Building Design Construction

uilding
team
awards
2016
PLATINUM AWARD
The performing arts
center was designed to
blend in with its surroundings.
A bicycle path that
encircles the nearby lake
runs through the facility.
The backlit fascia is meant
to match the natural light
at dusk. Illuminated panels
mimic the local landscape.
DAVID REVETTE/REVETTE STUDIO
theatrical and A/V specialists conducted
thorough reviews of the amphitheater’s
audiovisual requirements throughout the
design and construction stages. Acoustical
consultant Jaffe Holden assisted on the
sound parameters of the design.
The covered area of
the amphitheater is
supported by eight
trusses (each weighing
84,000 pounds)
with four unique end
conditions to achieve
a maximum span of
190 feet. The covered
area is designed to
provide patrons with
unobstructed views of
the lake. Acoustically
transparent fascia
allows sound from
the stage to reach the
audience on the lawn
with clarity.
VALUE ENGINEERING
BEATS THE BUDGET LIMITS
The amphitheater’s original program was
valued at over $80 million, but the taxpayerfunded
contract was less than $50 million.
Smart engineering and construction were
imperative to meet the county’s goals for
the building.
The signature feature of the amphitheater
is the pavilion canopy, which covers more
than 5,000 seats and provides unobstructed
views of Lake Onondaga. The design
called for maintaining bolted connections in
the fi eld, which allowed for swift erection to
meet the project’s schedule.
The pavilion’s roof design utilizes eight
trusses with four unique end conditions;
this system achieves a maximum span of
190 feet. Each truss weighs over 84,000
pounds and is supported by the steel at the
stage and columns infi lled with 10,000-psi
concrete. Ninety percent of the trusses are
identical in their confi guration.
Gilbane prefabricated the trusses off site.
They arrived at the site in no more than
three sections and were set in movable
cradles for fi nal connection detailing. Completed
trusses were erected in one pick,
using a pair of cranes in tandem.
Systems and spaces were shifted to
save money. Relocating the fourth-fl oor
Event Center to a lower level provides
panoramic views of the lake and eliminated
the need for two elevators. The
third-fl oor mechanical room was moved as
well, allowing the pavilion to be reduced in
size from four stories to two, which saved
considerably on costs.
An average of 230 tradespeople were
on site every day during construction. The
project exceeded 200,000 total workerhours
without a single recordable or losttime
incident.
—John Caulfi eld
PROJECT SUMMARY
PLATINUM AWARD
Onondaga Lakeview Amphitheater
Geddes, N.Y.
BUILDING TEAM
Submitting firm: Gilbane Building Company (GC);
Westlake Reed Leskosky (lead designer, executive
architect, interior design, SE/MEP engineer)
Owner: Onondaga County, N.Y.
Architect: C&S Companies
Structural: QPK Design
Site/civil: Savin Engineers
Acoustics: Jaffe Holden
GENERAL INFORMATION
Project size: 74,000 sf
Construction cost: $49.5 million
Construction period: January 2015 to August 2015
Delivery method: Design-build
28 MAY 2016 BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION www.BDCnetwork.com