Birdair Inc. was recently involved in delivering the pyramid structure on top of a skyscraper building. The ETFE film pyramid is a striking addition to the city landmark and was achieved by overcoming the challenging construction conditions and the demand to accelerate the project.

Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, the Legacy Union is a newly completed office building with a height of 200 meters (632feet), making it the 4th tallest building in Charlotte. Initially contacted to provide value engineering for the ETFE solution, Birdair Inc. was eventually contracted for the design build scope of the ETFE film, clamping. Reinforcement cables and structural steel. Birdair worked with the leading steel fabricator Steelfab (Charlotte) for the steel fabrication and installation process.

Located in the heart of the city, the project proved to be a major challenge in finding a laydown space for the construction preparations which was required to pre-assemble and hoist the steel onto the building.

The hoisting of the steel to the top of a high-rise building was a challenge in itself, which was overcome by coordination and utilization of the two tower cranes provided by the general contractors of this project, a joint venture company between Gilbane and Shelco. The challenge did not end after the construction elements reached the rooftop level. The pyramid sat on top of a mechanical penthouse, which was the last obstacle. Birdair worked to develop a three-tier scaffolding system for accesses.

As the project progressed, changes in the overall schedule required Birdair to accelerate their portion of the project schedule to meet with the demands of the client. Birdair succeeded in delivering the project 4 weeks earlier than the altered accelerated schedule and 8 weeks earlier than originally envisioned

The construction took place during January and February, which was a concern for dealing with ETFE film, but the team was blessed with mild weather throughout.

With the efforts of our team and cooperation of our subcontractors, Birdair succeeded in delivering a notable piece of architecture on the Charlotte skyline.

Project Name: Legacy Union “The Pyramid”
Architect: LS3P
Engineer: WSP
GC: Gilbane/Shelco JV
Material Type: AGC 250 micron ETFE – 637 White