Sunbelt supplies scaffold for historic renovation

On the scenic campus of the historic Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC sits the Byrnes Auditorium. Built in 1939 and named after former SC governor and U.S. Secretary of State, James F. Byrnes, the auditorium hosts concerts, and special events, and has welcomed some of the world’s finest musicians and choir groups.

Sunbelt utilized 20 truckloads of scaffold on the site during the project, with the scaffolding in the main auditorium measuring 125 feet long by 110 feet wide by 65 feet high. (Photo: Sunbelt Rentals)

The architecture is typical of the Depression era and to maintain the integrity of the building, Winthrop University hired contractors to repair the roof in 2018. An accidental construction fire took place during the renovation, causing damage that was contained to the roof; however, a large amount of ash, debris, fire extinguisher dust and smoke entered the auditorium.

In the aftermath of the fire, the adjusters from the university’s insurance company contacted Sunbelt Rentals to discuss a scaffolding solution that would provide safe access to clean every inch of the auditorium, including the attic.

“Originally, we were brought in as a restoration project that was intended to be completed relatively quickly,” said Mike Webber, branch manager at Sunbelt Rental Scaffold Services in Charlotte, NC. “But it turned out to be a more complex project due to the age and design of the building and lasted until 2024. Still, we needed to be sure we kept that history rich.”

Gilbane Building Company, a global builder and real estate developer, was brought into the project as the main contractor.

Shane Dixon, senior project manager at Gilbane Building Company, said, “Sunbelt Rentals is a well-known entity, and we’ve worked with the company on other projects in the past. We had an established relationship, and they performed what we asked them to do and did it safely. In our experience, Sunbelt Rentals is proactive and part of the solution.”

Sunbelt served as the scaffold builder for the auditorium’s renovation, (Photo: Sunbelt Rentals)

Together, Gilbane Building Company and Sunbelt Rentals put that partnership to work to assess the project, evaluate its inherent challenges and put a solution in place to complete the job.

On-site obstacles and challenges

Along with the age and design of the auditorium, the sheer size of the building added to the complexity of implementing scaffolding. The building has a seating capacity for over 3,000 people with many of the original seats still in place. Height was another factor, with the auditorium measuring 65 feet tall from floor to ceiling with multiple levels and hard-to-reach areas. The attic is supported by plaster ceiling and there are bell curves outwards toward the walls.

There were also strict stipulations surrounding the auditorium’s Æolian-Skinner organ, a piece valued at $1.8 million, that needed to be protected throughout the project.

“We knew we had to be very cautious with our work, figuring out where we placed the legs for the scaffold bars so we wouldn’t impact or interfere with the seats or the organ,” Webber said. “Plus, with a ceiling that is sloped, it created a challenge of how we could set up scaffolding within 6 feet of the ceiling for the cleaners to touch every surface.”

Sunbelt Rentals was contacted by Winthrop University to discuss a scaffolding solution that would provide safe access to clean every inch of the university’s auditorium. (Photo: Sunbelt Rentals)

Not surprising, access was the main challenge due to these cumulative factors of size and design and the preservation of the auditorium’s assets.

“From our perspective, our goals were to be able to facilitate the project from an access standpoint. Sunbelt Rentals set plans in motion to create a pathway to get workers to the areas that they needed be,” said Dixon. “That required them coming up with some creative access solutions.”

Victor Flores, foreman for Sunbelt Rentals Scaffolding Services out of Charlotte, NC, was up for the challenge.

“We measured inch by inch, figuring how the scaffolding was going to be erected.” he said. “When we started getting further up, we realized we needed to touch the ceiling, every inch of it. Pretty much every section that we were doing was figuring it out in the moment, even after we had a blueprint.”

Dixon added, “This is a multilevel auditorium. We had a lot of tricky areas to get to. Inside the attic created its own set of issues. So, we needed solutions for access to areas that are inaccessible by modern construction standards.”

Because of these challenges and the five-year length of the project, constant adaptation, strong communication and solid teamwork were required throughout.

Safety and scaffold solutions

Sunbelt Rentals was able to serve as a single-source rental provider for the equipment needed on the Byrnes Auditorium project, which helped streamline the process. However, there was more to the project than simply having the right equipment onsite. Ensuring safety for all crew members was the number one priority.

(Photo: Sunbelt Rentals)

According to Flores, morning safety meetings were a must. “We always had our safety meeting where we were talking about how we were doing the project and how we were going to be tackling each day while keeping safety in mind.”

“We had helmets in place and the crews had to wear them at all times instead of hard hats,” added Webber. “In terms of tie off, we made sure our guys were following 100% fall protection procedures and working safely, always communicating with each other.”

Sunbelt Rentals served as the scaffold builder, so all builds, moves and dismantle of the scaffold was their responsibility and the company took safety into account throughout the actual design.

“We built a scaffold deck below the ceiling that also served as a safety component for when the contractors were doing work in the attic,” Webber explained. “It reduced the exposure for injury because if someone were to have fallen through the outlet, it would have been a direct fall, 65 feet to the ground.”

Dixon appreciated safety considerations like this and the inclusion of a multi-level dance floor in the auditorium.

“It was pretty incredible the way they built the safety platform and were able to leverage that for using that as an access point,” he said. “From a safety standpoint, Sunbelt Rentals standards align very well with Gilbane. Even as we worked through different changes in scope to the process, we were able to work through that as a team, safely. We talked about sending everybody home in better condition than when they came to work.”

Due to the complexity of the project, it took a month for Sunbelt Rentals to set up all the scaffolding for the auditorium. The attic alone took two weeks and builders moved specific scaffolding once a week for contractors to work on the HVAC ducts. In total, Webber estimated they had 20 truckloads of scaffold on the site during the project, with the scaffolding in the main auditorium measuring 125 feet long by 110 feet wide by 65 feet high.

The scaffolding design met its intended use and allowed Gilbane and other contractors access to clean ducts and hard surfaces, and work on the electrical components in the in the building.

“Sunbelt Rentals brought a unique perspective to the project, and it was well thought through as far as how to execute the access scope inside the auditorium, as well as the crawl space and then other scope items like the exterior scaffold they set up,” said Dixon. “We had the mobile level dance floor inside the auditorium to facilitate access to what would have been inaccessible otherwise.”

Sunbelt utilized 20 truckloads of scaffold on the site during the project, with the scaffolding in the main auditorium measuring 125 feet long by 110 feet wide by 65 feet high. (Photo: Sunbelt Rentals)

In addition to scaffolding, Sunbelt Rentals utilized a crane to lift materials to the roof or maneuvering material into the attic and set up temporary fence panels around the perimeter of the project. Having Sunbelt Rentals take care of all the necessary equipment and provide their expertise was much appreciated by Dixon.

“From our standpoint, being able to have a single point of contact for the items that we need is super helpful,” he said. “What Sunbelt Rentals brings as far as value is that comprehensive approach. They understand what we’re trying to accomplish and are part of the solution, whether it be from the engineering side or the execution side. They’re our first call when we have a need that comes up.”

“We appreciate the partnership with Gilbane, and with the scale of this project, we were able to work together safely and effectively throughout the entire process,” said Webber.

Looking back

Despite the complexity and length of the auditorium project, everyone involved has positive takeaways from it. The magnitude of the project and the camaraderie impacted Flores, in particular.

“The proudest moment for me was when we already had the deck laid out and I saw how immense the scaffolding was. Taking up this big of project and see it come through is something I will remember,” he said. “Plus, the time I spent with the crew. We worked as a team every day and basically, we become more of a family.”

Dixon agreed. “I think this project is a great example of a labor of love,” he said. “When I think back on this job in 10 to 15 years, I think there will be a lot of pride at being able to restore something that means so much to the school and to this community.