Precast Solutions - September/October 2008 - (Page 6) construction of movie theaters are multiple, especially in a climate like that of Rochester, where winters are long and contractors can often do exterior jobs only half the year. Fabcon, of Minneapolis, built the precast panels for the Wehrenberg Theater in about two weeks inside its factory, completely avoiding weather delays and allowing for easier quality control. “Time of year was an issue on this project,” said Matt Smith, national accounts manager for Fabcon. The panels had to be built and set in place in February. In Minnesota, snow and bitter cold can last well into April and May. It would have been impossible to set scaffolding in high winter winds or to conduct masonry work in cold weather. “Precast allows for year-round construction,” Smith said. The panels were erected on site in just over four weeks. Installation was fairly simple. Installers had to freestand the panels first and then brace them to the ground using deadman anchors. The tallest panels were 49 feet high to accommodate one auditorium with an extra-large screen, according to Vander Pol. The remaining panels were 37 feet tall. Once the panels were set and braced, installers set bar joists and decking to hold the roof. When the structure was stable, builders removed the braces and anchors. The panels are all load-bearing, eliminating the need for steel framing. “Speed of construction is the main thing,” Smith said. “With a theater not being a plain box retail store, precast allows for a lot cleaner work site.” There is no need to erect scaffolding, for example, and interior walls can be set in one step. Just like the exterior panels, the interior ones were structural as well. According to Krueger, precast concrete offers the same performance as more traditional stick framing and masonry but can be erected in a third of the time. “Using precast takes a lot of trades out of the mix and 6 PRECAST SOLUTIONS | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008
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