A cantilevered MILOS QuickTruss® structure proved to be the ideal solution for New York based event production company SIA Acoustics and Madison Square Music, a popular summer concert series held in New York City’s famous Madison Square Park.
In summers past, the Park’s event production team had depended on a heavily ballasted structure to cover the musical acts, which has entailed dragging thousands of pounds of sandbags to and from the park every week to set up the roof for each show. This year, they set out to find a structure that would streamline the set-up and tear-down as well as offering complete structural integrity and aesthetic appeal in equal measures.
SIA Acoustics designed the cantilevered QuickTruss® structure using only two towers to suspend the roof canopy and technical systems above the stage. Instead of ballast, concrete footings poured beneath the walkway were fitted with threaded rods and QuickTruss connectors. Completely concealed when not in use, the anchors could be uncovered only when needed, the towers dropped onto the MILOS connectors, and the roof then placed on top.
The structure also complements the spirit and feel of the park in many ways. The Madison Square Park Conservancy strives for a peaceful musical experience for its listeners, rather than a big rock concert production. A typical giant outdoor stage and roof would have been completely inappropriate for the historic location which is known for its focus on music and the arts.
Also, the simple design allows quick assembly by an expedient crew utilizing basic parts and very few tools, therefore minimizing impact during set up and break-down. Despite having never worked with MILOS QuickTruss before, the SIA crew erected the structure rapidly right from the very first performance.
“We felt strongly that the structure had to preserve the natural and outdoor vibe of the concert series,” said Steve Sockey of SIA Acoustics. “But also it needed to be extremely tough and reliable, easy to assemble, compact when broken down, and of course …. cost-effective. From a design standpoint – it was absolutely perfect.”
Engineering was a challenge! It had to support four 600 pound line arrays and withstand wind gusts of up to 60 MPH – with no ballasting or guy wires, and only two towers instead of the traditional four, so the choice of QuickTruss was critical.
McLaren Engineering of West Nyack, NY handled the engineering and appreciated the concrete anchor solution. “The two towers pretty much disappeared into the background,” said Jeremy Billig, McLaren’s project manager. “It almost looked like the stage roof was floating.” The creative ballasting was also enough for McLaren to rate the roof – canopy and all – to 60 MPH. In winds above 60, the canopy must be removed, but the roof is permitted to remain standing.
Built from MILOS heavy duty M390L and medium duty M290V box truss sections, the majority of the structure is constructed from standard stock elements which helped satisfied the project’s functional and budgetary requirements. “Only two simple plates and a couple of special corner junctions were required to complete the vision,” explains Jeff Broitman, president of MILOS America. “This project was a great combination of design, engineering, and craftsmanship to satisfy each and every need.”
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