Bye-bye, hemp and sand: National Theatre in D.C.

[ptero]

"That’s right, come fall, the hemp system at The National — one of only a handful of such systems left in the U.S. — will be no more. The $1.5 million project is, truly, the end of an era."

http://www.bizjournals.com/washingt...-hemp-and-sand-national-theatre-prepares.html

Just a heads up - the link has plenty of ads.
btw, my theatre is still sandbags though the hemp is no longer hemp.

 

[JohnD]

btw, my theatre is still sandbags though the hemp is no longer hemp.

I shall take this opportunity to make the obligatory 'Smokin" wisecrack.

 

[SteveB]

Sounds like a counterweight system is going in.

Wonder why they didn't just bite the bullet and go with all motors.

 

[Footer]

Its only 1.5 million? Seems pretty cheap to go in from the ground up. We spent nearly that on just a re-rig.

 

[Amiers]

I think the hemp system was only 1.5m atleast that's how I read it.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I too thought the number was really low-ball for the installation of a complete counterweight system. I would think a fair bit of engineering, perhaps even major structural alteration, might be necessary for the building to safely handle a counterweight system.

I don't know what the grid is like in there, and I wonder how much work they are currently doing with chain hoists.

 

[venuetech]

Its only 1.5 million? Seems pretty cheap to go in from the ground up. We spent nearly that on just a re-rig.

so what do you get out of a million dollar re-rig? how many linesets?

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

WeLloyd, on a recent project, 39 motorized sets - mostly 200 pound 40 fpm - was just under $2m. That's around $50k per set. Counterweight runs $7k to 10k per set. Structural framing us always surprisingly inexpensive.

 

[Footer]

so what do you get out of a million dollar re-rig? how many linesets?

53 linesets installed, new motor/control/rigging for firewall, new detection onstage, all new soft goods, and added more steel on our grid doubling the loading capacity.

 

[venuetech]

added more steel on our grid doubling the loading capacity.

am guessing that was a big bite of the budget. but it will prove its worth long into the future.

 

[Footer]

am guessing that was a big bite of the budget. but it will prove its worth long into the future.

It was about a 100k from what I remember. The firewall and part of the project ate up more money then the grid steel. Only hard part about the grid steel was they had to hang a grid... below our grid. After that it was just two guys and a drill rig for about 2 weeks solid. All they did was run more I-beams SL/SR to pick up the channel iron more often. I now have a stupidly large point load capacity on the channel iron without cribbing.... 1/2 ton ANYWHERE. I have 4' pieces of 2" sch 80 that I run around... I can hang just about anything I want off of those anywhere. It is nice not to have to bridle to only the wells like we used to.... and I never have to bridal.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

The custom high load capacity motorized stuff can get really pricey, like for a framed fire safety curtain.

 

[RonHebbard]

The custom high load capacity motorized stuff can get really pricey, like for a framed fire safety curtain.

What about for a non-framed fire curtain, one descending on taught side cables in metal wells for instance?
Welcome back @BillConnerFASTC
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I'd ballpark a motorized unframed fire safety curtain - whole NFPA 80 system in new build - around $50k. Framed more like $150k.

 

[tdtastic]

"That’s right, come fall, the hemp system at The National — one of only a handful of such systems left in the U.S. — will be no more. The $1.5 million project is, truly, the end of an era."

http://www.bizjournals.com/washingt...-hemp-and-sand-national-theatre-prepares.html

Just a heads up - the link has plenty of ads.
btw, my theatre is still sandbags though the hemp is no longer hemp.

That's very cool