A Spokane engineering firm says recently completed safety and technological upgrades that it designed for the Kibbie Dome, on the University of Idaho campus in Moscow help elevate the 36-year-old structure to a state-of-the art multipurpose facility.

The firm, MW Consulting Engineers PS, designed electrical, safety, audio-video, and lighting systems as part of a three-year, $30.3 million overhaul of the structure, says Brandon Enevold, a principal with the firm—and a UI graduate.

The safety upgrades, which brought the electrical system into compliance with safety codes, required significant engineering investigation to determine the exact location and condition of the existing electrical system, Enevold says.

The upgraded electrical system was rerouted to accommodate translucent panels installed in the east- and west-end walls of the dome, formally named the William H. Kibbie-Associated Students of the University of Idaho Activity Center, he says. Related improvements designed by MW Consulting Engineers include an enhanced fire-alarm system, a new egress lighting system, a smoke-control system, a new emergency generator system, and an integrated network to ensure the safety systems communicate with each other.

MW Consulting Engineers also designed the Kibbie Dome's new 50,000-watt, computer-controlled sound system and a high-definition video system that supports commercial TV production as well as in-house video recording, with 15 locations for HD cameras, Enevold says. The video system also connects to flat-screen HDTV monitors in the premium suites, premium club seating area, concourse press box, and coaches' booths. The firm also designed the architectural lighting system for the premium-seating area, he says.

Walsh Construction Co., of Portland, Ore., was the general contractor on the overall renovation of the 95,000-square-foot, 160-foot-tall dome structure, which it completed Oct. 21, says Tyson Drew, Kibbie Dome manager.

The overall project included installing the translucent wall panels, relocating the 3,000-square-foot press box from the dome's south concourse to the north concourse, expanding and reconfiguring the original press-box space to include a premium-seating section, and suites, and a food-and-beverage area for serving guests there.

OPSIS Architecture LLP, also of Portland, was the lead architectural firm on the project, and Seattle-based DCI Engineers, which has a Spokane office where its president is based, provided structural engineering services.

The Kibbie Dome has a football seating capacity of 16,000, Drew says. In addition to athletic events, the Kibbie Dome is host to the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival and other activities.