Echelon Exhibition and Convention Center
Wojciech Jablkowski, Project Manager

 

On March 13th 2007, the aging Las Vegas Stardust Hotel-Casino was demolished creating space for the new Echelon Project. This 87 acre multi-use Luxury Complex is estimated to cost $4.8 billion when completed in 2010.

Guests will be able to visit 4 hotels with a total 5300 rooms, have the largest casino floor at 140,000 square feet, 25 restaurants and bars, with numbers of pool and garden areas, a 4000-seat production theatre for larger concerts and 1500-seat theatre for smaller shows. This 350,000 square feet retail complex will be developed with a variety of high end shops, night clubs, bars and covered parking for over 8000 cars.

In August 2007, Dowco was awarded from Hirschfeld Steel Company the contract to detail the 750,000 sq. ft. Exhibition and Convention Center part of the Echelon Project. This 22,250 ton Convention Center structure with 110 meeting rooms was divided into 3 Phases and 36 Erection Sequences consisting mainly of Built Up Plated Columns, BRB Wall Bracing system and approximately 110 Floor and Roof Trusses. The Project Design team were BLT (Architects) and Walter P. Moore (Structural Engineers).

The Roof Trusses consisted of 10 field bolted T270 High Roof Trusses spanning 270 ft. with a depth of 24 ft weighing approximately 100 Tons apiece…14 field bolted Lower Roof T180 Trusses spanning 180 ft with a depth of 17 ft. weighing approximately 130 Tons apiece. One of each of the T270 and T180 Trusses was required to be Shop Assembled before being broken down and shipped to the site. The Trusses were then assembled on site prior to being lifted into position.

The 90 remaining Roof and Floor Trusses consisting of T90, T67, T60, T55 & T52 were all shop welded together. Only the T90 Trusses were fabricated in 2 sections for shipping.

Dowco is right on schedule to complete the main structure of this project by the beginning of September 2008. To insure the tight schedule was met, all additional framing supporting the partitions has been done as a field installed.