Walter P Moore receives ACEC California top award for Populous/Oak View Group Project

News provided by

American Council of Engineering Companies, California

Feb 29, 2024, 08:00 ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, the American Council of Engineering Companies of California (ACEC California) announced that Walter P Moore has won the prestigious Golden State Award for their work on the Acrisure Arena Project located in Coachella Valley, California.

The engineering design for Coachella's newest entertainment hub, the Acrisure Arena, was created by Walter P Moore. Acrisure Arena emerged as a game-changer in the Coachella Valley, offering a versatile mid-size hockey arena and concert venue, thanks to the vision of developer Populous/Oak View Group. With 10,000 fixed seats and a capacity of up to 11,500, it quickly became a year-round focal point for entertainment, hosting sold-out hockey games and concerts.

One of the primary challenges Walter P Moore faced was addressing three distinct extreme loading scenarios: seismic forces, high winds, and substantial rigging loads. The venue's proximity to the powerful San Andreas Fault demanded a creative approach to earthquake resistance. Traditional methods would have required a wide seismic joint between Acrisure Arena and the smaller Berger Foundation Ice plex, compromising aesthetics and increasing costs. Instead, the structural engineer pioneered a novel method, utilizing shared foundations, columns, and beams to ensure both structures behaved compatibly during an earthquake.

The arena's design demanded meticulous analysis due to the combined forces of powerful earthquakes, 130 mph winds, and a substantial show rigging grid. Additionally, the entire building enclosure and roof had to withstand high wind pressures. Moreover, a 17-foot height difference between the two buildings presented additional complexity. To mitigate this, the engineer introduced Buckling Restrained Brace frames as horizontal struts, limiting force transfer between the structures during seismic events. As a result, not only were safety measures enhanced, but recovery costs were also reduced post-earthquake, a first in the field. Complex diaphragm forces and efficient in-plane diaphragm steel trusses were used to safely transfer the remaining loads.

Acrisure Arena's success heightened public awareness of the critical role engineering plays in ensuring safety near fault zones. News outlets, like KESQ, featured interviews with the structural engineer, reassuring the public about the arena's structural integrity. This enhanced the reputation of both the project and the engineering profession, emphasizing the importance of excellent engineering in creating safe structures.

Congratulations, Walter P Moore, for capturing ACEC California's 2024 Golden State Award!

Photographs of all Engineering Excellence Award-winning projects can be found at https://www.acec-ca.org/page/2024EEAWinners.

About Walter P Moore
Walter P Moore is an international company of engineers, innovators, and creative people who solve some of the world's most complex structural and infrastructure challenges. Providing structural, diagnostics, civil, traffic, parking, transportation, enclosure, and construction engineering services, they design solutions that are cost- and resource-efficient, forward-thinking, and help support and shape communities worldwide. Founded in 1931, Walter P Moore's 800+ professionals work across 24 U.S. offices and seven international locations. For more information, visit www.walterpmoore.com, or follow Walter P Moore on LinkedIn, X (Formerly Twitter), Facebook or Instagram.

About ACEC California
ACEC California is a 70 plus year-old, nonprofit association of private consulting engineering and land surveying firms. As a statewide organization, we are dedicated to enhancing the consulting engineering and land surveying professions, protecting the general public, and promoting use of the private sector in the growth and development of our state. Follow us on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | X (Formerly Twitter) | LinkedIn | YouTube