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.