Mostly known for providing equipment for touring shows, Tomcat is also often called upon to provide efficient solutions for permanent installations as well. That was the case in the first quarter of 2003 when Tomcat was approached to design a custom personnel access truss for the Washington Opera.
After settling into a new building, the Washington Opera needed an innovative solution for its trussing needs. Built in custom spans of 13’6", 14’8", and 17’, the truss incorporates an access walkway enabling the crew to walk through each span of truss as well as having easy access to the lighting equipment below.
The truss was built without top horizontals and incorporates a no-hardware built-in hinge grating system. When the grating is hinged, it locks into place, allowing the crew to work on the equipment with both hands. When finished, it simply hinges back down. The grating system also separates into each bay of the truss, allowing each section to be lifted independently from one another. A lamp bar was also built into the bottom center of the truss, allowing lighting equipment to be very accessible and easily installed.