AOM Cultural/Worship: Rochester Institute of Technology – Performing Arts Center

Rochester Institute of Technology -Performing Arts Center

Rochester, N.Y.

Award of Merit

Sent by: LeChase Construction Services

Owner: Rochester Institute of Technology

Lead Design Firm: Michael Maltzan Architecture Inc.

Building Manager: LeChase Construction Services

Designer, Structural Engineer and Landscape Architect: SWBR

Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: M/E Engineering

Subcontractors: Ramar Steel; Tambe Electric; Monroe Piping & Accurate Acoustical Inc.; Thompson Builds; Manning Squires Hennig; A.R. Pierrepont; Ajay Glass; Apple Roofing; One Diversified

The 50,000-sq-ft, four-story center consists of an innovative 750-seat theater with front- and back-of-house locations, complete outfit and scene stores and other features.

Versatile lighting systems can black out verandas when not in usage, and noise and video resources improve the experience for audience and team members with hearing loss. Outdoors, the custom-made white aluminum exterior stands apart on a school of mostly brick and concrete structures.

An intricate structure of scaffolding was developed within the three-story theater to do interior surfaces on the ceiling and walls and set up the lots of catwalks, fireproofing, speakers and other audio/rigging/lighting aspects required. With minimal office on the scaffolds, the scheduling and sequencing of trades was possibly the most tough element for the group. Teams worked top-down, totally finishing one level before moving scaffolding to concentrate on the next lower level.

Excavating 30 feet for the sub-basement and orchestra pit needed comprehensive shoring in order to prevent troubling close-by soil consisting of underground energies and to support nearby structures. As soon as the structure and sublevel walls remained in location, teams generated 30,000 lots of structural fill to backfill areas under and around the brand-new structure. A focal point of the center is a brought back 1920s organ, initially utilized in a Detroit theater. The organ needed a range of facilities, consisting of 2 second-floor pipeline lofts exactly developed to match its initial design.