flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Back on track: Union Terminal renovation and restoration

Reconstruction Awards

Back on track: Union Terminal renovation and restoration

Painstaking care went into restoring Cincinnati’s train terminal/museum complex.


By John Caulfield, Senior Editor | November 15, 2019
Union Terminal exterior

The restoration of Union Terminal and the massive fountain at its entrance took 2½ years. The rotunda spans 180 feet. Eight mosaic and 22 painted murals were restored. Photo: Brad Feinknopf.

After Cincinnati’s Union Terminal was completed, in 1933, it was deemed one of America’s most important Art Deco buildings. And certainly one of the more imposing. The rotunda alone spans 180 feet, making it the world’s second-largest half-dome (after the Sydney Opera House). Since the late 1990s, the terminal has been home to the Cincinnati Museum Center, a complex of six organizations that include a children’s museum and one devoted to natural history and science.

But Union Terminal had fallen on hard times. Its extensive renovation took 2½ years and over 1.1 million manhours to complete. To understand the terminal’s existing conditions, the reconstruction team conducted a 3D point cloud scan that generated 4.3 billion data points.

The project focused on restoring the integrity of the terminal’s structure and providing new mechanical systems. More than 478,000 pounds of ductwork were installed. A cooling tower ties into 23 new air handlers and three new centrifugal chillers. Five boilers were replaced.

Also replaced were eight structural steel beams in the ceiling of the children’s museum that had endured decades of water damage. Each beam weighed eight tons and was 40 feet long and 36 inches in height.

 

Inside Union Terminal with American flagPhoto: ©Cincinnati Museum Center. 

 

The terminal’s restoration also entailed:

• Removing and reassembling a massive fountain at the front of the building so that a waterproofing membrane could be installed.

• Applying 5,200 lbs of SonaKrete, an acoustical finish, to the rotunda’s interior wall before it was repainted.

• Replacing, restoring, or thoroughly cleaning 1,060 doors and 1,270 windows, as well as eight mosaic murals and 22 painted murals in the rotunda and exhibit wing.

Brick and stone were removed from the terminal’s façade and replaced once a watertight barrier was installed. A critical component of the project was the detailed coordination of opening up small sections to ensure a temporary weatherproofed system was in place without exposing the interior work.

 

GOLD AWARD WINNER

BUILDING TEAM Turner Construction (submitting firm, GC) Cincinnati Museum Center (owner) GBBN Architects (design architect) THP Limited (SE) The Kleingers Group (CE) Arup (MEP) Heapy Engineering (engineering consultant) John G. Waite Associates Architects (historic preservation contractor) DETAILS 500,000 sf Total cost $172.7 million Construction time July 2016 to November 2018 Delivery method CM at risk

Related Stories

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 26, 2019

Sweetest sounds: Metropolitan Opera House

An early 20th-century opera house now hosts concerts from Disney Acapella to Weezer.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 25, 2019

The University of Chicago Harris School at the Keller Center

Project team goes all out for LEED Platinum and the Living Building Challenge.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 22, 2019

Let there be light: Union Station Great Hall

What’s the cure for a leaky skylight? Another skylight built above it, of course.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 21, 2019

Temporary quarters: Senate of Canada Building

Canada’s Senate gets an interim home in what was once the capital’s main train station.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 19, 2019

Springfield Technical Community College: Goodbye to 'the shuffle'

College unites student services under one roof.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 18, 2019

The Paint Factory: Not just a new coat of paint

An enlightened A/E firm is spurring redevelopment in an old industrial section of Little Rock.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 14, 2019

Museum at the Gateway Arch: Subterranean sensation

The project team used its creativity to overcome floods and other obstacles to construction.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 13, 2019

Zachry Engineering Education Complex: Rethinking engineering education

Texas A&M’s engineering school builds for future growth.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 12, 2019

Linode Headquarters: High-tech + historic

New headquarters mixes old and new to help this fast-growth company attract top talent.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 11, 2019

Woolworth Tower Residences: What a view!

The one-time tallest building in the world is now home to an exclusive residential clientele.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Giants 400

BD+C Awards Programs

Entry information and past winners for Building Design+Construction's two major awards programs: 40 Under 40 and Giants 400



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021