Universal Studios Florida is a state-of-the-art working motion picture and television production studio and an entertainment themed attraction with many restaurants and shops. The entire project was built on four hundred and forty-four acres of land in Orlando Florida and cost over six hundred and fifty million dollars. It is the largest facility of its kind outside of Hollywood. FORREC construction Orlando incorporated an affiliate of FORREC design international joined forces with Keenan Hopkins Schmidt Stowell and others to construct the themed period facades that recreate the architecture of Hollywood and of New York in the 1930s 40s and 50s for the motion picture backlot. The Hollywood Boulevard sets include such popular attractions as the Crest Building, Pantages Theatre, Schwab's Pharmacy, The Beverly Wilshire Hotel, The Brown Derby Hat Shop, and 20 more. While the New York's sets portray Pennsylvania Station, Macy's department store, the famous Sting alley and a host of others.
The facade work that you see is the result of years of planning by Universal Studios Florida. Its architects, engineers, and art designers. A facade is the exterior finish and wall system of the building's face. The building may be a working structure with occupied spaces such as a shop, restaurant, or theater or it may be a simple narrow structure with only the facade as its main purpose. Here you see the forced perspective illusion of depth created for the New York library cut out. The construction of FORREC facade package begins on a concrete curve with structural steel prepared by the prime or general contractor. Then light gauge metal framing begins starting with a bottom track layout mechanically fastened to the curve. It is critical that this layout is correct to accommodate to detailed framing and the design requirements to follow. The tall flat portions of the facade are framed first. Long studs are placed vertically from the bottom track to the structural steel above, and is supported in an engineered approved system to provide a framework for the facade. Once the framing is complete the half-inch gypsum sheathing is applied. Covering all of the light gauge metal less window and door openings. Wood blocking is installed for the ornamentation, signs, awnings, and other fixtures that will be applied after the facades are completed. The foam installation is the final step to giving the facades the desired shapes and appearance. The Dryvit and U.S. brick system are the highlight of the facade work. Dryvit is an exterior insulating and expanded three-quarter inch polystyrene foam system, adhered to the gypsum sheathing then covered with the reinforcing mesh and coated with a special plastic finish. The system begins with the application of the polystyrene foam, cut into shapes that represent stone, stucco, metal, wood, and giant columns of all shapes and sizes. The foam is then applied first by dry stick method to ensure that all the pieces of jigsaw puzzle fit together. Then in here to the gypsum sheathing and final position. The construction scaffolding plays a major role in the operation at this time. The Dryvit finish a tough outer skin for the foam is applied by trawling layers of the Dryvit mixture with layers of fiberglass mesh. The final coat is applied with the desired colors and textures to the artists requirement. For this project Dryvit used over 150 colors and six types of mixtures to replicate 20 different types of finishes. For the brick application, we have used over 40 different brick and mortar colors. The brick is glued into place and mortars to match any one of the many different joint types required. After the brick and Dryvit are installed the final touch is the application of ornamentation. There are over 2,000 pieces of owner supplied ornamentation. Windows made of wood, steel, and aluminum are pre-designed, field measured, and manufactured in assembly plants and shipped to the job to be installed within the framed openings. These wood windows were manufactured by Marvin window company in Minnesota. The steel windows made by a Toronto company NorAm corporation. As you may know steel windows were very popular in the period 1930s. FORREC is particularly proud of the beautiful and elaborate wood entrance designed and manufactured in their own shop in Bracebridge Ontario. Here in the entrance to I Stein & Company Jewelry store is a bronze finish revolving door. Supplied and installed by Glass Systems Incorporated of Orlando. The impressive entrance to the Pantages Theatre is solid brass with a specially aged finish manufactured by Dawson Door Company of New York. In every situation at Universal Studios Florida the structure is however a complete enclosure with a sealed roof system. That part of the roof which is exposed to view as part of the facade and is constructed to the same rig specifications as is required for any roof system. Note the handmade clay tile shown here on the Brown Derby hat shop facade, let's look for a moment at some design work that has gone into the project facades. Balconies, sidewalks and railings fabricated by the RJ Kaufman Company of Orlando decorate the Hollywood and New York Street scene. Solid granite panels recreate the original designs at Schwab's Pharmacy, Beverly Wilshire Hotel and the Pantages Theatre. The decorative woodwork is endless. Superintendent Vance Thornton shows some of the detailed carpentry work. These beautiful wood moldings were made in FORREC's own shop. Here is our Foreman Ken Witting, fitting a piece of the W F Norman decorative metal and Sting alley. Every detail is unique no two facades are alike. A truly total design project. Our organization is proud of its entire staff. The coordination of design men and materials and the dedication of everyone to quality and timing are best described by the outstanding results. Universal Studios Florida opened May 1990 This has been a Mitchell Media Production.
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May 2019
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