 |
Structal: Completion of the retractable roof at the new Marlins stadium
Structal-Heavy Steel Construction's (Structal) participation in the construction of the retractable roof at the new Miami Marlins Ballpark has come to a end. Proud of a job well done, the Structal team left the jobsite in late July, leaving behind satisfied customers and business partners.
An engineering marvel
The retractable roof, which is composed of three main sections, encloses some 8,000 tons of steel components. The longest trusses extend 560 ft. (171 m) in length by 45 ft. (14 m) deep. The biggest challenge of all lay in enabling the massive roof sections to maneuver in perfect sync at a speed of 39 ft. (11.8 m) per minute in order to open and close in less than 15 minutes.
IInstallation of the first truss section in July 2010 | | 
Once they reached approximately 100 ft. (30 m) in length,
the partially-assembled trusses were erected on one
side of the structure until the remaining sections could
be bolted into place. |
| |
Pursuit of LEED® certification
From the moment that the new Miami Ballpark was designed, Marlins executives, in concert with architects and the general contractor, were intent on obtaining LEED® "Silver" certification. As a result, many green building practices and techniques were applied during the course of construction, with particular attention being paid to the motorized retractable roof system, which is energy efficient despite the 76 electric motors that engage the opening and closing mechanism.
|
Structal-Heavy Steel Construction fabricated six 560 ft. x 47 ft. (171 m x 14 m) trusses for the middle section of the new Miami Ballpark's retractable roof. | | 
The trusses for the eastern and western sections of t
he new Miami Ballpark's retractable roof measure 541 ft.
long by 43 ft. deep (165 m x 13.4 m). |
| | |
A historic moment
On March 25, 2011, the final steel beam, which weighed approximately 3.5 tons and measured just over 38 ft. (11 m) in length, was hoisted to the top of the steel structure as part of a topping-out ceremony. The historic beam had been signed by Marlins executives, City of Miami and Miami-Dade County officials, as well as by over 800 steel workers who had worked on the project. In keeping with tradition, an evergreen was mounted on one end of the last beam and the American flag was flown from the other.
This tradition, which dates back over 1,000 years, originated in Scandinavia. Today, it symbolizes the successful execution of steel erection activities without any serious accidents on the jobsite. | | 
Topping-out ceremony at the new Marlins stadium on
March 25, 2011. The last steel beam was approximately
38 ft. long (11.6 m) and weighed 6,845 lb. (3,105 kg).
|
|
Excellent collaboration between project partners
A number of Canam Group business units took part in this major project. Structal provided engineering, fabrication, erection and project management services while InteliBuild produced the drawings and 3D models.
A portion of the fabrication of steel components was completed by the FabSouth business unit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the remainder was undertaken by the Canam Group plants in Saint-Gédéon-de-Beauce, Quebec, and Point of Rocks, Maryland.
The new ballpark is slated to open in April 2012. | | 
Aerial photo of the Miami Ballpark taken on June 24, 2011.
The new ballpark is slated to open in April 2012. |
| |