For arts and entertainment projects, which shine in the public spotlight, the drama lies in the details. These projects often incorporate custom, one-of-a-kind components that bring out the creativity of the construction team. Whether it’s 3-D modeling, unique materials, quality control testing or a new twist on partnerships, the contractors that build in this sector carry a full palate of skills and ingenuity.
A Crown Jewel
When the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decided to undertake a major improvement project at the Red Rock Visitor Center just outside of Las Vegas, it needed partners that supported its commitment to clean energy and sustainability, as well as budget control.
Straub Construction, Inc., Fallbrook, Calif., was ready for the challenge. It won a $17.1 million contract to construct a new 71,900-square-foot visitor center and renovate the existing center. The company was responsible for ensuring construction would not impact the delicate ecosystem or ongoing park services.
Although the project was awarded as design-bid-build, Straub Construction’s experience with design-build delivery played a major role in its ability to overcome obstacles and collaborate with all of the stakeholders.
“The project took the model of a design-build job, where we integrate the team,” says Matt Ferguson, project executive. “We realized early on that the only way we would accomplish all the complexities was through collaboration.”
Architectural firm
Line and Space, LLC, Tucson, Ariz., bought into the environment of information-sharing and fast conflict resolution. “They wanted to be a partner and participate in the construction, and that made a world of difference. It was that partnering environment that really contributed to the process,” Ferguson says.
The unique building features—a photovoltaic heating system, a climate-controlled outdoor panoramic viewing area, a water harvesting system, sculptural concrete formwork and one-of-a-kind gallery exhibits—required the team to have confidence in a talented group of subcontractors.
San Diego-based
Helix Electric, Inc. designed and built a 60-kilowatt photovoltaic array with 360 panels. Helix also overhauled the existing electrical system and installed a modern system that monitors energy production and links to a computer display inside the visitor center.
A transpired solar collector provides heating for the restrooms, eliminating the mechanical system in this space. As outside air is drawn through the collector’s perforated metal skin by a ventilation fan, its temperature increases by as much as 40 degrees. The heated air flows to the top of the wall where it is distributed through the ductwork.
Straub Construction had limited experience in designing and installing these solar systems, which meant sharing information and expertise was especially important during this part of the project. “We rode on the coattails of Helix Electric’s solar experience,” Ferguson says. “There was a great deal of trust between our firms, and we let them be the experts.”
Straub also coordinated with the concrete subcontractors to create a unique outdoor display panel simulating the Red Rock Mountains on the horizon—a challenging installation that required formwork to be preassembled offsite. For the indoor displays, Straub began collaborating early on with the owner’s exhibit provider, HB Stubbs, to ensure each exhibit site was perfectly constructed to meet specific dimensions. “We didn’t want them to have to come back to us to change anything we installed once they were doing their work,” Ferguson says.
All of the construction took place while the old 7,600-square-foot visitor center remained open, making public safety the utmost priority. Straub later converted the old facility into a library, a workroom and administrative offices.
Straub Construction exceeded the owner’s expectations on several levels. It kept a full-time quality control manager onsite throughout construction to ensure compliance with drawings and quality standards. Its experience working in military installations in desert locations throughout the West ensured weather conditions did not impact the schedule or the safety of site personnel. And, it ensured scope changes had a minimal impact on the project budget, resulting in no unresolved issues or disputes.
“To take a team approach with a client like the BLM, which does not usually build vertical facilities, was a unique challenge. We came up with solutions in situations that could have been major problems,” Ferguson says. “We led the way with the relationships, and I credit the success of the project to the team approach.”
• A ground-mounted solar array for photovoltaic water heat, a solar wall, and water reclamation and harvesting
• Natural and durable materials that unify the building with the landscape
• A large climate-controlled panoramic viewing area
• Abstract sculptural exhibits that pay homage to the Greek elements: air, earth, wind and fire
• Overhangs that provide thermal transition zones for guests and shade the building’s floor-to-ceiling glass to reduce the demand on the building’s mechanical system
• A steel and concrete pedestrian boardwalk that expands over a native landscape area with a platform for unobstructed views of Red Rock Canyon
• Outdoor interpretive elements constructed from painted and galvanized steel, as well as durable interior finishes
• An interactive kiosk displaying the amount of energy the photovoltaic panels are producing and the effects the weather has on the interactive panels
Artisan Quality
Dallas visitors and residents can’t miss the vibrant red glass cladding of the Winspear Opera House, also known as the AT&T Performing Arts Center, located in the heart of the city’s Arts District.
For
Haley-Greer, Inc., Dallas, the project was a rare opportunity to create a community landmark—and one of the most challenging the company has ever completed. The company’s artisan glaziers and installers self-performed 90 percent of the work, assembling customized 9-foot by 4-foot pieces of laminated glass—weighing more than 300 pounds each—in an elaborate, monochromatic jigsaw puzzle.
Haley Greer’s contract to build the custom bent glass portion totaled $6.6 million, with general contractor
Linbeck Construction, Houston, building the opera house structure and the drum for the curtainwall.
Construction spanned 14 months, but Haley-Greer assisted in the design of the project months prior to the actual start. The specialty contractor also assisted the owner and Linbeck Construction with additional change order work into spring 2010.
Specifying and installing such large pieces of glass posed myriad challenges. Early on in the project, Haley-Greer received limited design specifications—literally a dot and a line—to determine glass sizes. “Our engineer was able to transfer everything from the drawings, and we were able to lay out the entire glass system off those two dots,” says Jeff Benson, vice president of project management for Haley-Greer. “I think it was pretty incredible considering what we had to work with. It all came together perfectly. We are very proud of the craftsmen that were able to pull it off.”
The confined spaces challenged the entire team to work as safety leaders. The close proximity to downtown Dallas limited the area available for lay down, staging and storage, and all glazing materials needed to be stored offsite and shipped immediately prior to installation. Crews averaged around only 15 persons because of the confined spaces and the number of trades sharing each elevation. Overtime hours were necessary to access the work space without interruption.
Quality control also was essential to ensure color-matching and prevent impurities in the pieces of bent glass, which are like individual works of art. Undesirable glass was returned at a rate of 20 percent to the manufacturer due to chips, scratches or bubbles. Although the glazing appears to be opaque, it is actually translucent and allows LED lighting to be installed behind the system.
“The schedule was very tight, and working with our glazing vendor was a challenge,” Benson says. “Nobody else in the world had the experience to make this type of glass, so we had to work with one particular vendor. It was a challenge to get them to understand time was of the essence.”
In addition to the strict requirements for glass color and curvature, metal components had to be custom-colored and radiused to match the glass for the balustrade system. Also, the dry, black reveals required special attention to meet architectural requirements.
Haley-Greer is no stranger to complex detail work, having helped build the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. That project was an impetus for the company to gain more atypical, architecturally challenging jobs. For example, Haley-Greer recently worked with Austin Commercial to build the new $131 million Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, a highly engineered job incorporating unique copper panels, and it’s currently working with Manhattan Construction to build the University of North Texas Stadium in Denton, which will open in time for football season.
Haley-Greer won the 2009 American Institute of Architects Dallas Chapter’s Artist/Craftsman of the Year award, as well as an AIA Community Honor Award, for its work on the Winspear Opera House.
• 48,000-square-foot, 2½-inch aluminum curtainwall system
• ½-inch bent, low-iron, laminated glass with a red interlayer
• Glass units weigh approximately 325 pounds each
• Steel-loaded units weigh more than 900 pounds
• Raw materials supplied from China for the panel framing system and glass supplied from Germany
Careful Modeling
Construction of the Walt Disney Family Museum, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, required the talents of an experienced specialty contractor that could handle a job incorporating historical preservation and 3-D modeling.
Big D Metalworks, Dallas, won the contract to create a dramatic 164-foot spiraling ramp and central staircase that leads from one of 10 galleries to the museum’s main interactive exhibit area. The company’s work was part of a $110 million contract to renovate an existing barrack’s from the 1890s and add 15,000 square feet of exhibit space in the barracks’ rear courtyard.
Conceptualized by the Walt Disney Family Foundation and Presidio Trust, the design integrates contemporary glass and steel with the artfully restored masonry of the original structure.
Big D Metalworks became involved early in the project, flying to San Francisco to meet with the design team of the
Rockwell Group, architect of record
Page & Turnbull and general contractor
Plant Construction Company, LP. After a series of meetings and sketches, the specialty contractor was able to translate the team’s ideas into 3-D mockups back in Dallas.
Due to the compressed schedule required by the hard opening date of the museum, production of the staircase had to begin immediately, using the 3-D model as a working drawing to create the bones of the structure. The staircase went from concept design to manufacturing in only three weeks, and then manufacturing to installation in only five weeks, all while staying within the original budget.
“Everybody went into a state of lockdown as soon as we were released to move forward with the project,” says Phillip Hoppman, president of Big D Metalworks.
With the staircase system manufactured offsite, precision was essential to ensure an error-free installation. In order to verify the fabrication of the staircase, Big D utilized a new technology, the ETemplate System, which took a series of camera shots from various angles and depths. These shots were fed back into the AutoCAD model to check fabrication accuracy of the design dimensions and field measurements.
Big D Metalworks became a subject matter expert on the new technology in a matter of days. “This testing of the ETemplate technology was critical because we needed to use it to complete our field survey of the serpentine ramp and order the helix glass panels,” Hoppman says. “A unique job can push you to do different things—and this one certainly did.”
After construction of the serpentine ramp framework, Big D Metalworks led a carefully choreographed effort to stop work by all trades (including union contractors) for 48 hours so its team could have a clear space to use ETemplate to measure the ramp to 1/16th of an inch. As a result, the company could manufacture and install 400 feet of a hand-crafted guardrail without any rework.
Big D Metalworks also was responsible for manufacturing the serpentine ramp’s glass panels. To keep the glass separated and orderly, it created a numbering and cataloging procedure to ensure each piece was ready to be placed exactly within the design onsite. Each piece was designed for slope and curve based upon the ETemplate dimensions and then manufactured in Dallas for installation. If any facet was incorrect, the cost to replace the panel exceeded $1,500, and caused a six-week delay, so precision was key.
Staying within the extremely tight schedule was a challenge in coordinating all of the disciplines on the jobsite. While being required to use local union installers, Big D Metalworks was still able to self-perform 70 percent of the work for the impressive staircase and serpentine ramp components of the museum.
With this job completed, Big D Metalworks is building the staircases for the $185 million Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, as well as performing a healthy amount of private work for law firms and lobbying firms in the Washington, D.C., commercial market.
“We’re looking forward to getting started on this new work while the markets continue to heal,” Hoppman says.
• Listening stations, interactive media and more than 200 video monitors
• A staircase of 22 treads with a landing measuring 13 feet by 6 feet; steel supports sustained by a single stringer with cantilevered tread support; and steel plates that do not show any welding points
• Specially cast terrazzo tile with custom-designed, hand-placed glass insets
• 164-foot switchback-style serpentine ramp that rises to fill the space of the newly enclosed courtyard created by the U-shaped barracks design; in the 14-foot elevation change, no 10-foot section is identical
• Each stainless steel post supports the guard, hand and reading rails, with tempered glass panels engineered between the posts, which also incorporate LED lighting and raceways for AV wires
• Glass infill lining of the ramp is comprised of 87 tempered glass pieces varying in length, height, slope and radii to match the geometry of the serpentine ramp
Best Picture
Another high-profile project that demanded the construction team to meet a hard opening date was the custom renovation of a classic theater in New Orleans’ One Canal Place Building. The 30-year-old building saw mass destruction after Hurricane Katrina. Although most other retail shops, including Saks Fifth Avenue, were rejuvenated shortly after the storm, the theater on the third floor was not rebuilt until January 2010 when
MAPP Construction, Kip E. Daniel Architect and
Chrestia Staub Pierce were hired to revamp the space.
MAPP surpassed an aggressive five-month schedule despite challenges involving unknown existing conditions, including having to design and construct housing boxes for owner-requested digital projectors.
All aspects of the project were planned to exceed industry standards. The theater is entirely digital, with high-definition digital projectors, LED LCD digital movie posters, computerized attendant systems at every seat and an online reserved seating system.
The project showed innovation in the construction of custom projector lifts and housing boxes, and in the method that MAPP used to pour concrete on top of geofoam throughout the entire space, including the stadium seating risers.
“It was a tight space, and it was a challenge getting all the projectors installed into the ceilings,” says Brad Reese, MAPP’s project manager. “The existing concrete didn’t support everything we needed to install, and at times we were up on ladders designing this as we went along to make everything fit.”
The construction took place on the third floor of an open shopping mall, and the team discovered many unknowns as the project developed. Unlike most theaters, this one did not have a mezzanine, causing the low ceilings to provide only 1.5 feet of workspace.
The construction team discovered the height between the existing floors did not allow the ductwork to be installed according to plan. Other changes altered the project plan and construction schedule.
For example, after the project owner decided all-digital projectors should be installed in each auditorium, the team discovered the space containing the former 35 mm projectors would not suffice for the new, larger equipment.
MAPP constructed structural steel and gypsum board enclosures for the projectors and projector lifts. Because of the constricted floor heights of the existing structure, the special housing boxes were creatively attached to the underside of the concrete deck.
Teamwork was at its best through numerous field meetings with the subcontractors, architects and engineers. The contractor completed work two days ahead of schedule, in time for the sold-out grand opening party.
Reese, who has years of experience building theaters in the region, says even when the entertainment market started to drop during the recession, movie theater construction and renovation kept up a moderate pace. “Movie theaters were one of the few entertainment options people were still looking at,” he says.
• Expanded theater/café area encompassing 12,700 square feet, with a 25 percent increase in theater space
• Contemporary main corridor with modern, custom light fixtures
• Glass storefront system with full, slightly tinted glass walls
• All-digital technology
• Structural steel and gypsum board custom-built enclosures for digital projectors
• Stainless steel and solid-surface wall panels in theater entrance and restroom, and acoustical wall treatments
• Renovated kitchen area to accommodate a new, Mediterranean-infused café menu
• New full-service bar