A first for the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas
What made this a first? Well it is the first time Alamo used a non–theater structure to meet their needs. It was a ground up renovation utilizing only the perimeter wall of the existing grocery store structure that meet both owner requirements and budget. In the past Alamo remodeled theaters to meet their unique business needs. How did we do it? Good Question; We worked directly with the architect as a design-build team for this project. This enabled us to save the owner construction costs by utilizing this less expensive method of construction. Our biggest challenge was to build what the owner wanted while keeping the job within budget. iON Constructors worked hand-in-hand with the owner and architect throughout the design and budgeting phases to achieve this goal, WE DID.
At an approximate contract cost of $2.7 million, the project encompasses 25,000-sf and, in addition, a 4,500-sf mezzanine to house the projection equipment. The building started out as a grocery store shell with only a 16-foot-clear height. The height requirement for a movie theater is more than 16 feet. Therefore, we had to build up. The project started off as a demolition job. iON Constructors demolished the entire interior and removed the roof structure while keeping the perimeter walls standing. Inside the perimeter, iON Constructors poured piers that supported the Ceco Pre-engineered Metal Building framework. The building is now 36 feet high. This height allows all the clearance needed for the projection criteria and screen height. By keeping the building’s original envelop intact we were able to permit the job as a renovation project. In addition to this fact, we were able to recycle all of the existing steel structure as well as all of the exterior block walls. We also reused the storefront system and the flooring in the lobby area.
Other challenges we faced included coordinating the pre-engineered building design and the fabricated red iron elements. The detailer for the steel production had to communicate with Ceco Building Systems through iON Constructors. The most impressive challenge we faced was the timeline; We had to have the doors open for Austin's Premier SXSW event. From demolition to doors open it took 7 months meeting all the projects criteria for success.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas Website: www.drafthouse.com
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