Chicago's Soldier Field relies on Viega ProPress® for its $18 million renovation project
Affectionately named the "Spaceship" around Chicago, Soldier Field's renovation project was anything but science fiction. In 2001, the time had come for a stadium face-lift and a mechanical systems overhaul. Because of the age of the stadium, a 20-month modernization project was undertaken to update the mechanical systems and add more amenities, which consisted of areas including a ground-floor service level with training rooms, locker rooms and administrative offices, club level bathrooms, concessions, lounges, food service and suite levels.
The stadium opened its doors in 1924 as the Grant Park Municipal Stadium and, one year later, at the request of the Chicago Gold Star Mothers, the stadium became Soldier Field. Aptly renamed, the field serves as a memorial to American soldiers who died in past wars. The Chicago Bears moved from Wrigley Field and began using the facility in 1971. They played their first game in the renovated Soldier Field on September 29, 2003.
With a consistent crew of 45 pipefitters, Hill Mechanical Corp. was the contractor tasked to complete the mechanical renovation. The complete mechanical systems overhaul consisted of 27,000 linear feet of ½" to 4" piping that needed to be installed in short order and Hill Mechanical campaigned for Viega ProPress since the early design specs. Working with Minneapolis-based engineering firm Ellerbe Becket, Hill Mechanical fought hard to utilize Viega ProPress, which was not in the original specs.
Hill Mechanical worked directly with SG Supply and Viega to give various product seminars and product demonstrations to both the engineering and construction team on the front end of the project to get the design team to approve the usage of Viega ProPress in the new facility. It was imperative that Hill Mechanical use Viega ProPress from a time-saving standpoint.
Due to the mechanical room and closet-size constraints, Viega ProPress was a vital component to Hill Mechanical completing the project schedule on time and within budget, as the construction schedule called for the shortest timeframe ever to build a stadium.
"We had to install over 27,000 linear feet of pipe in a 20-month schedule," said Russ Nelson, Senior Project Manager at Hill Mechanical Corp. "If the 25 pipefitters dedicated to Viega ProPress had to braze or sweat all joints, the job could not have been accomplished on time."
Today, the stadium grounds host more than 200 event usage days per year. With a stadium capacity of 61,500, that’s an impressive amount of yearly traffic going through those turnstiles.
