The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center serves as the gateway to one of the region’s most distinctive natural landscapes at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park. The facility welcomes visitors and guides them safely to interior viewing areas. Its recent renovation creates a more comfortable, modern and visually engaging experience.
One of the center’s signature features is its elevated second-floor viewing area and the stairways that connect to it. These spaces invite visitors to pause, look outward and take in the dunes. The railing system needed to maintain clear sightlines while providing life safety in high-traffic areas.
To meet those needs, Wagner installed 158 feet of Legato™ guardrail with glass infill and a 1.90-inch stainless steel handrail polished to a #4 finish for a refined, consistent appearance. The result strengthens the visitors’ experience by making the center feel more open, engaging and connected to its natural surroundings.
During installation, Wagner’s team encountered several unexpected conditions that required quick problem‑solving and precise coordination. The concrete slab measured significantly thinner than indicated in the BIM drawings, eliminating the feasibility of the originally specified anchoring method.
At the same time, the architect requested a fascia‑mounted railing appearance using customer‑supplied standoffs, which required precise interface coordination. These evolving conditions also created a need for field‑based fabrication to accommodate actual dimensions and mounting preferences.
Wagner engineered a custom mounting plate that allowed the Legato railing system to bolt through the slab into the second‑floor ceiling where needed. This approach maintained structural integrity and met professional engineer calculations. Installers switched to a thru‑bolt anchoring system to compensate for the thinner slab without compromising safety or performance.
To support the fascia‑mounted design, Wagner provided its fascia bracket directly to the general contractor so the standoffs could be fabricated around it for an exact fit. Wagner also shipped material to the site and authorized onsite fabrication, reducing downtime and preventing schedule delays.
The project concluded with a high-quality, visually cohesive railing installation. Wagner’s Legato railing system met both the architect’s aesthetic goals and the client’s performance expectations. Both the client and the architect expressed satisfaction with the outcome, noting the clean finish, structural integrity and the team’s responsiveness to site-driven changes.
The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center railing installation demonstrates Wagner’s strengths as a railing manufacturer and supplier. The project highlights the team’s engineered solutions, field adaptability and commitment to quality finishes and client satisfaction. Despite shifting scope and unexpected site conditions, Wagner delivered a durable, elegant railing system that ensured visitor safety and fulfilled the project team’s contemporary design vision.
