The team had 164 days after the initial project meeting to repair extensive damage from Hurricane Ike and more than double the covered seating capacity of pavilion. The tensile fabric structure, originally constructed in 1989, is a landmark outdoor amphitheater. The schedule was driven by the owner’s need to begin the 2009 concert season on time. The project involved designing the expanded structure for higher wind loads; replacing the existing tensile fabric and supporting cables; and strengthening existing steel elements and concrete foundations.
The structural engineer and the steel detailer created 3-D models to determine dimensions of the steel members and connections for detailing. They identified potential interferences between the fabric and cables with the steel substructure.