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SCHMIDT SUPPORTS MEDIA At 2004 Democratic National Convention Custom Mezzanine Boosts Capacity At The Democratic National Convention. In April of 2004, organizers for the Democratic National Convention at the Fleet Center in Boston realized they wouldn't have enough space for the 13,000+ news media who would be covering the event. They needed 100,000 square feet, but the land available adjacent to the Fleet Center only offered 50,000. Their solution was to erect a temporary structure in the parking lot with a second level, doubling the available square footage.
The structure, similar to a tent but with PVC sidewalls, was to be 50,000 square feet with 20 foot high ceilings, high enough to fit a second floor to accommodate all of the news personnel who would be onsite. In a competitive bidding process that weighed heavily on the ability to meet the tough project constraints, De Boers Vinings selected Schmidt Structural Products of Souderton, PA, to design and fabricate the second level. According to John Keller, Vining's president, "We chose Schmidt because of their track record of creative solutions; they seemed to have a custom shop mentality with large company capabilities, and so we felt that they could do a good job on pulling the job together". Vinings' principal mandate to Schmidt was to provide a design that could cut the usual four-week installation time in half. The challenge was to design the mezzanine with a minimum of bolts so that it could be installed and disassembled quickly. Working with engineers from France and with Gary K. Munkelt Associates, an engineering firm associated with Schmidt, the company created a design that met these needs. To streamline installation time, a trade-off was made in manufacturing: the innovative almost bolt-less construction required more than the usual amount of material and labor. But the bottom line benefits were quickly apparent. The nearly 50% savings in installation time and labor more than made up for the additional manufacturing cost, plus the delivered product became significantly more flexible for future disassembly and reassembly elsewhere. The additional challenge was that it had to be installed on a parking lot, which was not consistently level. To solve this, Schmidt created adjustable height columns that could be quickly adapted in the field to compensate for elevation differences. This feature also gave Vinings the flexibility to create different height mezzanines for future projects using the DNC structure. The $500,000 mezzanine project involved more than 350,000 lbs. of structural steel, fabricated entirely at Schmidt's facility in Souderton. In approximately two weeks' time, the temporary structure was erected and the 50,000 square foot, 10-foot high mezzanine was completely installed - perfectly level - by just eleven workers. The structure was then carpeted and fully air-conditioned by the third week and occupancy by the news media began. The final structure was an attractive two-story temporary building made of PVC plastic and aluminum. It was situated within the hard security perimeter of the convention area next to the FleetCenter where the convention was held. The structure measured 150 feet by 330 feet and had a constant internal height of 20 feet. It accommodated staff on the mezzanine surface and on the ground level below. It was air-conditioned, electrified, wired for communications throughout and offered ADA-compliant lift service to the mezzanine level. At the completion of the convention, the temporary structure and the mezzanine were both disassembled to be reused in full or in parts at major events in the United States and in Europe, including the 2005 Presidential Inauguration. With the unique Schmidt design, Vinings now has extreme flexibility to meet their future customer needs for custom two story structures in both size and height. In addition they can offer a quick and very cost effective installation that gives them a substantial competitive edge. DNC Case Study (PDF Version) To view PDF files, you must have Adobe® Acrobat™ Reader. Download here. |
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