Fluor began the assignment by designing what would be a large platform by offshore California standards - 755 feet tall from mudline to helicopter deck. Three decks were planned, as well as 48 well conductors, two drilling rigs, oil and gas separation facilities, and living quarters for 90 people.
The platform was designed to withstand a storm with waves up to 60 feet high, as well as remain operational in a "strength level" quake - the type that may happen once every 200 years. The platform was even designed to withstand an "upper-level quake," the kind occurring once in several thousand years.
Finally, the crew quarters were designed to withstand a reflected pressure shockwave of up to 10 pounds-per-square-inch (psi) in strength, in case of a booster rocket landing in the basin.
To work out engineering details, Fluor designed and built a three-eighths-inch-to-a-foot scale model of the platform. Standing nearly six feet tall on its pedestal, the model served as a three-dimensional aid throughout the design process and as a planning aid at the fabrication site for the topsides facility.