/sup> Due to the success of the project, Dynamic Structures gained additional contracts with Walt Disney Imagineering

Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attra ...
to manufacture the ride systems for Soarin' Over California

''Soarin, also known as ''Soarin' Around the World'', ''Soaring Over the Horizon'' and ''Soaring: Fantastic Flight'', is a flight simulator, motion simulator attraction at Disney California Adventure, Epcot, Shanghai Disneyland, and Tokyo Disn ...
and Test Track

Test Track is a high-speed slot car thrill ride located in World Discovery at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The ride is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Mot ...
.^{3 4/sup> This expanded the firm's presence in the theme park industry.^{3/sup>

In 2015, the company expanded their capabilities to include complete design and installation services for all elements of the attraction. Using the marketing of "Ride – Show – Integration," this focus led to the opening of a research and development facility called the "Attraction Development Center" in Orlando, FL. Through this facility, the company can do large-scale mock-ups and is staffed for design and development of ideas as well as ride systems.

In July 2017, the Dynamic Attractions company combined with all the "ride system" elements of the Dynamic Structures company. The new Dynamic Attractions organization includes the Ride Development Center (Formerly Dynamic Structures offices and facility) in Port Coquitlam, Canada, as well as the Attraction Development Center in Orlando, FL. (Dynamic Structures still exists as a company whose focus includes specialty fabrication and telescopes.)

Projects

List of roller coasters

Gallery

File:William_herschel_Telescope_Dome.jpg, William Herschel Telescope
File:Isaac_Newton_Telescope,_La_Palma,_Spain.jpg, Isaac Newton Telescope
File:KeckTelescopes-hi.png, Keck Telescopes
File:MaunaKea_Subaru.jpg, JNLT Telescope
File:Atacama_cosmology_telescope_night.jpg, Atacama Cosmology Telescope
Image:TmtSummitComposite.jpg, Thirty Meter Telescope

File:Soarin%27_Over_California.JPG, Soarin' Over California
File:TestTrackEpcot.JPG, Test Track
File:Disneyland_Mark_VII_Monorail_Red.jpg, Mark VII Monorail

File:Richmond_Olympic_Oval_front_view_2.jpg, Richmond Olympic Oval
File:Lougheed-stn-platform.jpg, Lougheed Skytrain Station
File:Ski_jumps_at_callaghan_valley.jpg, Vancouver Olympic Ski Jumps

References

{{Amusement rides

Amusement ride manufacturers
Manufacturing companies established in 1926
Roller coaster manufacturers
Steel companies of Canada
1926 establishments in British Columbia}}}