Open-Air Stadium Uses Vinyl Roofing
Installing roofing in nice weather can be satisfying work, especially when you’re a football fan and working on the newest NFL stadium in the country. There’s only one hitch – most of the 200,000 square feet of roofing surface on the new Denver Bronco Stadium isn’t in the open air at all.
This atypical situation found workers installing roofing membranes on concession stands, restrooms and concourses below other workers who were installing stadium seats.
This open-air, natural grass stadium has four levels with 45-foot-wide concourses, and approximately 76,125 seats for Broncos games. "This was a very unique job," said Tim Drotar, superintendent of Denver-based CEI West Roofing Company, Inc. "Usually we are working above other trades. In this case, they were working above us, requiring a great deal of coordination."
Two different Johns Manville single-ply roofing membranes were selected for the job. The company’s cost effective UltraGard® EPDM mechanically attached roofing system was used on areas not visible from the air, and an aesthetically pleasing UltraGard PVC adhered membrane was used on all visible sections. The dual specification offers cost savings while maintaining the high-end look necessary for the project.
Because there was simultaneous continuous construction throughout the four level stadium, safety was the primary consideration. The roofing crews could not use flammable adhesives while welders were installing seats overhead. In some cases, specifications were changed to accommodate safety concerns by switching from a fully adhered roofing membrane to a mechanically fastened one.
The job presented a number of other challenges as well. Instead of climbing ladders, the roofing crews were climbing through 2' x 2' holes to get under stands. And, instead of working outside in the elements, the crews found themselves installing roofing membrane near kitchen equipment that was being tested. This meant crews were sometimes working next to heat radiating ovens and at other times next to freezers. With a total of 400 concessions throughout the stadium, this was a feat in itself.
Despite the challenges, Johns Manville International Corporation, headquartered in Denver, considers the Denver Bronco Stadium a dream project. "Our company feels a great deal of pride to be supplying the roofing material for this project," said Joe Stassi, market manager for Johns Manville’s single ply roofing systems.
Expand-O-Flash® and Expand-O-Gard® expansion joints were used extensively on the project, said Lee Drotar, operations manager for CEI West. This detail accommodates building movement, which is likely to happen as Bronco fans cheer on their team. There were numerous other unique flashing details. For example, where beams came in at a lower level than originally envisioned, it was necessary to flash them into the membrane system to maintain watertight integrity.
The success of this project required careful coordination between the Metropolitan Football Stadium District, the joint venture team of Turner Construction and HNTB Sports Architecture, CEI West Roofing Company and Johns Manville. To view the new stadium under construction go to www.9news.com. For more information about Johns Manville visit www.jm.com.