Looking up at the mesmerizing play of sinewy aluminum beams gliding across the expansive ceiling, one might think this captivating homage to athletic movement and precision took months—perhaps years—to accomplish from concept to fabrication to completion.
Welcome to Hayward Hall, a new 4,000 square-foot museum under the east end of University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, the hallowed shrine of American track and field. The new exhibition hall is part of a $270 million top-to-bottom renovation of the entire athletic facility. The reimagined stadium is now a state-of-the-art facility specifically designed for viewing and celebrating Oregon’s athletics and, in particular, its track and field legacy.
Getting the ceiling aesthetic right for a space destined to host prominent athletes and public figures from around the world was an imperative.
Ninety Days
Daana Denzel wasn’t aware of any of this when her phone rang in August 2019. It was the ceiling installation subcontractor with an urgent plea: We need a custom ceiling application fabricated and delivered—and it must be in our hands within 90 days. Three months is a highly compressed timetable for a completely custom metal ceiling.
Denzel is a manufacturer’s representative specializing in ceiling and acoustics. Her company, Denzel Northwest, is no stranger to pulling together a general contractor, subcontractors, and a manufacturer to address a challenging condition. But this project, given the stakes, design intent, and hyper-compressed timetable, went beyond that. Denzel’s blunt assignments were twofold: guarantee design execution and guarantee a November delivery.
Plan B
The actual ceiling solution was not part of the original design plan.
“It was discovered late in the game the designated ceiling manufacturer couldn’t do the curve style the architect wanted after all. That’s when WPI, the subcontractor, scrambled to call me,” Denzel recalls. “‘No problem,’ I replied. ‘We can do that.’”
Denzel knew shop drawings alone can take up to six weeks, half of her allotted time. Yet she felt confident she could pull off Plan B provided all the players stayed in constant communication.
The other reason for her confidence: Plan B involved CertainTeed Architectural, a ceiling manufacturer she had worked with on other projects. Denzel knew she could trust their custom engineering capabilities, technical support, and customer service to meet all requirements.
Can-Do Spirit
“Curved beams are always custom. There’s a different fabrication setup for every extruded aluminum piece,” Denzel explains. “Parts are coded in a precise choreography.”
Denzel gives all credit to CertainTeed Architectural, the company audacious enough to take on the project. Its High Profile Series Horizontally Curved Baffles in a natural finish proved to be a near-perfect interpretation of the design intent. The versatile baffle system allows for combinations of curve arcs and radii, as well as baffle heights and profiles.
Dream Outcome
“The WPI team was thrilled. Everything arrived on time and came together exactly as detailed,” Denzel says. Hayward Hall and Hayward Field opened this past spring.
Denzel won’t easily forget the lessons of this project, especially the power of teamwork. Not so different from the sport the Hayward Hall ceiling celebrates.
Learn more about how CertainTeed Architectural Ceilings go beyond the ordinary for style, service, and performance.
