Ready To Rumble

Marking the first use of precast hybrid moment resistant frame (PHMRF) technology in a sports facility, Mid-State Precast L.P. has landed a City of Ontario

Marking the first use of precast hybrid moment resistant frame (PHMRF) technology in a sports facility, Mid-State Precast L.P. has landed a City of Ontario (Calif.) contract to supply structural precast components and erection services for the Citizens Business Bank Arena. The 11,000-seat, $130 million development will be a major league-ready venue for Inland Empire and Greater Los Angeles communities hosting basketball and ice hockey, as well as concerts, community and family events. The new arena will be owned by the city and operated by AEG.

Corcoran, Calif.-based Mid-State Precast will produce 1,122 column, beam, raker, stadia and wall members for the 225,000-sq.-ft. structure. The project will house 9,500 fixed seats supplemented by ÎportableÌ risers to accommodate capacities of 11,089 for concerts; 9,736 for ice hockey; and, 10,831 for basketball. Additional amenities will include 36 luxury suites located on two levels, concession and merchandise stands, plus a VIP club. Completion in fall of 2008 is anticipated.

The structural precast system’s hybrid moment-resistant frame is designed to withstand the forces of significant seismic activity, preventing collapse during catastrophic events by concentrating post-elastic performance in connections rather than structural components. Representing a paradigm shift from design requiring structures to absorb seismic energy through inelastic response of the framing members, PHMRF relies upon the connections of its precast columns and beams, utilizing both standard reinforcing steel and high-strength post-tensioning steel cables.

First applied in the 1995 erection of a Long Island, N.Y., concrete parking facility by Mid-State Precast’s Pasadena, Calif.-based parent company Charles Pankow Builders Ltd., the Hybrid Moment frame increasingly has been specified for high seismic zone construction. Notable applications involving Pankow or Mid-State include the 12-story, 1 million-plus-sq.-ft. Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District headquarters facility (1999); San Francisco’s 39-story 680 Mission Apartments (2000); and, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services office building and parking structure (2004).