Staples Center Roof Erection

Staples Center, completed in 1999, is the home of the LA Lakers, Clippers, and Kings. Bickerton Iron Works was the rigging contractor selected to assemble, erect, and rig the roof structure. Liftech was retained by Bickerton as the structural engineer.

The 435-foot-diameter roof of the arena is supported in the middle by a 64 ft wide x 45 ft deep cigar-shaped truss called the Supertruss. At every Supertruss bay, secondary trusses span from the Supertruss to the arena walls. The Supertruss was assembled more than 100 feet in the air in five sections using shoring towers. Once each Supertruss section was lifted onto its shoring towers, the secondary trusses were put into place, then the roofing and mechanical systems were installed. This method allowed all disciplines to work simultaneously. When the entire roof assembly was erected, the jacks on the Supertruss shoring towers were lowered until the Supertruss carried the weight of the roof. The Supertruss passed the test of carrying 80 tons of staging, in addition to the roof, for the Grammy Awards.

Reference:
Bickerton Iron Works
Torrance, California, USA