Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Improvements

Overview

A major modernization of the 30-year-old Kravis Center included an expanded lobby for Dreyfoos Hall, a new outdoor urban plaza, reconfigured walkways, new covered drop-offs and valet parking garage, existing garage improvements. As part of the project’s design-build team, we provided structural design and performance-based fire engineering services.

Expansion Highlights

• The goal of the Dreyfoos Hall lobby expansion was to add space and amenities while preserving the original aesthetic of the building – an iconic landmark for the local community.
• The new design pushed the façade out 25 feet to add 6,000 square feet, expanding the lobby’s entry, restaurant and restroom spaces.
• The new curtain wall closely resembles the original, with a curved structural system of steel beams and perimeter columns. Inside, we cut the number of interior columns to only three to create a large open space.

Fire Resilience Highlights

• Performance-based fire engineering cut construction costs without compromising safety or structural integrity. We used sophisticated fire-dynamics modeling, coupled with thermal and structural analysis, to predict how the lobby’s 40-foot-tall columns would behave when exposed to realistic fire scenarios.
• We also evaluated other factors that affect how fires behave, such as the absence of substantial fuel near the structure and the shape and size of the space itself – a large open area doesn’t allow hot fire gases to accumulate quickly.
• Our analyses showed that the columns didn’t need fireproofing on their top halves. We collaborated with the local fire department and building authorities to prove the safety of our unconventional design and gained approval. The result? A 50% cost savings on fireproofing and better-looking exposed columns.