TEXTILES.ORG
O’Neil Tent Co. installs several structures in a short timeframe 250+ feet from the unloading zone.
When Ohio State University needed tenting structures for its fundraising campaign, “But for Ohio State,” an event that raises funds for students to study abroad, it called on O’Neil Tent Co., Columbus, Ohio, to make it happen. O’Neil Tent Co. has been providing tents to Ohio State for years, and its ability to manufacture custom vinyl products as well as its history of installing large structures in a short timeframe won them the contract.
“Clearspan structures have become our primary source of business in recent years,” says Scott Waller, O’Neil Tent Co. operations director. “We travel all over the United States for any and all structure needs.”
The crew was given three days for installation, starting with 48,000 square feet of Terraplas® turf protection and ending with HVAC.
“The major challenge was the distance to the event site—more than 250 feet from the unloading zone,” Waller says. “We would have liked to have been able to deliver material closer to the jobsite but we understood the restrictions put in place by the university.”
O’Neil Tent Co. installed a 25-by-80-meter HTS-USA clearspan structure for the main event, as well as six Anchor Industries Inc. frame structures: two 30-by-40-foot tents for catering, a 30-by-60-foot tent
for the entrance, a 15-by-30-foot tent for valet and a 6-by-250-foot canopy with custom-made clear tops for a walkway. A 30-by-30-foot tent for coat check was added on the last day of the install.
“The tents were installed over a two-day period with a 10-person crew,” Waller says. “Due to the high-traffic area, timelines that were agreed upon had to be upheld.”
Because no vehicles were allowed on the grounds, the crew used only light equipment, which meant they had to manually erect the tent without the use of a telehandler. And because of OSU’s restrictions regarding driving anchors into the ground, the tents were ballasted. The crew used 2,000-pound IBCs filled with water on top of engineered steel weight plates.
O’Neil Tent Co. manufactured 10 clear 25-meter panels for the clearspan structure and six white panels that were installed on the underside of the structure for use as a projection screen.
“We manufactured panels that slid into the bottom keder track of the rafters to hide the metal purlins and give an unobstructed projection surface,” Waller says.
On the final day of installation the crew installed ¾-inch plywood flooring over the 48,000 square feet of Terraplas, and carpet over that. HVAC included eight 12-ton units for AC and heating, which were powered by temporary generators.
“Our client mentioned several times that they were very satisfied,” Waller says. “The only other feedback we received was to keep doing what we are doing.”