Little Caesars Arena Via Concourse

WHAT WE DID

Developing detailed erection and rigging plans for an 80-foot-tall atrium.

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

The new $862-million LEED Silver Certified Little Caesars Arena is home to the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons and is located in the heart of The District Detroit, a 50-block development with restaurants, bars, event destinations and places to live and work. The arena’s completion creates the densest concentration of four major professional sports teams in a downtown core.

The new arena includes an 80-foot tall atrium, the Via, offering year-round, street-style shopping and dining under a covered walkway. Located on the arena’s east and south sides, the over 60,000-square-foot concourse spans from the arena structure to adjacent buildings. Ruby provided structural engineering services to Detroit-based Ideal Contracting for the installation of the atrium’s roof, which includes 65 curved steel rafters that span from 40 to 115 feet long. Between the rafters, a translucent cushion system allows daylight into the atrium.

Ruby’s engineers developed detailed erection and rigging plans for the roof structure. The team determined crane positioning and boom and counterweight swings in order to ensure proper installation within the concourse’s unique shape. The carefully designed rigging plans were developed to achieve the final roof arch geometry. The result was an efficient and expert installation.