RBCD Rewind: March Madness

The First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is coming to Albany this weekend!

The Capital City will be bustling with sports fans, an exciting time for the region.

Ryan Biggs Clark Davis provided structural engineering services for The Times Union Center, Albany’s premiere event venue. The venue has since been renamed to MVP Arena and starting this Friday, it will host teams from the Midwest and West tournament brackets.

The arena was renovated and upgraded with a $20 million construction budget and included enclosing the concourse level of the atrium thus creating an enclosed and conditioned space to create a greater visitor experience. The extent of the modifications triggered upgrading the structure to current code requirements for wind and seismic. Our scope included structural design support for the enclosing main and rear entrances; upgrading the mechanical system to address the expanded conditioned space; removing the existing escalators and installing new escalators; removing existing stairs; new infill floor areas at the existing escalators and stairs; new floor area at the mezzanine level at the west side of the atrium to house media functions; installing a new glass elevator and water feature in the atrium space; new signs and curtain wall features on the east façade; and new stairs and a roof at main entrance. A vertical addition was also constructed west of the area creating a semi-private lobby area.  The capacity of the arena is 17,500, and the facility serves as host to numerous sporting, music, and community events. Welcome to the Capital Region, Basketball Fans!

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