 
Guest post and photos by Citizens for Integrity;
Drive by the shiny New Denny Sanford Premiere Events Center in the classy north side industrial neighborhood. But don’t stay too long. On some hot summer South Dakota day or corresponding super cold winter blast, it might become dangerous as the panels break their tiny screws. The blizzard winds might just catch the reverse flashed or lapped panels and send them flying. Not quite Dakota smart.
When someone looks at the EC from a distance (quite a distance) it has a decent look. The viewer can see what the architect was trying to accomplish. As the viewer gets closer, the look becomes strange. Something is not quite right. If the viewer gets a chance to get real close all kinds of problems arise (or bulge).
I drive past the EC almost every day in my work. Watching the process of snapping this building together like a big puzzle is interesting to me. I know, boring activity to most.
As the EC iron was being placed, the 400′ cranes were fascinating to watch as they danced under the planes taking off and landing on the nearby runway. Then as the contractors rushed to close up areas, the light gauge steel studs went in so interior sheetrock could get started. A fiberglass blanket could be seen going up between the metal studs. What I must have missed was any structural plywood before the polystyrene was applied. I found this surprising but oh well, I’m not involved and there must be a really strong cover going on.
What I didn’t understand from the very first pieces of siding, were the interesting bulges occurring as I saw the workers struggling with the installation. Maybe the possible lack of a strong backing allowed for the fight ahead. The foam insulation board might be there to provide a ‘cushion’ to help force the unbending siding on?
Why does this fascinate me? My family has been in the metalworking business for many decades. I grew up learning basics of how to make metal do things by incredible experts. When creating a sheetmetal enclosure out of any metal intended to be applied to a curved surface, it must be pre-rolled or formed to the shape it is intended to be. It is not possible to ‘field form’ 16 foot pre-formed straight channels. A wrinkling occurs on the horizontal edges and the bulging look to the vertical face. The vertical and horizontal edges must be pre-formed prior to paint being applied.
BTW, why weren’t the insert ends pre-formed with enough tolerance to allow them to fit into their corresponding sleeves? You should see the field worker modifications currently allowing water to flow into the wall cavity.
We might as well discuss the finish. It appears this is a relatively inexpensive cold-rolled galvanized steel they have used. I have purchased thousands of tons of 20 gauge rolled-rolled steel. It is a nice surface to paint but not very weather resistant. Each flat piece of steel actually has a minimum of 6 sides, I know this is hard to believe but there are. Now take the steel and form it into a shape ready to be attached. The forming process creates many more edges to be covered by paint. Each of these edges can only hold a certain amount of paint or virtually none depending on the application process. My calculations show there are likely at least 10 paintable edges with 8 paintable surfaces to each of these panels. A total of 18. Everywhere this metal has be run through a press brake, the coating has been opened or cracked, ready to start a rusting action.
Think of how our South Dakota galvanized grain bins dull and rust with age. Rust always starts on the damp or exposed edges.
Why are 18 surfaces this important? As the building ages, extreme weather is going to make the building panels move. It is already seen on the hot days we have had this summer. I have noticed a ‘popping’ look on the upper eastside as the morning sun beat on it. Nice touch. I wonder what would happen with all the heavy bass of Jason Aldean or Cher type concerts. Instead of swaying Pavilion balconies we can watch already stressed tiny screws blowing their tops.
BTW, have you ever been in a metal building and heard it pop in hot weather or ‘crack’ in bitter cold? You’d swear it was coming in on you. This is the natural expansion and contraction a designer must plan for.
Ok, back to the paint or silver coating. There is no horizontal expansion gap between the panels. Friction is a metal coatings worst friend. The panels will shrink and expand at differing rates. As constructed, this will wear the coating off and create a place for rust to begin. The building will begin to turn a dirty looking color in some interesting spots. Have you ever changed a baby’s diaper? We called the color this building will become “Baby Poo†brown. It will not be pleasant and with all the reverse flashing installed allowing water to enter the building walls, the building will begin to stink of smelly mold.
There is only one way to fix this building siding. The exterior siding must be completely removed. To retain the silver look, cover it with a preformed proper aluminized or stainless material. All the flashings must also be replaced. This building is a disaster and it is not even open. Who is going to pay? Or are we going to rely on those poor little self-tapping steel metal screws to work for 50 years?
I now know how we can have a quick $200 million events center for $100 million. Nice job Mr. Mayor! Is this how Mortenson is going to build us an indoor swimming pool?
Well written.
LJL sums it up nicely, a very well written piece. I own a metal shed, it is crazy loud from expansion and contraction. Hopefully enough sound proofing materials were used. It will be interesting to see how the designers, builders and MMM are going to fix this one….
Looks like another Pavilion on a larger scale, as I warned. The Pavilion, as originally proposed was supposed to cost taxpayers $19-21 million dollars. In the 16 years it has been in existence it has cost taxpayers over double that due to upkeep, continued maintance, and ‘fixing’ problems. For instance, the Cinedome roof is only 16 years old and has to be replaced. This is from metalroofing.com;
“You can expect a metal roof to last at least 2 to 3 times longer than a regular roof. In general terms, count on a metal roof lasting 40 to 60 years and beyond. To put it in context, the average life span of an asphalt roof is 12 to 20 years. ”
So why are we replacing it already? Piss-Poor construction. I’m glad this was caught before the project was completed. Makes you wonder what other shortcuts were taken? What is frustrating about the situation is the reason we hired a Construction Manager at Risk is so the consumer (taxpayers) are not responsible for ‘fixes’. I can tell you that if we have to foot the bill for this screw up, shit will hit the fan.
As for soundproofing materials, they will only hide the the creaks and cracks this building will forever have. It will not be a quiet building.
I have worked with metal buildings and have a commercial standing seam metal roof on my house I installed over 18 years ago.
Something done to the Pavilion’s Cinedome roof was done wrong. The underlayment base could have been installed wrong, the flashings could have been inadequate or installed improperly or how about the rubber dome was not sealed right?
Now we spending 6+ times more upfront for the Events Center upfront, are we taxpayers now expected to continue spending to repair it for the next 50 years.
Let’s see, the Pavilion is now approaching $50 million in cost over 16 years. The initial approximate promised and bonded cost was $15 million cost.
At this rate are we taxpayers expected to spend 3 times the initial cost or $360 million to perform upkeep during the next 16 – 50 years?
Thanks for the comments. I know the average person gets the root of the problem we have with this building. Let’s see if the City tries to tell us it is a style benefit to leave the building this way.
There are people who allowed this core structure, studs, skin, siding to happen who are looking for someone else to blame to save their behinds. This is bad on so many levels, all starting with the architects pen.
The ripple appearance is only part of the problem. It is the covering of a big problem being hidden underneath. In the construction trade there are some basic rules and maxims:
1. if the foundation isn’t perfect, the framers can fixit
2. if the framing isn’t perfect, the drywallers can fixit
3. if the drywall isn’t perfect, the mudders can fixit
4. if the mudders didn’t fixit, it up to the trimmers to fixit
5. if the doors don’t close, the trimmers screwed up
6. The homeowner may never notice until we are long gone
It is what it is. The best approach is to try and fix it with next years budget. The blame game could end up in court. Except, it can’t. The city of Sioux Falls is unconstitutional. They can’t sue the contractor because their civil procedures are not recognized by the courts. The case would be dismissed.
Now, the 180 mil EC will cost 300 mil and then some. Hopefully, it can be fixed and not condemned. Then add another 20 mil for a parking garage. It too will have structural problems so budget 40 mil.
I’m thinking Huether should go back to hawking plastic before the city goes bankrupt or somebody gets hurt from falling materials.
Matt and Bruce; IMO – third-world style “tin sheds” are simply not appropriate for use as human occupied or internally finished structures at any rate. Machine sheds – cattle sheds – sure, okay, doesn’t matter that they might leak a little. BTW the creaking/popping you hear is the sound of the fasteners ovaling out their holes (bending the metal) – and the metal sheets sliding against one another – rubbing out any sealant that might be between – creating leaks.
Standing seam – better, but even the new “concealed” fastener approach still will leak eventually. For ythe life of me I cannot understand the current fascination that there seems to be around the country to build with these materials in this style. It’s especially being used as cheap, quick roofing replacement. (Don’t have to remove underlying rotten old shingles – according to manufacturers.) I guess it’s “farmer nostalgia” or something. But who really wants to live in a cattle barn/machine shed?
F’n rednecks.
It seems like every time a new building is erected, they always have to have a section of it that is curved. I don’t know if they think that creates eye appeal or what. I’m pretty sure it would be less expensive to build a plain old fashioned square or rectangle.
rufusx, who are the rednecks in this process?
Again, this is most likely going to be up to the original contractor to either make it right or Mortenson can replace the metal panels and go after them. There’s a process and the only way the owner (ie City) would be on the hook would be if they approved the cheaper and crappier metal and signed off on it.
These contracts are as thick as the Brandon phone book, and no one sets foot on that site without one.
Popularity drives architectural decisions Bruce.
Another thing that architects consider in their design is the “cultural context” within which their design will reside. Wanna get a sample of the “cultural context” of the EC – first concert – sold out in minutes – COUNTRY MUSIC.
You don’t think the promoters and/or managers of the EC are understanding what sort of acts and events will be appealing (profitable) to the local populace? That stuff on the outside of that building is simply “upscale” barn siding.
So it is popular to do crappy architectural decisions, designs and work?
Glad we are not living in Lennox then, some of us actually respect correct architectural decisions, designs and work.
No rufus, it is not sold out. At least not to those who will actually be there. Sold out? Yes. To scalpers, looking for an easy buck to turn at the expense of taxpayers.
Sy, the reason we are pushing this problem to the forefront is to prevent the city from accepting then paying for crappy architectural decisions, designs and work.
Looking at some other Mortenson curving projects, it appears this finish may be a standard for them.
Metal grain bin — that is what I first thought when I saw the EC for the first time. Even worse, the 4 connected structures — hotel, arena, convention center, events center — all in a row like they are look cobbled together. Not pretty @ all. Maybe when the metal starts to rust, they can spray paint it brown.
Bruce – you ought to get out of town once in a while. There are entire towns in this state that are covered with exposed fastener metal. Commercial, residential, even a few schools and city halls are built out of the pole barn materials. (Which, BTW is ONLY allowed in Industrial zoning in Lennox.)
In fact Bruce, go far enough west or North and you will find people actually living in pole barns – as their houses – intentionally.
So yes – in SD in general – cheap crappy redneck architecture is popular.
rufusx, I now better understand your reference to redneck architecture.
This is a building where is was supposed to show how ‘sophisticated’ we are here in Sanford Falls. What this building now shows is how easily bamboozled our city staff and administration can be. Just wait for the July 22 whitewash report from the $5,000 Minneapolis consultant. The building problems will be made out to be ‘design enhancements’ instead of structural flaws.
Right now we are witnessing a failure of grand proportions which will probably cost us taxpayers millions of dollars to ‘fix’.
We citizens will start having grand memories of the old Arena.