The Great Canadian Theatre Company Proundly Announces New Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre an 'Engineering Marvel'

Ottawa, ON, May 10, 2006 – An I-beam signing ceremony takes place on May 11 at 1:30pm at the construction site of the new Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre at the corner of Holland and Wellington.

Big things are happening at the construction site of the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s home!  Combining a three story theatre with nine stories of residential units is a unique architectural and engineering challenge.  Seven giant I-beams, the largest of which spans a colossal sixty feet in length and weighing in at a hefty sixty tons, are being installed above the open space of the new theatre.  One I-beam is the equivalent in weight to sixty elephants!  These I-beams will be taking the entire weight of the nine stories of condominiums above the theatre.  Holding this load across the sixty foot span requires remarkable engineering ingenuity.  Special cranes and crews have been brought onsite to install these special beams into a one-of-a-kind building.  Mike Allen, one of the project’s lead engineers and one of the key players in the construction of the roof of the Sky Dome in Toronto, explains that the construction of this unusual building is breaking new ground in the architectural world:  “What is unusual about this project is that it combines traditional building construction and bridge technology.”  The Discovery Channel is filming a documentary about the construction of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre and The Currents and will be on hand to capture the installation of these massive beams.

Media are invited to witness this historic event and awe-inspiring spectacle. 

For media information, contact Adam Stephens at (613) 236-5192, ext. 229, or via e-mail at publicity@gctc.ca

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