Award for Higher Education 2007
SANTA MONICA, Calif., December 4, 2007 FTR INTERNATIONAL INC. AWARDED THE 2007 PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR HIGHER EDUCATION - for the NEW MUSIC PERFORMING ARTS MADISON THEATER
FTR International Inc. is proud to announce our award for project of the year in the higher education category. The award was presented by California Construction Magazine, and Engineering News Records (ENR) publication.
This signature project in Santa Monica will be significant, not only the west side community, but also for the Greater Los Angeles and Southern California.
The project consists of a 550-seat, state-of-the-art Performance Theater with auxiliary functional spaces housed in a 70-foot stepped contemporary building. Deviating from conventional design standards, a multitude of exterior materials on the project including special woods, specialized concrete, smooth-coat colored plasters, and exposed steel were used to complete the 52,000 square foot structure including 2,025 square feet of rehearsal rooms, four dressing rooms, classroom and performance practice rooms, orchestra lift, two lighting bridges, and full-fly space with thirty-seven lines of counterweight rigging. Additionally, three hundred (300) parking spaces will complement the theater.
Due to the multi-tiered structure’s non-orthogonal and cutting-edge design, implementation of the various construction stages was a challenge. FTR was faced with the arduous task of converting the forward-thinking design plan into a structurally sound building which necessitated the implementation of numerous advanced construction techniques, notwithstanding the multiple design changes and modifications throughout the construction process. FTR was up to the challenge in completing this ambitious construction project.
One advancement in construction technology included the development and implementation of a 3-D Radius Track Installation System. This was used to construct the unorthodox shaped metal stud framing patterns of the reflector walls in the main theater hall. It is also being used to place the sheathing and wood paneling covering the specialized metal framing system. The time and expertise spent on this new technique guarantees state-of-the-art equipment, acoustic and lighting systems in the three-dimensional substructure theater. Another innovation in design and construction is the localized heating and cooling system attached via tubular support system to every seat which has its own air vent that can circulate either warm or cool air to each individual patron.
In addition to the design and technical complexities of the project, FTR was also faced with obstacles related to some unforeseen conditions. One included the fact that a major sewer line that served the Santa Monica area ran directly through the north side of the construction site. FTR then proceeded with the installation of major shoring around this line so construction could continue unabated.
This team was lead by FTR's Senior Project Manager, Mr. Sam Khedraki who has over thirty years of experience in construction and has accomplished highly technical and structurally challenging projects in the past. He referred the Madison Theater as his most ambitious project to date. While self-performing more than 50% of the construction work, Mr. Khedraki reinforced his management capabilities by employing a daily average of over 100 highly-skilled FTR-employed personnel to compensate for the anticipated delays. Mr. Khedraki’s performance has been almost super-human, handling not only FTR’s forces on site, but numerous personnel from subcontractors as well.
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