LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Last week, crews working on MSG Sphere at The Venetian hotel-casino completed the heaviest lift of the entire project.
They raised a 170-ton steel compression ring that will serve as the apex of the steel frame for the state-of-the-art entertainment venue’s domed roof.
The weight of the 170-ton compression ring is nearly equal to two 757 aircraft.
Because of its weight and size (almost 100 feet in diameter), the steel compression ring had to be assembled on the construction site. It took three weeks for the prefabricated steel pieces to be welded and bolted together.
The world’s 4th largest crawler crane was then used to successfully place the compression ring at the top of a temporary 285-foot-high steel shoring tower in the center of the venue, which will be removed after the steel frame for the roof is built. A hydraulic lift on top of the shoring tower will be used to precisely calibrate the compression ring’s position before roof trusses begin to be put in place.
Construction of the steel roof is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
MSG Entertainment expects to complete the construction of MSG Sphere in calendar 2023.
