Engineering Considerations

The typical PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser System rests directly on the floor of the auditorium, classroom, lecture hall, theatre, balcony, worship facility, church or other project area. The stadium seating platforms are independent from the vertical building structure and, thus are easily installed into existing buildings without having to modify the building structure.  In the case of retrofit applications, this can greatly reduce the cost of the project, as it does not affect current loads and capacities of the vertical building structure.  Additionally, the added weight of the stadium seating structure and SSE PREFOAM EPS Geofoam, is extremely low compared to traditional metal stud or other construction methods, as the Geofoam material weighs approximately 1 lb./cu.ft.

The lightweight nature of the PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser System makes it a perfect fit for upper level installations. The SSE PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser System has been installed in many upper floor level projects specifically due to the lightweight characteristics of the EPS Geofoam and the EPS Geofoam Block’s ability to evenly distribute the weight of the stadium seating platform over the entire area covered by the tiered seating. This very important characteristic eliminates any “point-loading” of the structural slab of the building and in most cases reduces the need for large, expensive footings on ground floor installations.

Installation Considerations

Contractors will find SSE’s PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser Systems extremely user friendly and easy to install. In the past 14 years and with over 1,850 projects, SSE has heard nothing but accolades regarding the ease of installation for the PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser Systems.

In the case of a retrofit or renovation installation, due to their modular design, the SSE PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser System components are easily portable. The installation crew can bring all components into the space through a standard pedestrian door thereby minimizing disruption to ongoing operations in adjacent auditoriums, classrooms or theatres.

Acoustic Considerations

Unlike traditional light gauge metal stud tiered seating design, the SSE PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser System designs incorporate sound acoustic properties.

The design is perfect for church, balcony, worship facility, classroom, auditorium, lecture hall or movie theatre seating where state of the art sound acoustics are required. Due to the solid nature of the installation, large voids except for usable space under the platforms are removed, hereby eliminating any hollow sound or reverberation.

In instances where the installation is on an upper floor level or structural deck with another occupancy below the use of the SSE PREFOAM EPS Geofoam Stadium Seating Riser System in conjunction with an acoustic map greatly reduces the sound transfer between the two levels with an acoustic buffer between the adjacent floors.  Traditional light gauge metal stud framed seating systems are hollow under the platform and the acoustical properties of the hollow space typically do not complement the audio experience and do not provide any sound insulation properties.

Scheduling Considerations

A time saving advantage of the SSE PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser System is that it can typically be installed by semi-skilled laborers in as little as one – two days per standard theatre or auditorium; reducing the overall cost for the platform installation, construction schedule and the overall construction cost associated with the project.  Due to their modular nature as well as design and attachment characteristics, the prefabricated PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser System will minimize installation time and manpower required.

The installation of the PREFOAM EPS Geofoam used for the structural support of the SSE PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser Systems is similar to stacking “Lego type” blocks made of EPS Geofoam to form the tiered seating platforms. In addition, because the PREFOAM riser platform components are installed much later in the construction sequence than is customary with traditional steel stud or other means of providing tiered seating platforms, the contractor is able to keep the floor barrier free to allow ease of work on a rolling scaffold or scissor lift.

Environmental Considerations

The SSE PREFOAM EPS Geofoam Stadium Seating Riser Systems is the most environmentally friendly tiered stadium seating system available today. This innovative PREFOAM System uses Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Geofoam blocks as the structural fill material to support the tiered seating platforms. EPS Geofoam is made from partially recycled material and the EPS Geofoam blocks used in the structure can be reground for use in future EPS block manufacturing.

The use of PREFOAM EPS Geofoam in the stadium seating riser system along with the nature of the “just in time manufacturing” and delivery of the material from SSE’s regional manufacturing partners further adds to the “green” characteristics and ensures the SSE Systems meets many of the criteria necessary for LEED certification. In addition to the PREFOAM EPS Geofoam, the steel used as a key component in the SSE PREFOAM Stadium Seating Riser System is made from recyclable material.

The U.S. Green Building Council has developed a nationally accepted system to rate the design, construction and operations of buildings. The USGBC’s leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a standard that recognizes the life-cycle cost of construction and helps guide the performance of projects. The LEED rating system allows owners to acquire credits by meeting certain conditions pertaining to the use of sustainable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly products and systems.