Keep 'em moving.

A 70,000-seat domed stadium adds a new dimension to america's Center[R] the versatile, state-of-the-art convention center completed last year in St. Louis. The complex combines 540,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space with a variety of special meeting rooms, suites, a lecture hall and a ballroom to attract a wide variety of conventions, exhibits, concerts, sports and special events.

Keeping large volumes of people moving at events that range from St. Louis RAMS football games to major trade shows requires a large number of doors, each equipped with the right hardware to perform specific safety, security and operational functions for its location and usage.

Overall, the complex covers four city blocks in downtown St. Louis. Cornerstone of the recent addition is the new 162,000 sq. ft. domed stadium/exhibit hall, which encompasses more than 1.7 million sq. ft. in the aggregate, including Club and Suite levels and service areas.

Following demolition of a Sheraton Hotel, Greyhound Bus Terminal and related utilities, construction began in June 1993. Original completion date was set for May 1996, but with the pressure to secure a NFL franchise and team, the schedule tightened considerably. When the St. Louis Rams became a reality, the target for finishing the job moved up to accommodate part of the Fall 1995 season. According to the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority project executive, D. Lynn Whitt, "It was quite a push considering the weather we had in 1993 and 1995, between rains, floods and heat waves."

While the new football team provided much of the impetus for the project, the stadium can accommodate many other functions as well. It can be divided in half by a floor-to-ceiling curtain for smaller functions. For large events, such as an auto show or home show, it expands the total exhibit space available. Retractable lighting and seating and other features add to its versatility.

With many uses possible for different areas of the stadium, doors used there include everything from single wood doors for skybox suites and pairs of stairwell doors to large banks of doors that lead from the outer concourses to the entry lobbies. Various styles of hardware help each door meet the needs of its specific role.

To accommodate the large outflow of people when a game is over, there are banks of doors typical to all stadiums. While these need to be locked when the facility is unused, they can't be so completely secured that they would prevent emergency egress. The first concern in a large public facility is for life safety, and the codes specify panic or fire exit hardware when a facility serves an occupant load of 100 or more. To meet this requirement, each door is equipped with a Von Duprin exit device. To allow emergency egress while maintaining security, one door in each bank is equipped with an alarmed exit device that delays exiting for 15 seconds to discourage misuse and allow security response. Door monitoring switches send information to a remote panel that indicates alarm status, allowing one individual to supervise many doors. Monitoring is combined with CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras, so unauthorized users can be viewed and a security response team dispatched when necessary. These are combined with the exit devices to provide external security while still allowing emergency egress.

Whitt explains, "When you shut the building down and there's nobody in there, you lock most of it up, but you still have to have emergency egress. That's why we have the 15-second delay." During trade shows and similar events, when the probability of theft is higher, additional security guards are provided around the clock. This is usually required by show management, Whitt points out, particularly for shows covering electronics, automobiles and other high-value items.

Stairwell and other required exit doors must be clearly marked and equipped with exit devices to permit a free path of egress in an emergency. Von Duprin Series 99 devices, in dark bronze finish with wood-trimmed touch pads are used here, where they contrast nicely with the light-colored doors.

Club and suite levels use aluminum-framed glass doors for a more open, inviting feeling. They are equipped with Von Duprin Series 33 devices to fit their narrow stiles, in the same bronze/wood grain finish as other stadium doors. LCN Style 5010 concealed overhead closers keep doors closed for privacy and control their operation.

Luxury suites feature more traditional wood doors with lever trim and door closers, while pairs of wood closet doors in the suites gain functionality, and longer life with Glynn-Johnson overhead holders and stops.

The reliable operation of door hardware such as locks, closers, and panic devices is critical to the safety and survival of the building occupants in an emergency. It is just as important to their convenience and enjoyment during normal operation. Choosing the proper combination of hardware for each opening is the key to meeting these goals.

The completed facility is being marketed and operated by the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission under a lease with the Authority. Architects and engineers were Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Inc., of St. Louis, MO, and HOK Sports, Kansas City, MO. M.A. Mortenson Co. of Minneapolis, MN, was the construction manager.