June 2011 – Completion of Custom Mainstage Tent Structure for Bard on the Beach
Culminating a year plus design and production effort, The SEC Group is pleased to announce the completion of the new custom mainstage fabric structure for Bard on the Beach, Canada's oldest non-profit Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver, BC.
Bard on the Beach requested design and manufacturing services for a new structure that is installed and removed at the beginning and end of every festival season to utilize as its main stage venue for the 2011 festival season and beyond. The structure needed to be not only larger than the previous structure to accommodate significantly more spectators, it also needed to be unique and customized to reflect the character and identity of the company. Many design features were requested and incorporated into the design to create the 'Bard Experience', meaning the creation of an environment specifically suited to the production of Shakespeare's works that provided a dynamic workspace for Bard's directors and actors.
The engineered fabric structure features six custom steel arches spanning 40m (131’) in width, 35m (111’) in length with a maximum arch height of 12m (38’) and are anchored at the site by screw piles, engineered and adapted with custom base plates to anchor the frame specifically for the building and the site conditions. Only two of the arches are the same shape, with the remaining arches each being of different height and width. The main arch is also engineered to accommodate the additional weight of extensive stage lighting. Four of the six arches are tilted 10 degrees away from center, with the end result reminiscent of the Sydney opera house architecture.
The structure’s covering is custom made from Ferrari 702 Chapiteaux Fabric. The custom-made red and white themed fabric reflects the character and branding of the festival. The inside of the fabric is a dark blue to facilitate production lighting requirements. Each fabric roof panel is kedered on both edges for connection to the frame, and each is a unique, sculptured shape to fit the custom size and positioning of the arches.
The design and manufacturing of this unique structure was truly an international effort and required considerable project management to bring the various components together on schedule. The SEC Group engaged the services of Baytex Manufacturing in New Zealand (our partners in the Baytex USA Tent Liner product line) for design and drafting services, as well as fabrication of the fabric panels. The Ferrari fabric was specially manufactured in France and transported to New Zealand for fabrication into roof panels and sidewall. Local fabricators were utilized for the manufacturing of the steel trusses and specialty parts needed to make the structure function as intended. Engineering firms in both New Zealand and Canada were utilized to determine that the structure could pass the local codes specific to the site.
The primary installation occurred over a period of nearly a week under mostly wet and muddy conditions. Arches were assembled on the ground and lifted into position for anchoring and connection of the supporting purlins. The unique shape of the fabric roof panels required non-traditional installation methods using kedered clip-on connectors for fabric attachment and tension straps to create the valleys between the arches. Several additional days were utilized to make on-site adaptations of the structure and detailing of the door openings and sidewalls.
It is expected that future installations of this structure will take no more than 5 days from beginning to end.
“We are extremely happy with the final results of the new tent. We were seeking a temporary structure that was not simply bigger than our previous tent, but one that could allow for an improved theatrical experience inside, while maintaining a sense of 'whimsy' on the outside. This new structure fits the bill wonderfully; it will become the new summer landmark of the Bard on the Beach site and has already developed the feel of a 'real theatre' on the inside,” says Managing Director, Rob Barr.
