Winner: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ at Universal Studios Hollywood(sm), Hollywood, California
In a feat of construction wizardry, Hogwart’s Castle and the town of Hogsmeade were re-created at Universal Studios Hollywood™ in California, thanks to the wizards at two AWCI member companies: KHS&S Contractors and Anning-Johnson.
The buildings spill out at all angles, creating a magical environment that welcomed its first guests this April. But it took much more than magic spells to bring Harry Potter’s world to life. The village’s buildings look aged, weathered—even damaged, with finishes replicating weathered stone, plaster, metals and wood. These façades required finishes that included plaster, EIFS, wood cladding, FRP, GFRC and various themed elements.
KHS&S was responsible for the preconstruction services, BIM, framing, drywall themed plaster, various carved plaster finishes and other themed elements. With the precision of master craftsmen, KHS&S used traditional and non-traditional methods for framing, drywall and plaster.
Coordination of themed elements using a just-in-time shipping and delivery method helped reduce the amount of material on an already crowded job site. More than 30,000 themed parts on more than 123 53-foot semi-trucks made the 2,500-mile journey from the vendor in Orlando, Fla., to the job site in Hollywood, Calif. Each themed part was wrapped on thousands of pallets, tracked, stocked, delivered to the site and installed on site with an ever-evolving schedule sequence.
With straight, radius, angled and low walls, twisting and radius chimneys, roof trusses and dormers coming off buildings at all angles, balconies, steel beam claddings, raised platforms along the barrel, vaulted and dome ceilings—this was anything but a typical framing job.
AWCI Member Contractors
KHS&S Contractors
Anning-Johnson
AWCI Member Manufacturers
ClarkDietrich Building Systems
Crane Composites, Inc.
Georgia-Pacific Gypsum
LaHabra Stucco
National Gypsum
Sto Corp.
