Schuster Performing Arts Center

TWC’s portion of the project involved constructing an orchestra pit and a concrete stage wall. The pit includes interacting-radius, cantilevered structural slabs, a large concrete culvert, multiple radius foundation walls, and footings. The concrete stage wall is 130 feet tall and 120 feet wide, and only 18 inches thick. The wall has numerous offsets and pilasters, and had to be built within 3/8 of an inch plumb from top to bottom.

Construction took place on a small, congested downtown site in the middle of winter. The total project encompassed more than 23 pours and 4,000 yards of concrete. A special layout team dealt with the project’s painstaking details. A special gang system was designed for the 130-foot high walls. Crews worked 10-hour days, six days a week, even during the holiday season, and since a crane was needed for every pour, they had to quickly become acclimated to heights. More than 200 change orders were given to TWC throughout the project.
Productivity on the stagehouse walls resulted in seven lifts of 15 to 18 feet each, with four lifts being turned around in nearly three weeks. • Location: Dayton, OH