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20 Hartford Business Journal • January 30, 2017 • www.HartfordBusiness.com Luxury Additions • The existing building has a fan club with limited access to the bowl, 15 suites located 76 feet above the rink floor, 31 suites 87 feet above the rink floor and a club at level 118. • The transformed arena will have eight bunker suites located just above the rink floor, 14 suites located on the main concourse (30 feet above the rink floor) and 14 suites located 40 feet above the rink floor. • In addition, there will be a club located at the rink floor level adjacent to the locker rooms, a loge club located on the east side of the main concourse, and a Terrace Club located on the west side of the main concourse. • Some of the existing clubs and suites in the arena's upper levels will be transformed into a concourse bar and two sponsor suites, as well as a sports bar and ledge seats. FOCUS A $250 million renovation to the XL Center would add new suites and luxury seating at XL Center. Here's breakdown: HBJ not eliminate the need for visual bridge in- spection. However, it will provide engineers with data to make more informed decisions regarding the bridges performance and justify or reevaluate findings from initial visual inspection of the structure. Unlike visual inspection, this bearing will allow for continuous monitoring. Q. One of the benefits of your new product is determining if a bridge is overstressed and car- rying more weight than its design intends. Will there be real-time monitoring of bridges? A. This force sensing bridge bearing may serve as a tool for engineers to complete real-time monitoring. This may allow en- gineers to tailor rehabilitation designs and schedules to the current performance of the bridge. This is a major benefit to assist with inspection techniques as it provides up-to-date performance results as opposed to data being collected every two years. The data collected from these bridge bearings may be used to evaluate bridge designs as well. Bridges may be redesigned due to the performance results. This could be completed by posting a weight limit for the bridge or by rehabilitating the structure. Q. What is the potential impact of your prod- uct on bridges? A recent analysis of federal data by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association found over 8 percent of Connecticut's 5,300 bridges are deficient. How can your technology help with this problem, particularly at a time when there is limited funds to pay for infrastructure repairs. A. That lack of funding is where our sen- sors could be most useful. By allowing decision makers to have more data, they could judge which repairs are most critical. Our product may provide a non-intrusive, cost-effective method to monitor the forces on a bridge bearing. This product does not inherently alter the bridges lifespan, rather it gives engineers an additional tool to help them better understand the structures perfor- mance. The sensors can also be installed when bridge bearings are being replaced, which is a common procedure. Q. What's the potential market for your prod- uct? Will there be private industry applications for it as well? A. We are currently targeting federal and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) as they are the owners of most highway bridges in the United States. Ac- ceptance of new technologies in infra- structure projects can be challenging due to the conservative nature of the field. The knowledge that may be gained by real-time monitoring of a structure is invaluable for evaluating current designs and developing future designs. Expert's Corner: Start-up sensor tech Continued from previous page Meantime, acquiring the Hartford 21 retail complex that surrounds the arena, where the atrium, retail space and some parking is located, is key, Freimuth and Saint say. Owned by Northland Investment Corp., the space includes storefronts the CRDA would be willing to discount to retailers, Freimuth said. "We pay today to operate a lot of that atrium space anyway, so there's an economy of us paying ourselves, if you will, and avoid- ing that expense," he added. Adding the amenities that build excite- ment is possible because, despite the age of the building and the outdated electrical and mechanical systems, the structure of the XL Center is sound. But replacing those systems is critical because the building has not been adequately maintained, Saint said. Payoffs to the costly upgrade include not only extending the building's life and reducing operating subsidies, but attracting more sporting events and some concerts as well as generating economic value through greater activity downtown, Freimuth says. The renovation would also give the XL Center the ability to potentially host. Continued from previous page HBJ