PERF-O GRIP® catwalks
offer "Heavenly" safety
for Kentucky church

PERF-O GRIP® Walkways in ceilings and behind projection screens above the worship center stage will allow Southeast Christian Church maintenance staff to easily access the center's many spotlights (clamped to the catwalk handrails), and other parts of the electrical system.

"To our knowledge, it will be the largest church facility in the country," said Rev. Dave Stone, Southeast Christian Church associate minister. "Presently we have about 10,000 people who attend on Sunday morning. It's important to remember that the church is the people and not just the building, the building just makes our ministry easier."

Incredibly, the church has only been in its current facility in suburban Louisville since 1987. The building process for the new center began in 1992. Actual construction on the facility began in 1995 on an undeveloped piece of land 15 miles outside the city.

The facility, designed by Luckett & Farley, is eight stories tall, but the actual roof height is 110 feet. The worship center (arena) seats 9,100 people and measures 297,000 square feet.

"We've never done anything of this size for a church before. It's like a small football stadium," said Tom Thies, GS Metals District Manager who specified the job. "Normally, a conventional church will only need a platform for the bell tower or a ladder or something. The Southeast Christian Church is amazing."

The specifier recommended PERF-O GRIP Walkways. The long span-ability (without the need for extensive structural supports) and dimpled surface for traction and safety made it a perfect choice for the church's extensive catwalk system. Catwalks consisted of almost 20,000 linear feet of PERF-O GRIP. At most locations throughout the building, the PERF-O GRIP catwalks are more than 80 feet in the air.

"Ken Petty of Wylie Steel Fabricators (the miscellaneous steel fabricator) was really pleased when GS Metals shipped the fabricated catwalks directly to the job site," said Chris Wilkinson, GS Metals Southern Regional Manager who supplied the project. "The extra work done by GS Metals resulted in smooth installation and minimal field adjustments for a very complex project."

"The sections were pre-cut, so we just needed to attach the handrails and hanger rods and hang the sections on the bottom cord of the roof truss," said Project Manager Nick Brown, of Ben-Hur Construction. "Basically, it looks like a wheel with spokes coming out of it. The other catwalks (above the gondola) are even more impressive."

Not only were catwalks installed in the ceiling near lights and power sources, but they were also erected behind the 10' x 14' projection screens that are mounted on a six-sided gondola that hangs in the middle of the worship arena, above the spot where the ministers will preach. A stop-sign shaped walkway is enclosed behind the screens. From that original shape, the catwalk has "fingers" that spread out from the gondola to other parts of the building.

The catwalks will enable the church's maintenance personnel to access the projection screens, but will be hidden from sight once the sanctuary ceiling is installed.

Characteristics of PERF-O GRIP®

PERF-O GRIP® is a plank metal grating offering a slightly less aggressive surface than serrated safety grating. It is made with a round-hole pattern, and features debossed holes and perforated buttons. The circular holes (1 1/4 inch) are small enough to catch falling tools, but big enough to allow accident-causing fluids and debris to fall away from the surface.

With 5-inch-high side channels, PERF-O GRIP® Walkways meet OSHA requirements for toeboards on elevated surfaces. PERF-O GRIP Walkways' light weight and resilient design makes them easy to handle and install, producing an economical installed cost. Most sections can be rapidly bolted, clamped or welded into place and can be field cut at virtually any angle. Attachment devices permit fastening to most existing surfaces, allowing fast installation and disassembly.

"PERF-O GRIP® became more of an Erector set for the builders," Thies said. "The handrails and toe plates can be hooked to the walking surface in a mechanical way instead of being welded to the sides."

The mechanical attachment of the handrails and toe plates gave the builder an option of having the walkways fabricated before shipment or after arrival on the site.

"The erector actually attached the handrails on the ground before hoisting it into place with hydraulic lifts," Job Site Construction Manager Bill Knight said.

Brown, who said this was his first experience with PERF-O GRIP, said that installation went relatively quickly because the walkway was lifted into place with handrails intact. The integral toeplate, which has to be manually welded onto other types of grating, also saved the erection crews time. The entire catwalk went up in about six weeks.

The Southeast Christian Church facility is scheduled for completion in late 1998. According to Stone, the church will need to upgrade its maintenance staff to manage the huge facility, and the catwalks will certainly simplify things.