Structural Design For Billboard

STRUCTURAL DESIGN FOR BILLBOARD
Author: Ir. Dr. Justin LAI Woon Fatt | 28 January, 2023
A billboard is a type of outdoor advertising display that consists of at least one display panel and a
supporting framework. It can be freestanding, attached to buildings, or mounted to other structures,
commonly placed at densely populated areas with high traffic. Modern billboards are built to
engineering specifications and are made of steel, whereas older billboard structures are made of wood
or angle iron frames. A billboard may be smaller than the maximum allowed size, to ensure the addition
of cutout or extension within the permitted area's envelope.
Figure 1: Billboard Components
BILLBOARD CATEGORIES AND DEFINITIONS
Billboards are classified into four structural categories which are wood, steel frame, multi-mast steel,
and monopole, based on the structural materials used and the underlying support system.
Table 1: Billboard Categories

Categories Description
Wood Structure Wood structure billboard is built with wood post or pole
Example: supports, dimensional lumber as the secondary support
Wood single face, wood V-built which acts as a frame, a wood catwalk, a single display
panel, supports embedded in the ground, the foundation
could be concrete or gravel, and either fluorescent or
mercury vapor for lighting.
Steel Frame Structure It is made of angle iron or steel supports, metal framing,
Example: a catwalk, a single display panel, supports embedded in
Steel A-Frame Double Face, ground, foundation could be concrete or gravel, and
steel A-Frame V-Built either fluorescent or mercury vapor for lighting.
Multi-Mast Structure This type of billboard is made of steel poles, an I-beam
Example: or equivalent for primary support, catwalk and one or
Steel multi-mast double face, more display panels, and either fluorescent or mercury
steel multi-mast double face vapor for lighting.
stacked displays
Monopole Structure Monopole billboard is made of tubular steel support,

Example: tubular steel framing, metal catwalk and one or more
Flag monopole, center display panels, concrete foundation, and either
monopole, center monopole V fluorescent or mercury vapor for lighting.
face, center monopole tri sided
Table 2: Billboard’s Display Configuration

Display Image
Single Face
Photo credit: https://www.times-standard.com/2020/09/15/humboldt-

county-to-approve-controversial-billboard-but-just-for-the-short-term/
Double Face
Photo credit: https://www.bigtreebillboard.com/product/double-sided-

advertising-unipole-billboard/
V Face
Photo credit: https://goodmockups.com/free-outdoor-advertising-

billboard-mockup-psd-6/
Tri-sided
Photo credit: https://goodmockups.com/free-triangle-3-sided-unipole-

billboard-mockup-psd/
Stacked Display
Photo credit: http://adbbd.com/BILLBOARDS/16.html
BILLBOARD DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Billboards are mostly placed in public seen areas and close to public access, thus they shall be
properly designed to ensure public safety. An underdesigned billboard structure may cause injury to
pedestrians, damage to property and vehicles, as well as impede traffic flow. The risk of failure under
wind load is a major concern in billboard structural design, compared to the self-weight, dead, and live
loads of the billboard which are relatively small. Thus, we may see some billboards collapse after a
heavy storm along the highway or main streets. This is due to the billboard is subjected to a wind load
that is greater than the ideal wind load predicted by the structural engineers, which eventually leads
to the collapse of the billboard, i.e., a global stability failure. Most highway billboards are one-sided,
two-sided, or three-sided, and supported by a single column. The large windward area of this type of
cantilever structure can cause high internal stresses in the members, exceeded which localized failure
could occur. Thus, a competent structural engineer is playing an important role in designing an
optimum and safe billboard structure at an economical cost.
According to MS 1553:2002 Code of Practice on Wind Loading for Building Structure, there are various
considerations to consider in designing a billboard such as site wind speed, design wind speed, design
wind pressure, wind actions, and so on. MS 1553:2002 requires main wind force resisting structures
to be designed to withstand a wind load of at least 0.65 kPA (almost equivalent to 65kg per meter
square of wind resisting area) multiplied by the area of the building or structure projected on a vertical
plane normal to the wind direction.
This minimum design requirement is left out sometimes, mostly in the low-standing billboard by the
roadside that is much more reachable by the general public than a high-standing giant billboard, due
to the ignorant attitude or the so-called I-have-seen-it-before-argument. Those who undermine the
wind load design may also be taking advantage of the temporary nature of the billboard structure.
Consequently, these wind-resisting structures are constructed with much smaller steel members and
much lighter foundations. Small steel members yield or even fracture under strong wind events while
light-weight foundation is pulled off from the ground, both result in a final structure deformation or even
collapse. That is why we could observe the roadside billboard collapse after strong wind weather from
time to time.
Figure 2: Billboard Collapse
CONCLUSION
Standing high into the sky in busy public areas, the billboard’s structure stability and safety are of
utmost public concern. No failure is regarded tolerable or acceptable for such a structure. A small
falling steel part from a billboard structure could subject a pass-by to severe bodily injury or causing a
traffic accident to the crossing vehicles. Adequate wind design and its subsequent structural solution
are never an option or compromise in billboard design, but the most important design factor that needs
to be tackled by structure engineer with extreme cautious. No part shall fail.
Ir. Dr. Justin LAI Woon Fatt

CEO/ Founder
IPM Group
References:
[1] Malaysian Standard 1553 2002 Code of Practice on Wind Loading for Building Structure, Department of Standards Malaysia
[2] “Billboard Structures Valuation Guide”, North Carolina Department of Revenue Local Government Division Property Tax Section,
19 January 2018. Retrieved on 28th January 2023 from https://www.ncdor.gov/media/8690/open
[3] Joni Irawan, Luki Wicaksono, Adderian Noor. Connection Model of Steel Pipe Construction of Billboard Structure Pile. Proceeding
of the International Conference on Innovation in Science and Technology (ICIST 2020). Advances in Engineering Research, volume
208

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STRUCTURAL DESIGN FOR BILLBOARD

Author: Ir. Dr. Justin LAI Woon Fatt | 28 January, 2023

Figure 1: Billboard Components

BILLBOARD CATEGORIES AND DEFINITIONS

Table 1: Billboard Categories

Monopole Structure Monopole billboard is made of tubular steel support,

Table 2: Billboard’s Display Configuration

Photo credit: https://www.times-standard.com/2020/09/15/humboldt-

Photo credit: https://www.bigtreebillboard.com/product/double-sided-

Photo credit: https://goodmockups.com/free-outdoor-advertising-

Photo credit: https://goodmockups.com/free-triangle-3-sided-unipole-

Photo credit: http://adbbd.com/BILLBOARDS/16.html

BILLBOARD DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Figure 2: Billboard Collapse

Ir. Dr. Justin LAI Woon Fatt

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