Feature Report

Olympic Oval Roof Structure

Design, Production,
Erection Highlights
Barry Lester, P.E.
Partner
Simpson Lester Goodrich Partnership -
Calgary, Alberta -

Herb Armitage, P.E.

Senior Advisor, Project Partnership
Con-Force Structures Limited
Calgary, Alberta

raditionally, the Olympic Games tual construction cost was $27.2 million
T have produced a number of exciting
structural designs and have left the host
(Canadian). The precast prestressed
concrete work (including post-tension-
city with a legacy of outstanding sports ing) amounted to $3 million (Canadian).
facilities. Often, this has resulted in The Oval, constructed as one of the
an equally monumental debt. The venues for the 1988 Winter Olympic
Speed Skating Oval (see Fig. 1) for Games, will serve during the Games as
the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, the site for speed skating and, after the
Alberta, is different. Games, as a multi-functional athletic
The Olympic Oval features a unique field house. These functions and a gen-
precast prestressed concrete, segmental eral description of the complete build-
arch roof structure which marries a ing have been described in a previously
world class structure to a very austere published paper.'
budget. The maximum building budget This article will describe the design,
for the entire facility was set at $30 mil- manufacture and erection of the precast
lion (Canadian funds in 1985). The ac- roof structure itself.

50
 The Olympic Oval, a $27 million speed skating facility made for
the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, was built using precast pre-
stressed concrete. This report describes the concept, design,
production and erection features of the roof structure.

Fig. 1. Panoramic view of Olympic Oval with Calgary skyline in background.

PCI JOURNALJNovember-December 1987 51

 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN parallel arch, barrel vault obviously
would not be appropriate for these cir-
An initial program for the building cular ends.
was prepared which defined the design Three families of solutions were re-
criteria from a functional viewpoint. The viewed at this stage:
essential aspects of the program affect- 1. A barrel vault center section with a
ing the structural design were the re- different framing system at each end.
quirements for high quality and reason- The end framing alternatives included
able cost. Funding for the project was cable suspended fabrics, steel trusses or
provided by the Government of Canada partial domes.
as part of their commitment to the 2. An intersecting arch system span-
Olympic Games and it was the desire of ning both the center section and the
the owners, the University of Calgary, to ends.
maximize the use of these finds by con- 3. A steel space frame system.
structing a facility with as multi-func- The steel space frame system utilizing
tional a purpose as possible. a proprietary, pre-engineered system
In addition, although the initial capi- was priced and found to be beyond the
tal cost was to be paid by the federal capabilities of the project's budget.
government, the maintenance and oper- The parallel and intersecting arch
ating costs of the facility would be the schemes were compared and the inter-
responsibility of the University of Cal- secting system was found to have sev-
gary. The structure, therefore, had to eraladvantages overthe barrel vault:
provide a long clear span; be economi- — A single spanning system could ac-
cal to construct; and be low mainte- commodate the entire building.
nance and have a long I ife. — The grid provides structural re-
The architects and structural engi- dundancy with alternate load paths to
neers, although independent firms, accommodate heavy point loads or snow
worked very closely together in devel- drifts.
oping the building design. The archi- --- The arch grid was stable during
tects, working from the owner's pro- erection without lateral bracing.
gram, defined a building "footprint" and - The arch grid is flexible and can
cross section which adhered as tightly to accommodate thermal and volume
the program as possible. In order to min- changes without any expansion joints.
imize both capital and operating costs, — Since the grid does not depend on
floor area and volume were reduced as the deck for stability, the deck could be
much as possible. detailed to "float" on the arches. This
The role of the structural engineers allows a variety of envelopes, including
was then to develop a roof structure with insulated fabrics, to be considered, in-
the best possible fit to the architectural dependent of the structure.
requirements and to use the shape of Preliminary alternative designs were
the building cross section to structural carried out for the intersecting arches
advantage. utilizing triangular steel trusses and
The cross section was easy to accom- trapezoidal concrete box segments.
modate. To provide maximum height While costs for the two alternatives were
over the playing surface yet low exterior similar, the concrete option was chosen
walls, in order to minimally impact ad- due to the simplicity of the node inter-
jacent buildings, a very low arch stnic- sections, the clean appearance of the
ture was chosen. structure, and the perceived logic of
The plan, however, was quite unusual using concrete for a structural system
having a long straight center section and which is predominantly in compression.
a semicircle at each end. The traditional, Indeed, the economy of the entire roof

52
 0.72 kn/sq m

Case 1 - Uniform Snow

1.80 kn/sq m
mm

Case 2 - Drifted Snow

1 kn/sq m
` 80

PLAN
Case 3 - Drifted Snow

E -1.00 kn/sq m
a -0.78_0.44
-0.11
0.44-0.78

N
0.33 knlsq m I 18.51m
YPIC L Case 4 -- Wind Uplift
SECTION B-B SECTION A-A

Fig. 2. Snow and wind loading.

structure was developed by using the crete arches; and for lateral movement
most logical structural materials for each of the foundations.
component; from the preformed steel Each of these load effects is discussed
deck, long established as the most eco- below:
nomical noncombustible decking mate- 1. Dead Loads: These included the
rial, to the short span open web steel self weight of the arches, equivalent to a
joists spanning between the arches, to uniform roof load of approximately 2.5
the concrete arches themselves. kPa (50 psf); steel framing, metal deck,
waterproofing membrane and inverted
roof system, a further 0.5 kPa (10 psf); an
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT allowance for miscellaneous loading
from lights, sound system, ductwork,
Loads and potential future hanging loads of 0.5
The structure was designed for dead kPa (10 psf).
loads; wind and snow loads; thermal ef- 2. Wind and Snow Loads (see Fig. 2):
fects; creep and shrinkage of the con- Since the shape of the cross section is

PC! JOURNAL/November-December 1987 53

 similar to that used for a curved roof, Load Factors
hangar type building, a preliminary es-
Because the arches are designed es-
timate of wind and snow loads was taken
sentially as slender beam-columns,
directly from the National Building
subject to potential buckling effects; and
Code of Canada commentary for this
type of building. Final Ioads were con-
because, in the event of an overload on
the roof, it was considered desirable to
firmed in a wind and snow study con-
ensure that the secondary framing
ducted by Morrison Hershfield Ltd.
would fail prior to the arches; a higher
using a 1:400 model and are shown in
load factor was applied to the design of
Fig. 2. Additional drift loads, caused by
the arches than was used in the design
filling of the valleys between the arches
were also included and these loads were
of the secondary steel framing.
applied in alternate bays resulting in Dead and live load factors of 1.25 and
maximum torsion on the arches. 1.5, respectively, were applied in the
3. Thermal Effects: When final de- design of the metal deck and steel joists
while the factors were increased to 1.25
sign first commenced there were two
and 2.5 for the arches. Under the effect
possible construction schedules, one
of uniform roof load this is equivalent to
requiring winter erection and one re-
an increase in load factor of approxi-
quiring summer erection. As a result,
mately 17 percent, a similar increase to
the structure was analyzed for temper-
that used historically in the design of
ature variations of plus 17°C or minus
slender beam-columns.
45° C (plus 31°F or minus 81°F) from
the erection temperature. Since temper-
ature gain produced an effect opposite Structural Analysis
to that of creep and shrinkage, it was ig- Preliminary arch designs during the
nored in the final analysis. conceptual development stage were car-
4. Creep and Shrinkage: Long term ried out manually. The initial arch depth
creep and shrinkage were modelled as a requirement was estimated from the
further temperature reduction of 74.5°C flexural moments due to snow drift load
(134°F). on one-half of the span. The arch width
5. Foundation Movements: As design was calculated from lateral buckling re-
was proceeding on the roof structure, quirements assuming the arch to be lat-
the foundation design was carried out erally supported only at the node inter-
based on a series of lateral load tests on sections.
large diameter concrete piles.' These The final analysis was carried out
load tests predicted a lateral movement using a STRESS program. Fourteen
of approximately 10 to 15 mm (0.39 to different loading conditions and twelve
0.59 in.) under working loads. The combinations were anal yzed. In addi-
structure was analyzed for outward lat- tion, a unit load analysis was run in
eral displacement of 20 mm (0.79 in.) at order to provide an easy reference for
all supports along the straight portions, determining the feasibility of adding
where the substructure provided a stiff future loads to the structure.
diaphragm to ensure that all movement Based on the results of the initial
would be similar, with reducing computer runs, cracked section prop-
amounts of 15 and 10 mm (0.59 and 0.39 erties were estimated for the arches in
in.) at the ends where the arch spans order to review the ultimate deflections
were shorter. In addition, an arbitrary and check for potential buckling. An
lateral displacement of 20 mm (0.79 in.) iterative P-delta analysis was used for
acting singly at the isolated pile caps at this pin-pose with three cycles of itera-
the ends of the building was input as a tion.
separate loading case. The preliminary design assumed that

54
the arches would be reinforced with rimeter roof beam was jointed at the
mild steel reinforcement. The final same locations as the substructure. The
analysis indicated that there was insuffi- roof layout and control joint locations
cient dead weight in the structure to are shown in Fig. 3.
overcome the moments created by large Because the arch forces do not always
snow drift loads and that flexural tension coincide in direction with the but-
was controlling the design of the arch tresses, lateral forces are placed on the
segments. Conceiltric post-tensioning of perimeter building columns. To assist
the arches was an effective method of the columns in resisting these forces,
increasing the compression in the sec- very stiff tension ties consisting of large
tion and providing tensile reinforce- hollow structural steel sections were
ment. cast inside half of the perimeter beams
At the conclusion of the computer and connected to the column/buttress
analysis, interaction diagrams for the heads with high strength threaded
arches were prepared taking into ac- Dywidag bars.
count the effects of slenderness and biax-
ial bending. Two sets of curves were
prepared; one set for the hollow arch it- ROOF COMPONENTS
self and one for the solid nodes. The
axial forces and moments due to the Typical Arch Segments
various combinations of load were plot- The typical arch segment is shown in
ted on these interaction curves to de- Fig.4.
termine the reinforcement required. The segments consist basically of a
trapezoidal thin walled box with 150
mm (5.9 in.) thick webs, a 170 mm (6.7
Thermal Effects and Volume in.) soffit and a 200 mm (7.9 in.) top
Changes flange. Concrete was specified as
Provision for expansion joints in large semi-lightweight with a 28-day com-
roof structures can be a problem since pressive strength of 40 MPa (5800 psi)
the magnitude of movements occurring and a dry unit weight of 1770 kg/m3
at these joints can lead to ongoing (2980 lb per cu yd). The typical segment
maintenance problems and potential length is approximately 24 m (79 ft) with
roof leaks. The intersecting arch grid a weight of about 48 tonnes (^3 tons).
does not require expansion joints since In order to maintain constant eleva-
the grid itself is capable of flexing to ac- tions for the steel joist seats on opposite
commodate volume change movements. sides of each arch, one side of the arch
The steel structure supported on the was cast higher than the other. Also,
arches was provided with a series of since the slope of the segments would
closely spaced control joints by provid- vary depending on their location in the
ing a guided joint at one end of each joist completed arch the offset had to be var-
to slip on top of the arches. The move- ied between those segments near the
ments occurring at each one of these end of the arch and those near the cen-
"slip" joints is small enough to be ac- terline of the building. Two basic sec-
commodated simply by deforming of the tions were used, each with a "left" and a
steel roof deck so that ajoint in the deck right."
and in the roofing membrane is not re- The final axial reinforcing ratio was
quired. one percent. This reinforcement was con-
To accommodate movements in the centrated close to the corners of the arch
substructure, control joints were placed segments in order to be effective for
all around the perimeter at two or three bending in both the vertical and hori-
bay spacing. The precast concrete pe- zontal directions. (Horizontal bending

PCI JOURNAL/November-December 1987 55

U, 198.5 m 1651 It I
43.75 m 6 BAYS at 18.5m 111 m 1364 ItI 43.75m
1144 ri I (144 ft(
CAST IN PLACE CONCRETE
BUTTRESSES
PRECAST CONCRETE PERIMETER
ROOF BEAMS

INTERSECTING PRECAST
CONCRETE ARCHES
Ci c..i

C.J. / - C.J.

:
-. . :: •.
HSS TIE IN PERIMETER
ROOF BEAM

INE(UN
C.J.

E E R

CA. p C.J. C.J. C.J.

---------------------------------------

Fig. 3. Roof plan of Olympic Oval showing principal structural components and major dimensions.
 —N 1320
LLJW

CIF-
M04

I DUCT EA SIDE
T8B c!w7-I6
10 M a 250 I.F. EA WEB - 6-IOM ° [760 MPa STRANDS

10 M a 250 STIRRUPS

ti5o WEBS 5-20M O.F. EA WEB

c./w 161 TIES a 250
tom a 500 HOOK
ENDS 100
1-IOM
a 3-IOM LF. EA WEB
ti

3-25M EA SIDE T & B

2-20M
BOO

Fig. 4. Typical arch segment.

occurs due to the tilting of the principal At each node, all of the forces in the
member axes due to the slope in the top arch segment (positive and negative
flange.) moments; shear; torsion; and axial com-
To resist very high torsions occurring pression) had to he transferred from one
in the arches due to snow drifts in alter- segment to the others. To accomplish
nate bays, closely spaced stirrups and a this, all of the axial reinforcement and
uniform distribution of longitudinal re- post-tensioning was fully developed by
inforcing were provided. Because this either mechanical couplers or by lap
longitudinal reinforcing was also used to splicing. Because the arches change di-
resist compressive forces, 6 mm (0.23 rection in the vertical plane at the
in.) ties were provided to prevent buck- nodes, the axial forces are not always
ling of these bars. normal to this joint and shear friction
The arches are concentrically post- played a large part in transferring the
tensioned with seven 16 mm (0.6 in.) di- axial forces and shear through the nodes.
ameter strands in ducts in each corner of To ensure good bond of the precast
the section. Since the maximum positive segments and the cast-in-place concrete,
and negative moments in the arches all of the surfaces of the precast element
were found to be almost equal, this were given a heavy sandblast to an am-
post-tensioning layout was the most ef- plitude of approximately 6 mm (0.24 in.).
fective. No bonding agent was used but all sur-
faces were thoroughly wetted prior to
Typical Nodes
placing the node concrete. The section
The arch intersections were referred was then cast solid using the same
to as "nodes." Typical interior and exte- semi-lightweight concrete as used for
rior nodes are shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the segments themselves.
respectively. Because the outside webs and soffits

PCI JOURNAUNovember-December 1987 57

Fig. 5, Interior node.

of the precast elements were extended addition, approximately half of the pe-
as far as possible leaving only a 150 mm rimeter beams enclose a steel tension tie
(5.9 in.) gap, a very minimal amount of connecting the perimeter columns.
formwork was required in the field for The beams span approximately 18.5 m
each node. (61 ft) and are a hollow box section. A 75
mm (3 in.) precast fascia panel and 50
mm (2 in.) of insulation were cast as a
Perimeter Roof Beams sandwich panel on the lower half of
The perimeter roof beams support a each beam.
portion of the roof, the exterior fascia The typical beam is shown in Fig. 7.
and, along the east side of the building, The beam is tilted 28 degrees from the
a sloped glazing structure over the ad- vertical on the building to match the
ministrative offices and VIP lounge. In slope of the cast-in-place buttresses.

58
 PRECAST *1 Th
ARCH SEGMENTS

BUTTRESS

CIP NODE INFILL

END DIAPHRAGM IN ARCH SEGMENT

LINE OF PORCELAIN ENAMEL

/ ROOF AND FACIA

I/f '
22.80
I / \\ .
..J

.:
:.•.

CIP BUTTRESS HEAD - -- /

1500 mm DIA. COLUMN

Fig. 6. Exterior node.

Since the beam is relatively shallow for The tension ties cast into the perim-
resisting flexural moments about the eter beams were required to be very stiff
weak axis the section was pretensioned in order to be effective in transferring
to resist a combination of vertical and loads between the equally stiff cast-in-
lateral moments. place perimeter columns [1500 mm (59

PCI JOURNAL/November-December 1987 59

 4 - IOM HOOK ENDS 200

IOM a 300 STIR.TYP.

16 - 127 d STRANDS
to 1662 MPa
PI • 128.6 kN /STRAND

16- 15M HOOK ENDS 250

II - IOM HOOK ENDS 200

HSS 203 x 304 IN TIE BEAMS ONLY

75 THICK FACE F NEL

Fig. 7. Typical precast concrete perimeter beam.

in.) in diameter]. To achieve this stiff- It was originally intended that the
ness, the tic consisted of a 300 x 200 mm bearings would be cast into the perim-
(12 x 8 in.) hollow structural section with eter buttress heads prior to erection of
a wall thickness of 12.7 mm (0.5 in.). the precast arches. Unfortunately, major
Additional stiffness for the ties at the delays in the manufacture of the bear-
extreme ends of the Oval, where the tie ings by the supplier resulted in a delay
forces are at a maximum, was achieved by of approximately six months in the de-
plating the 300 mm (12 in.) sides of the livery. Fortunately, it was possible to
HSS with 20 mm (0.79 in.) thick plates. modify the reinforcement of the exterior
nodes to allow the bearings to be in-
stalled after erection of the arch seg-
Bearings ments with no overall loss of time in the
The thrusts from the arches are trans- construction schedule.
ferred to the perimeter columns and
buttresses through very large disc
bearings. The typical bearing is shown MANUFACTURE
in Fig. 8. The production aspects of the arch
Maximum axial force in the bearing roof segments are given first followed by
was 8453 kN (1900 kips) [unfactored ] the perimeter beams.
while the maximum vertical shear force
was 775 kN (174 kips) and lateral shear
force was 1495 kN (336 kips). Shear Arch Roof Segments
forces occur due to slight variations in The structural design of the arch root
the thrust line of the arches depending beams using the trapezoidal shaped
on the loading condition on the roof. cross section provided a very pleasing
The bearings are also designed for a architectural appearance. This cross
rotation of two percent to allow for de- section also provided other advantages
flection of the arches. in the precast concrete production of the

60
 BEARING PAD

SHEAR
TlON PIN

ANC1-IOR PIN

Fig. 8, Bearing detail.

beams. It permitted easy beam strip- form which had 100 mm (3.9 in.) camber
ping, eliminated basic form setup, pro- built into it. This form was also
vided good "as cast" finish and per- equipped with external vibrators to pro-
mitted the cage, complete with plywood vide a dense smooth beam finish.
voids and end block-outs, to be preas- All beams had a 800 mm (31.5 in.)
sembled and lowered into the form. wide base but there were two basic
This procedure maximized repetition cross sections each with a cross-fall on
and economy by permitting all 84 pre- the top of the beam. The basic form was
cast concrete arch roof beams to be cast made to accommodate both cross sec-
in one basic form. Although the beams tions.
varied in length from 14.2 to 25.4 m For the most severe cross-fall, the
(46.6 to 83.3 ft), all were cast in one steel form side heights were 1800 and 2019

PCI JOURNAUNovember-December 1987 61

 psi) concrete and with adequate chamfer
on the box voids, the beams were
poured from the top in a one-pour se-
quence using both internal and external
vibrators.
Girders were stripped and yarded
with four 15 tonne (16.5 ton) overhead
cranes. Low bed trucks with 12 wheel
self-steering trailers were used to trans-
port the beams to the site.

Perimeter Bars
Perimeter beams were produced in
two stages. In the first stage the 75 mm
(3 in.) architectural exterior cladding
was cast complete with 50 mm (2 in.)
S.M. styrofoam insulation backing and
protruding anchors. These 1530 x 3750
mm (60 x 141 in.) panels were then po-
sitioned vertically in a steel form so that
Fig. 9. Single steel form for arch segments. the structural portion of the beam could
be poured to produce a composite
sandwich structural perimeter beam
with architectural finish. The structural
mm (71 and 79 in.). To produce girders portion of the beam was also loafed out
with the smaller cross section, a 89 mm using plywood voids within the rein-
(3.5 in.) side rail was unbolted from the forcing cage and cast using standard
high side to produce a form with 1800 weight concrete.
and 1930 mm (71 and 76 in.) sides. Bulkhead variation was used to pro-
Because weight was critical to the
duce the various beam lengths 114.7 to
substructure design, semi-light-
16.9 m (48.2 to 55.4 ft)] required to ac-
weight concrete was used. The beams commodate the non-typical units at the
were also voided using 4350 mm (171
ends of the building. Of the 28 perim-
in.) long plywood boxes. These boxes
eter beams, 16 required large structural
were chamfered on all sides and formed
steel tubes complete with end connec-
a part of the cage. This preassembled tion hardware which were cast within
reinforcing cage also included the four the beams. These were used as tension
post-tensioning ducts, protruding end ties and ran through the loafed out
reinforcing bars and inserts, and the end structural perimeter beams for their full
block form. length. The inside face of the beams
This end block-out form accommo- contained electrical conduits for inte-
dated the variation in girder lengths and rior lights and were trowelled smooth.
ensured a proper 150 mm (5.9 in.) gap
between girders at each node. It also ac-
curately positioned the 20 and 25 mm PEER REVIEW
(0.79 and 1 in.) main reinforcing bars
forming a very rigid cage assembly Due to the magnitude of the building
which could be lowered into the form, and the unusual nature of the design,
positioned and poured. By using super- the structural consultants engaged other
plasticizer additive in the 40 MPa (5800 independent structural engineers to

62
Fig. 10. Perimeter roof beams showing steel tension ties.

Fig. 11. Typical arch segment being loaded for shipment.

PCI JOURNAL/November-December 1987 63

Fig, 12. Arch segments erected on interior scaffolding and exterior steel truss
supports.

carry out a review of the design.

The peer review was carried out at
two stages: first, at the completion of
conceptual design and finally, at the
completion of the design and drawings.
The concept review was considered
valuable in ensuring that no judgmental
errors might have been made which
might result in potential increases in
costs arising during the final design.
The check at the completion of the
final design was carried out by running a
completely independent computer
analysis of the structure. The software
used for this purpose was a space frame
analysis program written by the review-
ers.
Not only was the structure found to be
safe, but the peer review actually saved
the owner a substantial amount of
money. Working from nearly complete
architectural and structural drawings, Fig. 13. Arch erection near completion
the peer review team was able to ana- showing temporary precast head frames
lyze the structure without making as on top of scaffolding towers.

64
Fig. 14. Aerial view at completion of structural framing showing nodes at various
stages of casting.

Fig. 15. Close up of typical interior node prior to placing reinforcing steel and
post-tensioning ducts.

PCI JOURNALJNovember-December 1987 65

Fig. 16. Stressing of post-tensioning inside Fig. 17. Interior of Oval after removal of
exterior nodes. shoring.

many assumptions as are often required The temporary scaffolding to support

during the normal design process. the segments was designed and con-
The final building configuration, di- structed by the general contractor. Two
mensions, loadings, etc. were all well basic types of temporary support were
defined prior to this final analysis and required: 31 towers under the interior
the result was that the longitudinal arch nodes, and 26 exterior steel frames to
reinforcing was reduced from approxi- support the arches at the perimeter col-
mately 2 to 1 percent, a minor reduction umns.
in design terms, but a saving of $120,000 Each of the interior towers was re-
when applied to all 84 arch segments. quired to support a load of approxi-
The authors strongly support this pro- mately 1350 kN (300 kips). Maximum
cess on any major project. tower height was approximately 22 m
(72 ft). The towers consisted of modified
standard sectional scaffolding 2 m wide
ERECTION AND x 4 m long (6.5 x 13.1 R). Each tower was
SCAFFOLDING supported on four temporary timber
piles approximately 6 m (20 ft) long
Various phases of the production, topped by a cast-in-place pile cap. A
shipment and erection of the precast screw jack was located under each tower
components are shown in Figs. 9 leg.
through 18. The towers were guyed in the long
The precast components were trans- direction of the building. No guying was
ported to the site by truck and erected, required across the oval since the towers
using two cranes, by the precast were stabilized as erection proceeded
supplier. by welding of the arch components.

66
Fig. 18, End view of Oval with steel joists in place.

The contractor achieved extremely SHORING REMOVAL

accurate elevation control by precasting
temporary head frames for the top of After all components had been
each tower. These head frames con- erected and the interior nodes had been
tained temporary steel bearing plates to cast, the post-tensioning strands were
receive the arch segments. Inverted placed and stressed. Stressing was car-
steel angles were temporarily bolted to ried out from both ends.
the underside of each arch segment at The bearings were then set in place in
the precast plant to provide a "knife the buttress heads and the exterior
edge" bearing on the head frames. nodes cast.
The arch components were supported The structure was now ready for re-
around the perimeter of the oval on moval of the temporary supports, a sig-
custom steel trusses. Each truss sup- nificant event for the designers and
ports a load of approximately 50 tonnes contractor.
(55 tons). To complicate matters, the The first step was the removal of the
load had to he supported under the end temporary steel angles supporting the
diaphragm in the arch segments which segments on the perimeter steel trusses.
occurred approximately 3 m (10 ft) away This was accomplished by simply burn-
from the center of the perimeter column. ing out the angles to allow the weight of
To allow for temperature changes, the arches to be carried by the shear pin
shrinkage, and elastic shortening of the in the center of the hearings. Removal of
arches due to post-tensioning, the pe- the perimeter supports first would allow
rimeter trusses supported a sliding the arches to rotate as the interior tow-
hearing seat inclined at an angle parallel ers were removed.
to the centerline of the arch segment, Although a screw jack was provided in

PCI JOURNALINovember- December 1987 67

Fig. 19. Interior view of finished structure showing complete arch span.

Fig. 20. Public skating after formal opening.

68
each leg of the interior towers, it was have been noticeable by their absence.
anticipated that friction on the thread The intersecting precast concrete
would be too great to allow this to be segmental arch system used for the
turned. Accordingly, a small bracket was Olympic Oval allows the precast pre-
welded to the side of each leg and a stressed concrete industry to compete in
small hydraulic jack was used to lift the the long span building market without
load off the screw while it was turned. any new, expensive plant or erection
In order to prevent overstressing of technology. The system is economical
the structure during lowering, each architecturally exciting; and, with the
tower was dropped incrementally only advent of high strength concretes, capa-
10 mm (0.39 in.) at a time. As the pre- ble of almost any span.
dicted dead load deflection was be- The Olympic Oval was a winning
tween 40 and 50 mm (1.6 and 2.0 in.) it project in the 1987 PCI Professional De-
was anticipated that Four to five incre- sign Awards Program.
ments would be required at each tower.
This required the contractor to move
back and forth from one tower to another CREDITS
as he gradually moved from one end of
the building to the other. The actual de- Owner: The University of Calgary, Cal-
flection at the first tower to he com- gary, Alberta, Canada.
pletely unloaded was approximately 43 Architect: Graham• McCourt, Calgary,
mm (1.7 in.). Alberta.
While this operation seems rather Structural Engineer: Simpson Lester
primitive, the lowering operation easily Goodrich Partnership, Calgary, Al-
kept ahead of the crews dismantling the berta.
towers and, in fact, the towers were Engineering Review:
completely removed at the north end Dr. Walter Dilger, University of Cal-
prior to completion of jacking at the gary.
south end. Dr. Gamil Tadros, Speco Engineer-
ing, Calgary.
General Contractor: W. A. Stephenson
CONCLUDING REMARKS Construction (Western) Ltd., Calgary,
AIberta.
Construction began in March 1985
Precast Concrete Manufacturer and
and the roof structure was effectively
Post-Tensioning: Con-Force Struc-
completed by June 1986. Finishing
tures Ltd., Calgary, Alberta,
trades and interior work continued until
April 1987.
The end result is indeed a most beau- REFERENCES
tiful and functional structure (see Figs.
19 and 20). Lester, W. B., "Olympic Oval — Beauty
Historically most long span buildings on a Budget," Concrete International, V.
9, No. 8, August 1987, pp. 10-18.
have been constructed of light materials, Clark, Jack; McKeown, Shawn; Lester,
usually steel. Recently, tension struc- W. Barry; Eibner, Len, "The Lateral Load
tures and fabrics have received a sub- Capacity of Large Diameter Concrete
stantial amount of both positive and Piles," Proceedings 38th Canadian Geo-
negative publicity. Except for a rela- technical Conference, Canadian Geo-
tively small number of domes and technical Society, Montreal, Canada,
shells, concrete long span structures 1985, pp. 409-418.

PCI JOURNAL'November-December 1987 69