COVER STORY
By Tina Cauller
Revitalizing COMMUNITIES Award-worthy projects provide homes for the arts and history
Harbor Yard Amphitheater, Bridgeport, Conn. Class III ($1 million to $2.5 million) Erector: United Steel, Inc. Fabricator and Detailer: Constructora Industrial Metalica CIMSA Architect: FTL Design Engineering Studio Structural Engineer: Fractal Structural Engineering GC: Dunn Lightweight Architecture Contract Value: $1.6 million Tons of Steel: 448
Buddy Holly Hall, Lubbock, Texas Class IV (over $2.5 million) Erector: Deem Structural Services, LLC Fabricator: Basden Steel Corporation Detailer: Foy Consulting & Engineering Architect and Structural Engineer: Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc. GC: Lee Lewis Construction, Inc. Contract Value: $7.2 million Tons of Steel: 3,624
United Steel created a plot drawing to lay out the position of the six pre-assembled ring sections, the cranes, and two 120-foot boom lifts in the tight jobsite.
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even steel erection companies were named as recipients in the annual Project of the Year awards by SEAA. Three of the projects were part of broader redevelopment plans in the local communities where they were built, and five of them house centers for cultural expression—including performing arts, sports, and a museum. (For info on Class I and Class II winners, see Summer 2021 issue, page 32.) Several of these projects represent jobs with complex sequencing, requiring coordination of cranes. In addition, two of the projects involved multiple roles for the companies. Deem Structural Services delivered turnkey service, including taking lead on connection design. Cooper Steel was the fabricator and managed the steel erection.
■ Complex sequencing in a tight work space Conversion of a dilapidated ballpark into an amphitheater was part of a larger economic redevelopment plan for the south side of Bridgeport, Conn. United Steel Inc., Hartford, Conn., converted the dilapidated Bluefish Stadium Tina Cauller is a graphic designer and freelance writer with 30 years of experience reporting for trade and technical publications in building construction and real estate markets. She can be reached at tinacauller@ gmail.com
34 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
into a state-of-the-art boutique amphitheater. The newly named Harbor Yard Amphitheater will house concerts, graduations, community events, and festivals. The hallmark of the building is a 125 ft high tensile roof and unique 107 ft high pavilion entrance, which is complemented by a 25 ft oculus. This one-of-a-kind structure required extensive planning and coordination utilizing three cranes working in unison on a tight site to install a 135 ft diameter trussed ring
