Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts counts on FiberTite® roofing membranes for performance, great looks.

Project Details:

Installation Dates: October 2006
Total Square Feet: 180,000 square feet
Product: 45-mil fully adhered FiberTite Fleece Back
Owner: Miami Dade County
Specifier: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Authorized FiberTite Contractor: DeckTight Roofing Services

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Adorning Miami’s historic Biscayne Boulevard, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts is as captivating on the outside as the performances presented within its doors. Occupying more than a half million square feet, Adrienne Arsht Center is one of the largest performing arts halls worldwide and was possibly one of the most highly
anticipated

The Challenge

Twenty years after the original dream was conceived, Adrienne Arsht Center opened its doors to the public in October of 2006. This architectural gem bears the fingerprints of the design masters, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, headquartered in New Haven, CT and renowned worldwide not only for their contribution of magnificent museums, hotels, libraries, and office buildings around the globe, but also for their obsession with perfection.

A Pelli Clarke Pelli design is uniquely complex and the architects use only the highest quality resources available in the regions where they work. The Adrienne Arsht Center building project exemplifies their style. The facilities designed to showcase the talent of singers, dancers, actors, orchestras, opera stars and comedians coming from throughout the world include a 2,400-seat ballet opera house, a 2,200-seat concert hall, a 3,500 square feet arts education center and an intimate café.

An integral feature of Adrienne Arsht Center’s design physique, the roof was intended to do far more than keep the performers dry. Composed of many decks, some with steep sloped pitches, the roof is visible from the street.

“We see the roof as the fifth façade of these buildings,” commented Randolph Volenec, Architect with Pelli Clarke Pelli and Senior Project Manager for the Adrienne Arsht Center project. “Appearance was so important to us that we had a custom color formulated so that the roofing membrane would be precisely consistent with the natural granite colored stone of the building.

The Solution

Good looks were important and performance was critical. Based on previous success using the product, the firm specified FiberTite. Custom color matching, a track record for longevity in extreme weather, and the capacity to be tailored to handle all kinds of uncommon roofing details were among the reasons behind their choice. Meeting the firm’s design requirements was an arduous undertaking. DeckTight Roofing Services of Ft. Lauderdale, FL was the contractor that installed the 45-mil fully adhered FiberTite Fleece Back system. Richard Spreen, DeckTight’s President, commented on the experience.

“This was a very challenging job. Probably the most complex we’ve completed to date. The membrane had to be attached to two different kinds of substrates, structural concrete as well as lightweight concrete. There are intense wall and roof lighting systems. A special drainage system needed to be constructed of huge open concrete grates to catch the volumes of water that run off the building.”

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The product also had to meet a set of stringent building approvals set by Miami Dade County, the owner of Adrienne Arsht Center. Included in these approvals was a requirement for superior wind uplift resistance.

After all, Miami is right down hurricane alley. Giving FiberTite the ultimate test, Wilma and Katrina – among the fiercest Atlantic hurricanes on record – blazed trails right through the construction site. Despite the general destruction in the Miami area caused by these storms, all 180,000 square feet of FiberTite remained intact.