Bellevue Youth Theatre Replacement Project Uses Curved Precast Beams to Create Domed Roof Structure

SEATTLE - June 3, 2015 - PRLog -- BELLEVUE, Wash. (JUNE, 2015) – As part of the City of Bellevue’s new Bellevue Youth Theatre project, Oldcastle Precast- Spokane, Wash. was contracted to supply the curved precast beams, hollow core plank, and a precast center hub used to create the roof structure for the new theater in-the-round.

The Bellevue Youth Theatre Foundation outgrew their facility, located at the former  Ivanhoe Elementary School, and along with the City of Bellevue, supported the construction of a new 12,000-square-foot theater, near the existing Crossroads Community Center. The new theater will increase capacity for continued growth of one of Bellevue Parks & Community Services’ most successful programs.

The $8 million, precast concrete and cast-in-place theatre facility was designed by Becker Architects and constructed by Pease Construction, the general contractor. Pease Construction awarded the precast contract to Oldcastle Precast-Spokane. Oldcastle Precast manufactured and shipped two-hundred and four pieces of hollow core plank, the longest measuring, 8 inches by 4 foot by 15 foot-4 inches; twenty curved precast beams, the longest measuring 1 foot-2 inches by 4 foot by 57 foot-7 inches; and a circular precast center hub for the theater. The curved precast concrete beams are connected to the center precast hub to form the dome like structure. The precast hollow core planks fill in the spaces between the beams to complete the roof.

“The precast concrete elements were specified because it would have been difficult to cast them in place.”, stated Eric Holje, project manager for Oldcastle Precast. “This was a very unique project with complicated precast pieces that had to fit together precisely. The underside of the roof makes a strong architectural statement about our precast quality, sturdiness and flexibility .”

The Bellevue Youth Theatre facility, described by  Principal Robert George Becker as an “environmental sculpture”,  is integrated into the park with a green roof providing a natural insulator, resulting in significant energy savings while limiting the impact of stormwater runoff.  The facility is designed to meet LEED GOLD (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification standards.

The new theater in-the-round, run by the Bellevue Parks and Community Services Department, will seat 150 people. Support space will encircle the theater with a lobby, dressing room, storage, green room, rehearsal areas, an office, workshop, restrooms and sound/lighting booths. An outdoor stage will provide seating for at least 400 more patrons.

About Oldcastle Precast:
Oldcastle Precast is the clear choice for building products and services for North American Infrastructure projects. The company is a leading provider of engineered product solutions nationwide to a number of market sectors including:
Building Structures – Communications – Government/Military
Power & Energy - Security - Transportation – Water
Construction Services – Engineering Support – LEED/Green Consultin