Weber State University Dee Events Center - Odd-Shaped Buildings on Waymarking.com

On March 21, 1975, after nearly two years of delay and frustration occasioned by legal matters and funding problems, ground breaking ceremonies were conducted for the gigantic project. The fall and winter of the year saw massive earth moving and site grading o provide drainage and foundation preparations. This was followed by the pouring of concrete footings to support the mammoth structure. More than 12,000 cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of the building alone representing a weight of 24,300 tons or nearly 50 million pounds. Over 345 tons of steel and 1,750 tons of concrete were used. The concrete seating areas were constructed in a series of pours using portable forms which were rotated around the building.

An interesting feature of the construction was the use of a significant landmark on the mountain range east of the facility as a survey point of reference for the entire building.

Following the completion of the upper level of the seating area the building began to assume its final shape and the outer perimeter wall was capped by a giant compression ring which supports the roof. The dome of the Dee Events Center was designed and fabricated by the Koppers Firm using the Triax System of construction. The dome is 309 feet 4 inches in diameter, in its self 32-1/2 feet tall, but the apex of the roof is 101 feet above the playing floor. The dome has a surface area of nearly 83,000 square feet or approximately two acres.

The first wooden beams were lifted into place July 1, 1976. The beams alone represent a combined weight of 166 tons. The total weight of the dome including decking and roofing is slightly over one million pounds. The component parts of the roofing system, beams and supporting members were prefabricated before installation and were bolted into place on site without any need of correction. The entire roof weighs approximately 450 tons and suspended from it are scoreboards, sound and lighting systems which add another 150 tons of weight.

As part of this design the dome was structurally analyzed by a computer for 20 of the mist critical types of design loading including windstorm, earthquake, stress, weight, etc. Each member in joint was then designed to carry then maximum load that any of these conditions would create. The bottom member of dome is the steel tension or compression ring that absorbs all of the outward force so that only the weight of the dome is transmitted to the structure below. The tensile force in the ring beam is 450 tons. The final "keystone" section in the center of the dome was fitted into place on April 16, 1977.

Building Address: Weber State University Ogden, Utah USA 84408 Is it open to the general public?: yes When was it built? (Approximate if you must.): 03/21/1975 What is the name of this building?: Dee Events Center

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/22/2011 BFin visited it 07/04/2011 7ofclubs visited it 06/30/2011 Mom the Cook & cashnhubby visited it 03/26/2011 TinmanUT visited it 02/23/2011 The_Simpsons visited it 02/22/2011 Mooroid visited it

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