Updating a Historic Theater with Unistrut Catwalk Systems

While many think of catwalks as an industrial solution, our team recently completed a fun catwalk project for an over 100-year-old theater in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This theater was using the building's original catwalk that was constructed from old wooden pallets. With over 300 feet of walkway, the existing catwalk was used to access audio and visual equipment that was directly above the auditorium as well as chandelier cranes.

After a century of use, the original catwalk was no longer a functional or safe solution for the theater's crew. It was, by modern standards, very dangerous and no longer up to code, lacking standard features like safety railings. The customer turned to the Unistrut Midwest team for help designing, sourcing, and engineering an updated Unistrut catwalk solution that would allow them to successfully and safely maintain their theater for another 100 years.

Catwalk Prefabrication

By using modular materials and prefabricating as much as possible, the Unistrut Midwest team was able to tackle two challenges of this project: timeline and logistics. With an upcoming show on the schedule, the customer was under an extremely tight deadline to have the theater operational, which prefabrication allowed us to meet. By assembling as much as possible off-site, our team was able to streamline the installation process. This allowed us to complete what would typically be six-to-eight weeks' worth of work in four weeks, completing the project before the upcoming production.

Additionally, the installation site had some logistical challenges, primarily the access point. To reach the catwalk installation site, materials needed to pass through a ladder-access port hole. With traditional building materials, this would have required the raw materials to be passed through the port hole and assembled on site, adding days or even weeks onto the construction timeline.

Because our team prefabricated the catwalk solution using modular Unistrut, entire sections of the catwalk were built ahead of time with the port hole specifications in mind. By building sections as large as possible while still being able to pass through the port hole, installation only consisted of attaching the sections together with hand tools, and helped our team stay within the client's timeline. 

Unistrut Catwalk Solution Results

The client now has an updated, secure catwalk system to access all necessary equipment. The Unistrut frames support ¾" plywood walkways, chosen as a nod to the original and to save costs. Unistrut's all-bolted connections and the modular nature of the material allowed the Unistrut Midwest team to easily tackle any necessary field adjustments, and our team was able to further improve the solution on-site. After seeing the ladder-access port hole in action, our team was able to design a set of steps to replace the ladder. This increased safety for the theater team members and was a convenient addition to the project thanks to Unistrut’s modularity.

The catwalk is now fully up to code, secure, and primed to be adapted for any structural or system changes in the future.