Door Hardware At United Center Combines Safety With Style

Chicago
Exit devices at Chicago's new United Center stand ready to provide a safe way out in an emergency, while blending with the building's impressive style. Other door hardware components team up to protect visitors to the facility, the building, and the doors themselves.

Opened in August, 1994, the impressive 960,000 square foot arena hosted over 2-1/2 million visitors in its first ten months, for everything from Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks games to major concerts, ice shows and other entertainment events. The United Center expects to host over 175 sports and entertainment events annually, including approximately 100 Bulls/Blackhawks games as well as the 1996 Democratic Convention and the 1998 NCAA tournament.

Planned with Visitors in Mind
Unlike typical sports and multiple-use facilities, where impressive marble, granite and glass exteriors often give way to plain concrete interior floors, the United Center features upgrades that make it much more enjoyable and livable for visitors. A particular source of pride are the Center's record 216 suites, but the entire facility exudes quality. James K. Koehler, Director of Building Operations, says, "Everything was planned to make this a first-class multiple sports facility. Visitors spend three or four hours in here, not on the outside. Floors on all concourses are either terrazzo or carpeting. This was the first building that was 100 percent in compliance with ADA."

Heavy Usage Demands Durability
Arenas such as this present special door hardware problems beyond most other public buildings. Attendance is always heavy. Hordes of people descend in a relatively short time and leave even more quickly, leading to tight congestion and surging crowds. Enthusiasm runs high, with the energy level ranging from strong to boisterous. Then suddenly everything is quiet, except for light traffic from service and maintenance crews and maybe a team in for practice. Specifying, installing and maintaining door hardware that must resist the onslaught of thousands of sports fans or entertainment event attendees while also accommodating special individual needs, protecting life safety, and maintaining security is a terrific challenge.

Chicago's new 960,000 square foot United Center hosted over two million visitors in its first season of sports, concerts and other events. Von Duprin 99 Series exit devices provide a safe way out for the crowds in an emergency.

To provide the quality and durability needed for this type of service, leading architect HOK Sports Facilities Group called for Von Duprin 99 Series pushpad exit devices on many of the Center's 1850 doors, to blend well with the building's modern lines while providing a safe way out in an emergency. Vertical rod devices are used in most locations, while devices with mortise locks and electric latch retraction are used in controlled locations such as the entry to the suite/concierge area. Project architect Randy Dvorak says, "We specified Von Duprin devices for their durability under the demanding service we expected."

Von Duprin closers are widely used to control the closing cycle on a broad variety of doors. While most are conventional 4010 surface-mounted closers, some concealed units are also used. Specific doors that are susceptible to heavier usage are also equipped with Glynn-Johnson GJ90MA overhead stops, to minimize chances of closer and door wear or damage.

Maintaining door security is relatively simple. When no events are scheduled, all doors are locked and alarmed except for an employee entrance and the main entrance, which are staffed around the clock by security guards. Doors are unlocked simultaneously one-and-one-half hours before an event, with contract security people at each location to control entry.

Concierge area houses a record 216 luxury suites, with access controlled from outside through metal and glass doors at left and from arena lobby through wood doors at right. Both pairs of doors are equipped with Von Duprin 99 Series exit devices for safe exiting in an emergency.

Designed by Leading Architects
The United Center is one of many prestigious sports facilities designed by Kansas City-based HOK Sports Facilities Group, a part of the Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum worldwide network. With a staff of over 150 architects, planners and support personnel dedicated solely to sports architecture, HOK Sport has dominated stadium design in the U.S. and internationally at every sport level and has designed or planned more than 250 sports projects.