In sales engineering, there are two important things: intensive dialogue with clients and partners as well as good coordination on the construction site. Tim is a specialist in both aspects. Yet it wasn't always clear that he would end up in the formwork sector. His original plan was to work for a structural design company. When he stumbled across a job advertisement from PERI, he wanted to find out more and was immediately convinced during the interview. "The engineer I talked to sold me by saying, ‘you basically get the equivalence of five years of construction exposure in the first year at PERI because we get you involved.’ And that’s what happened. I got out in the field, and I could talk to clients and sales professionals from the start," says Tim.
As an Engineering Director in Sales, he's now responsible for formwork construction in the western region of the USA and established a name for himself. Every now and then, construction companies call him directly because they need a formwork specialist. His favourite project, the theatre of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, was such a case. "We had already successfully realized several projects with our client Morley Construction Company in the past. That's when they got to know us for our engineering expertise. As with every follow-up project, it was important for me to further develop and strengthen this relationship," he says.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the largest museum in the USA dedicated to the arts, sciences and artists of filmmaking.
Special projects require specific system solutions
The extraordinary theatre building was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, who is known for his innovative and visionary designs, in collaboration with the local architectural firm Gensler. It's part of the museum quarter in the heart of the Miracle Mile district in Los Angeles and houses a theatre for 1,000 guests. Built in 2017 and located just 8 kilometres from where Tim grew up, this theatre holds special significance for him. "It was nice to be back in my old neighbourhood more often which brought back childhood memories," Tim reminisces. What also makes the project special is its unusual spherical shape made of concrete and glass. With a diameter of around 46 metres and a weight of 11,000 tonnes – as much as around 10 small cars – the structure floats almost 4 metres above the ground. Only four concrete columns hold it in position.
"I'm involved in many challenging projects. But this unusual shape was another level. We have never had a building with these parameters before. So, in the beginning, most of my meetings started like this 'Tim, is this even buildable. And if it is, how on earth are we gonna do this?'" he explains. Sentences like these only encourage him even more to give his all for our clients and partners – especially with a complex structure like this. As the construction of the sphere only worked as a whole, sufficient supports were needed to carry the enormous weight of the sphere. Therefore, the entire range of PERI systems available in the USA was used for the construction of the theatre. "This also included solutions that our engineers in the western market had planned for the first time. For example, the VST heavy-duty towers, which can transfer large loads in a centre position. This system was a real help for the construction crew considering the heavy concrete masses," says Tim. The HD 200 heavy-duty props were also used for the first time. They have the advantage that they can be assembled without tools and can bear loads of up to 200 kN.
The spherical theatre with its elegant glass roof is supported by just four concrete columns – a structural challenge that was solved thanks to our formwork expertise and our systems.
Being a great partner for the client – no matter how big the challenges may be
But our client didn't just need the right systems. They also needed a consultant, a partner, who can help them understand what's the best way to construct this. To be that partner, Tim spent a lot of time with them on site. This ensured that he's always up to date and knew what needs to be done next. However, this intensive exchange with everyone involved in the challenging theatre project was special. Meetings with the client took place twice a week for six months. During this time, he not only spoke regularly with his engineering colleagues, who worked on the 2D models at full speed, but also with the national structural engineering team in Chicago, who ran the calculations. He was even in contact with his international colleagues from the PERI Headquarter in Germany, who carried out the analyses and applications for the VST heavy-duty tower. There were weekly meetings with the assembly team, the safety inspectors and logistics. "There were hardly any people involved that I didn't speak to. Even for me, that was something new," says Tim.
In addition to our formwork solutions, one thing was important for the realisation of the complex structure: a close partnership with our client.
The reason for the intensive dialogue was mainly due to one thing: the strict timing of the delivery times. "60 percent of our systems were prefabricated in our local warehouse and had to be transported to the construction site. But there was very little storage space, so trucks were coming and going every 30 minutes. It was like a dance," says Tim. He and the team relied on excellent negotiation and coordination skills to manage the delivery of the materials. As a result, we played a central role in the logistical planning and keeping to the overall schedule.
An additional major challenge was to ensure that the systems were not overloaded during construction. Around 250 heavy-duty columns and heavy-duty towers had to be precisely calculated and positioned in advance to keep the building in balance. For this purpose, a special sensor technology was integrated, which displayed the active load on each support. Once part of the sphere had been concreted, the equipment had to be removed in the correct order. "That was very important. If you dismantle the systems in the wrong order, you overload the other systems. That gave me a lot of sleepless nights. When I was on site twice a week, one of my first questions was: Is the load still balanced? Thanks to our calculations it always was," says Tim.
The completion of the theatre marked a milestone in the history of the film industry. Today, the architecturally sophisticated building not only promises a unique experience for visitors, but also helps to celebrate the development of film.
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