Showcase Projects
Dynalectric Puts the Pieces Together for OSU Schottenstein Center

Solving a puzzle can be challenging. Assembling a puzzle with a lot of small pieces can be particularly difficult, especially when the puzzle is one you haven’t worked before. At the same time, when all of the pieces fall into place and the puzzle is complete, there is a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.

The Jerome M. Schottenstein Center at The Ohio State University was one such challenging puzzle: a $110 million project, with nine construction contractors coordinating efforts, over a two-year construction period. Dynalectric played a key role in helping put together all of the right pieces for the project.

Dynalectric earned the bid to install all of the electrical and systems for the 512,286 ft. complex. The specific systems included fire alarm, security, sound, automated lighting, site lighting, telephone, data, and conduit for the television system.

"The greatest challenge associated with a job of this scope is coordinating with all of the other contractors to make the pieces fit," said Mike Kvasnok, Dynalectric Project Executive. "From food service, to lighting, to the scoreboard, there are specific challenges within each area that must be addressed by all involved contractors. As contractors, we all have our own agendas and deadlines, but at the end of the day, we have to work together to get it all done."

The electrical portion of the arena contract started as $8 million and grew as the scope of the project changed. "There were changes made along the way that bumped up the numbers," remarked Kvasnok. Dynalectric’s initial contract did not include any of the work on the suite level. In the end, Dynalectric installed the extensive wiring system on that level, from closet lighting to closed-cable television.

"The Schottenstein Center was not the typical bell-curve job," explained Dynalectric general foreman, Jan Jaynes. The workload continued to increase as the project progressed. "We started out with a small crew doing underground work and ended up with 92 crew members on the job daily for the last leg of the project," he said.

According to Jaynes, two of the most complex components of the program were the scoreboard package and the catwalk. "Dynalectric installed all of the power and signal wiring for the scoreboard, which included large ad panels, message boards and animation panels," Jaynes said.

The catwalk posed a number of electrical installation challenges, particularly because of its location. "The catwalk was positioned almost 100 feet straight up in the air. That’s 100 feet away from our base of operations," he remarked. "The logistics of transporting the heavy materials up there were burden-some. With the elaborate lighting system, there was a lot of heavy switch gear and conduit lines to install." The greatest challenge, however, was keeping the crew members safe up on the catwalk. During the summer months the heat was excessive and there was little air movement. Noise levels were high and lighting levels were low. "Providing and maintaining an absolutely safe working environment for our electricians was a constant concern," Jaynes said.

Despite the challenges, Dynalectric completed the electrical portion of the contract on time and on budget, while maintaining the company’s impressive safety record. "From the beginning of the job, we were working against time," Jaynes noted. The university’s athletic department had events scheduled at the facility immediately following the proposed completion date. The work pace was set accordingly. "As with any other construction job, there are always going to be changes in design, unexpected weather conditions, and other issues that arise throughout the project. You just need to keep your eye on the end goal and remain flexible. Sometimes it requires an outside-the-box approach to complete the task," said Jaynes.

"When determining contractors for the Schottenstein Center, we conducted a responsibility-based analysis of the apparent low bidders," explained university architect, Jill Morelli. "We considered the contractor’s past job performance; the specific team that the contractor had assembled to work on the job; bonding capacity; and the contractor’s facilities for supporting the on-site work," she said. "Since this is a unique facility, we also considered the contractor’s experience in dealing with projects of comparable scale and scope," Morelli added.

For the Schottenstein Center project, none of the electrical contractors bidding the job had direct experience building arenas. "At Dynalectric, we did have a working relationship with the university. We had coordinated a number of projects for The Ohio State University – they were very familiar with our work and our capabilities," Jaynes explained. "The timing for the project was right for us, as well," he added. "The team that Dynalectric took to OSU had just completed a major project; they were ready to go. The timing allowed us to hit the ground running," he said. "And, as it turned out, we kept that pace for the duration of the project."

That pace set the tone for what proved to be an exciting and memorable opening season at the new center for OSU athletic teams. "We’re thrilled with the results," Morelli said. "The building has performed well.

Projects Facts
Schottenstein Arena: Down To The Wire
Project duration: 2 years
Amount of conduit laid: 60 miles
Amount of wire installed: 575 miles
Number of lights installed: 6,534
Number of Dynalectric employees/per day at peak: 92

Back to top