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Hirschfeld Steel helps make Opryland Hotel and Convention Center an engineering showpiece
The people at Hirschfeld Steel Co., Inc.,
rarely bat an eye at the sheer volume of
steel that will go into a project.
Once you’ve fabricated and shop-finished
15,000 tons of steel for a new football
stadium, or 16,000 tons for a new
manufacturing facility, or 12,000 tons for
a convention center, big projects become a
matter of routine.
So why did the mere 5,600 tons of steel the
San Angelo, Texas-headquartered firm fabricated
and finished for Gaylord Hotels new
Opryland Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, draw so
much attention?
PROJECT SUMMARY
- In-shop fabrication and coating of 5,600 tons of structural steel for a hotel and convention center
- Complex fabrication includes extensive cellular beam work
PRODUCTS IN USE
- Two-coat Sherwin-Williams system:
Recoatable Epoxy primer; DTM Acrylic topcoat
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It surely wasn’t because of the painting.
Specifications called for Sherwin-Williams as
a sole-source supplier of a system with which
Hirschfeld personnel were familiar.
Rather, this project stood out because of
the complexity of the steel pieces that were
going into it.
“Hirschfeld has some history with big hotel
projects, but this one was different
because of the large center
atria and the amount of freestanding
steel,” says Hirschfeld
Project Manager Shel Harrison.
“The geometry here is very complex
— the octagonal shape of
the atria, the tremendous clear
span underneath the roof, the
changing elevation on the roof
lines. This wasn’t typical beam
and column work.
“It may have not been a big
project in terms of the volume
of steel, but it was so complex
that we treated it like a big
project.”
And for the people of
Hirschfeld Steel, a company
that has grown roots into the
Texas landscape for more than
half a century, at least one element
of this project makes it a
matter of personal pride. A
clearly visible Texas Lone Star insignia is at
the peak of the roof.
“It’s just beautiful,” says Harrison. “I knew
we were going to be awful proud of this one.”
VISIBLE FROM ABOVE
Large center atria are a trademark of
Gaylord Hotels Opryland properties, which
exist in Nashville, Tenn., and Kissimee, Fla.
But the Texas facility, designed by the Hnedak
Bobo Group of Memphis, Tenn., and engineered
by Uzun & Case of Atlanta, will be
unique. The $330 million complex will offer
1,511 rooms and more than 400,000 square
feet of meeting and convention space upon
opening in April 2004. And the Lone Star
insignia, incorporated into a 72-foot-diameter
steel-pipe circle that is visible to passengers
on flights arriving at nearby Dallas-Fort
Worth airport, is just one of many design features
that set this facility apart.
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Touchup work
occurs on some of the
cellular beam work at
the Opryland Hotel
and Convention
Center. |
“We used a lot of pipes here, as opposed to
beams and columns” saysHarrison. “The atria are predominantly
tube and pipe structures.”
Harrison cites the octagonal
atria and roof structure which
peaks at 165 feet, the complexity
of joint “cans” in the steel
work, and the use of cellular
beams in the construction as
examples of fabrication innovation
unique to this property.
The atria uses cellular beams
provided by SMI, Inc., extensively,
according to Harrison.
“These are basically wideflange
beams cut apart in two
alternating semicircular patterns,
then welded back together
to create a deeper beam with
circular holes along the web
while reducing the original
mass,” Harrison says. “With
regard to layout of complex
geometry and difficult access for
stiffeners, this is one of the most
complex steel jobs we’ve ever
fabricated at Hirschfeld.”
EASY PAINTING
For a project that called for genuine fabricating
expertise, painting it proved comparatively
easy, and that’s the way Harrison likes
it. Outside of on-site touchup, the steel was
entirely finished in-shop at Hirschfeld’s San
Angelo and Abilene facilities in Texas. The
architect provided Hirschfeld Steel with a
sole-source specification for a Sherwin-
Williams system calling for a prime coat of
Recoatable Epoxy at 4-6 mils
dft and a topcoat of DTM Acrylic
at 2.5-4 mils dft. The steel for the convention
center, which generally would not be
exposed to public view, received a prime
coat only.
The facility rises from the
Texas plain. |
The single-source spec saved Hirschfeld
personnel some work comparing quotes and
gave them confidence that the coating process
would come off without a hitch.
“Our last three major projects have been
Sherwin-Williams projects,” says Harrison of
the coatings supplier, which will also provide
architectural coatings for the project when the
need arises. “Our shop is familiar with the
application procedures, and their personnel
have proven to be very valuable in terms of
technical knowledge and support.”
The project is consistent with a trend
toward complete shop finishing as compared
to extensive on-site painting.
“The general contractor can get the followon
trades on the steel sooner this way,” he says.
“Otherwise they’d have to wait for painters.
“The erectors were very proactive and forward-
thinking with regards to minimizing
damage to the finished steel. For example,
they used nylon slings instead of steel chokers
when they were moving it around. They had
an interest in keeping the touchup work to a
minimum too.”
Finished steel began arriving on-site in
May of 2002, and erection began immediately
thereafter. Today the erection is complete,
and construction is on pace for a planned
April 2004 opening of the facility. Harrison,
among hundreds of other Hirschfeld employees
who had a hand in the project, is looking
forward to seeing the final product.
“I get a great feeling when I take a look
at every project we’ve finished, but this one
is special.”
Harrison is surely one of many in the
Lone Star State who feel the same.
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