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Let the Music Play Crews Orchestrate $41.3M Randy Owen Center for Performing Arts Project By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
Envisioned as a beacon of creativity, the Randy Owen Center for Performing Arts at Jacksonville State University (JSU) will pay tribute to the beloved country music star when it opens late next year. The $41.3 million project, located on the school’s campus in Jacksonville, Ala., includes construction of the muchanticipated Phil and Denise Webb Performance Hall. “The main challenge for crews is the complexity of the building, along with all the theatrical and audio/visual systems to be incorporated,” said Mike Brown, P&C Construction project manager. “The renovation portion will include a new recording studio, which is a critical and specialized construction, in terms of acoustics. Every system and structural member is evaluated for its acoustical properties and sound transmission.” Also known as “The ROC,” the project honors one of JSU’s most distinguished alumni and will enable the university to address the needs of students, whose performances will play a key role in their professional preparation. The additional roughly 51,000 sq. ft. of existing space (the ROC educational wing) will include a 400-seat recital hall, rehearsal hall, backstage suites and classrooms, along with meeting and office space. Brown said the site itself was a concern as work got under way, because the ground was not suitable to support the structure without additional engineering measures. “The existing structure had to be stabilized for the excavation by installing helical piers around the foundations next to the work,” he said. “We utilized rammed aggregate piers to support the foundations of the project. We have also utilized these piers underneath a 200-foot HVAC tunnel that’s underground beneath the building. “We had to excavate, install piers, waterproof, then form and pour the tunnel before we could build the pad,” Brown added. “All this, while coordinating the install of the rest of the RAPs. It’s a lot like an iceberg, in that you can’t see all the work that’s underneath the surface.” Workers have made significant progress to date, with construction expected to be completed by December 2025.
P&C Construction photo
Work on the recording studio has gone according to plan.
“We were able to start the renovation a little ahead of the sitework, due to weather and site conditions,” said Brown. “That helped get us in a good place for the renovation.” According to Brown, the 1,000-seat performance hall is central to the construction. “It involves all the systems of the project,” he said. “The performance hall is where the parabolic slab is located. It’s also the location of the 200-foot underground HVAC tunnel. The hall will include theatrical rigging, sound booth, catwalks above, large, suspended sound reflectors for performance acoustics, fixed theatrical seats and a balcony behind the performance platform for choral performances. There will be a 27-foot projection screen for viewings, as well.” Currently, crews are installing utilities and site drainage, pouring floor slabs, building masonry walls, setting steel and performing the rough-in of electrical and mechanical systems. They have already completed the tunnel and performance seating floor. see JSU page 2
K W Raines Associates Inc. photo
The $41.3 million project, located on the school’s campus in Jacksonville, Ala., includes construction of the muchanticipated Phil and Denise Webb Performance Hall.