Commissioned in 1949 by North Carolina State Fair manager J.S. These arches, approaching horizontal in plane, thus serve as the outer edges of the structure, which when viewed from above appears almost elliptical. The Dorton Arena was the first structure in the world to use a cable-supported roof. This is a prestressed system; that’s how deflections are controlled. walls, the roof would be held up by. This system attained its stiffness only from the tension in the cables and from its saddle shape. The structure is based on two parabolic concrete arches which lean over to the point that they are closer to being parallel to the ground than they are to being vertical. The roof is supported by a structure of suspension cables. It was originally known as the Livestock Judging Pavilion. The suspended roof eliminates any necessity for structural steel supports and presents no view obstructions from any seat. J. S. Dorton Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, 1952. bles, in turn, would stretch between. Dorton, the new building was intended to be a … The 14-foot wide arches reach a maximum height of 90 feet. We consider the statics of cable nets made of two, four, six and eight cables to build up an Now known as Dorton Arena, it was the first cable suspended roof and employed a hyperbolic paraboloid "saddle" system, in which the cables were arranged in a single-layer rectangular grid that was stretched between two concrete arches. Commissioned in 1949 by North Carolina State Fair manager J.S. © 2020, American Society of Civil Engineers, Access my purchased publications and downloads, Make a donation to support ASCE's activities. Odell and Associates of Charlotte designed the Coliseum in collaboration with the New York–based structural engineering firm Severud-Elstad-Krueger Associates, who also worked on the Dorton Arena. Dorton has 5,200 seats, including one lone seat that’s referred to as “the bachelor’s seat.” The exterior windows are the same as Ray Ban G14 lenses. The photo below shows the vast interior of Dorton Arena. The structure is based on two parabolic concrete arches which lean over to the point that they are closer to being parallel to the ground than they are to being vertical. Architect Matthew Nowicki (1910 - 1950) proposed a structure that included a pair of intersecting parabolic arches supported by slender columns around its perimeter with a network of wire cables that supported the saddle-shaped roof. The photo below shows the vast interior of Dorton Arena. Frei Otto, Tensile Structures, vol. Dorton Arena was built to serve agriculture, industry, commerce and the general welfare of North Carolina. Completed in 1952, The building is 300 feet in diameter, elliptic in shape, with a central concrete floor 221 feet long and 127 feet wide at the widest point of the ellipse. The large superdomes which followed-such as the Houston Astrodome in 1965 and the Georgia Dome in 1992-can trace their beginnings back to the Dorton Arena. The Dorton Arena was the first use of a cable-supported roof system in the world. Please note that some historical materials may contain offensive content. Architect: Matthew Nowicki, William Henley Deitrich Engineer: Fred N. Severud, Elstad, Krueger Credits: Album of Spatial Structures, Jim Knight, NC Department of Agricultre & Consumer Services The J. S. Dorton Arena was one of first cable roofs. Located on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair, the arena with a seating capacity of just over 6,500 opened in 1952. The concept for the arena, which was erect - ed in 1952 on the North Carolina State Fair Grounds, in Ra - leigh, was the brainchild of Matthew Nowicki, an architect who was born in Russia and received his training in Warsaw, Poland. It shows the old racetrack (with the mud hole in the middle that passed for a lake.) The structural engineering firm Severud-Elstad-Krueger Consulting Engineers, headed by Fred Severud, served as structural engineering consultant to the project. The Dorton Arena was the first structure in the world to use a cable-supported roof. The arena floor provides 25,000 square feet. The exterior walls are constructed of tinted, glare-reducing glass. Architecturally it is a unique venue unlike no other. And finish your day by taking in a special event at the world-famous J.S. This system attained its stiffness only from the tension in the cables and from its saddle shape. Department/Agency Agriculture & Consumer Services Project Title NC State Fair Dorton Arena Roof Repair / Replacement Design Services Design, C.A. Now known as Dorton Arena, it was the first cable suspended roof and employed a hyperbolic paraboloid "saddle" system, in which the cables were arranged in a single-layer rectangular grid that was stretched between two concrete arches. The final column-free area was 300 feet in diameter with 25,000 square feet of arena space. It was imitated in many similar designs, none comparable with the original in quality." After more than 200 years of time and circumstance, much of … Services / Inspection & Close-Out Prepare Construction Documents supporting the replacement of the roofing system, provide Construction Administration support, inspection and project close-out. The arches a… The arena was built to serve agriculture, industry, commerce, and the public as a year-round center for educational, inspirational, and recreational events. J. S. 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