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The
renovation of Soldier Field Stadium was a massive undertaking.
The design retained the historic façade, concrete
walkways, and colonnades while grafting a modern stadium
facility within its core.
Demolition began the night of a Chicago Bears play-off
game on January 19, 2002. A Monday night grand opening
game between the Bears and their traditional nemesis the
Green Bay Packers was scheduled for September 29, 2003.
Liquidated damages of $4.5 million per game would be assessed
to any contractor who was responsible for failing to reopen
the stadium on time.
The concrete restoration of Soldier Field’s remaining
cast-in-place concrete structure was scheduled to begin
in March 2002 immediately following the demolition contractor
as the original seating bowl was removed. The bowl demolition
exposed concrete surfaces that had been hidden for 78
years.
The City Building Commission of Chicago refused to issue
a “Repair Permit” without an updated condition
survey. All concrete surfaces within the stadium structure
had to be sounded, and deteriorated areas were marked
with paint, measured, identified by number, and entered
on the plans. The permit was issued after a two month
delay.
The concrete restoration contractor was faced with a 300%
quantity increase, an expanded scope, and a two-month
delay with the same completion date. Additional crews
and equipment were mobilized. Many critical zones and
locations throughout the structure had to be repaired
on second shifts and weekends due to worker congestion
and safety concerns. Double shifts, seven days a week,
were scheduled as necessary to complete the concrete repairs.
Over 60,000 square ft of concrete repairs were completed
on time under extremely difficult conditions. Quality
and safety were always maintained. The crew completed
the project on time with a perfect safety record.
Soldier Field Stadium reopened on time.
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Owner
Chicago Park District
Chicago, Illinois
Project Engineer/
Designer
Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers
Chicago, Illinois
Repair Contractor
National Restoration
Systems, Inc.
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
Construction Manager
Tuner/Barton Marlow/Kenny Joint Venture
Chicago, Illinois
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