The architect for the River Raisin National Battlefield Education & Regional Visitor Center used EPS geofoam to create the tiered rows for seating in the lecture hall of the facility. The EPS blocks were provided precut and ready to install along with Universal Foam Product’s Leave-In-Place (LIP) Riser Form System. The riser forms consist of 16 gauge steel forms 4 inches taller than the EPS blocks that create the tiers with bent lips on the top and bottom to secure them in place. The top of the steel form has a 135 degree bend that attaches the steel to the concrete. It is secured in place using steel straps and spikes specially designed to work with the forms. At the bottom of the form is a 90 degree bend that allows the form to be locked in place using the spikes. This particular project has seven rows, each increasing in height by 12”.
The steel riser forms system, developed by Universal Foam Products, gives the contractor the ability to install concrete starting at the top tier and working down through consecutive tiers, finishing the installation in a single day. Using conventional forming systems every other tier would have to be installed on day one with subsequent tiers installed the next day, requiring a concrete pump truck for 2 days per theater instead of a single day.
The EPS geofoam and L-I-P Riser Form System have been used in theaters, lecture halls and places of worship for years speeding up the construction process, reducing costs and improving acoustics.
