Conseco Fieldhouse Scores With Steel Doors

INDIANAPOLIS--November 20, 2000

Steel doors and frames form a winning combination for durability, safety and security at the Conseco Fieldhouse, new home of the Indiana Pacers. In this type of heavily used public facility, doors need to be as durable and trouble-free as possible to handle the large volumes of traffic. Different door locations throughout the building's many types of areas also have widely varying safety and security requirements.

Fieldhouse Captures State's Basketball Spirit In Indiana, the dominant entertainment for most of the past century almost certainly has been basketball. The Conseco Fieldhouse was designed and built to reflect the sport's rich history and tradition in the state of Indiana. Combining the best of the old and the new, it packages the latest in modern-day amenities within a retro design that reaches into the sport's past to build a bridge to the future.

As the first retro-style facility in the NBA, every aspect of the building's appearance is a throwback to the high school field houses and college gymnasiums of the 1940s and 1950s. "We went with the retro look mainly because of our marketplace," says Pacers President Donnie Walsh. "This is a state where small towns have a population of 10,000 and a gym that holds 12,000."

The Pacers' new $183 million facility was designed specifically for basketball. It has a seating capacity of approximately 18,500, including 69 suites and 2,500 club seats, and occupies 750,000 sq. ft. in downtown Indianapolis. Since it opened last November 6 with the Indiana Pacers playing the Boston Celtics, the Fieldhouse has hosted a wide range of non-basketball events as well, including concerts, a rodeo, an ice show and hockey games.

The playing floor of the 15-story building is actually located below ground level, with three levels of seating: lower level, club level, and upper level. Attendees with lower level seats go up to the club level before descending to their seating area. Pacers' Vice President and General Manager David Kahn points out, "Sightlines, no matter where you sit, have been engineered for basketball and the experience of the NBA."

Doors & Frames Play a Tough Game

Throughout the building, metal doors are used for all exterior entrances, as well as all fire-rated stairwells, kitchen and food service facilities, team rooms, equipment rooms and several other locations in the facility. In all, approximately 800 Steelcraft "L" Series doors and 900 "F" series frames were installed, with the additional frames being used with wood interior doors.

While the metal exterior doors were selected primarily to provide durability and security, the stairwell doors perform an important safety function as well. Operations Director Chuck Deevers explains, "In case of fire, the elevators can't be used, so the stairwells are designated as the safe place on the main concourse or the balcony for those with disabilities." The doors provide a dependable way to close these areas off.

In another application, entry areas such as employee entrances are designed with a vestibule, using two pairs of doors that form an airlock. Deevers notes, "We have a cabinet unit heater (CUH) that heats the space in winter, due to the weather outside. When you open the door to the heated area, the double door airlock keeps the air from rushing out of the building." Here, he says, Steelcraft doors are used for durability, due to heavy traffic, and to ensure sealing effectiveness.

Fire-rated Steelcraft doors are used on mechanical rooms and areas housing electrical or communication equipment. Rated at one to three hours, depending on location, they are installed where there are fire-rated walls.

According to Deevers, doorways to the team areas and all of the food service areas are also equipped with Steelcraft doors, primarily for security reasons.

Doors at the building exits get their heaviest usage when the crowd is leaving. Entry is restricted to the North Pavilion for ticketing purposes, and people arrive over a period of time. When an event ends, they pour out in a short time, taxing the durability of the doors through which they pass. Deevers notes that, using all exits, it has been determined that the building's 18,500 capacity crowd could be cleared in 12 minutes if necessary.

In addition to providing these varying functions, many of the doors and frames add to the retro decor. Painted dark green or tan, they complement the brick and wood that gives the facility its nostalgic flair.

The building was designed by Ellerbe Beckett, Kansas City, Missouri. Construction manager was Huber Hunt Nichols, Indianapolis. Doors and hardware were supplied through Central Indiana Hardware, Indianapolis.