Turner Construction: Arrowhead Stadium

Off-season activity┬áRevamping a sports stadium around a busy schedule of games is no easy task, as Dan Bailey discovers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. You know youÔÇÖre dealing with an out-of-the-ordinary job when a senior vice president takes on the role of project manager. Yet thatÔÇÖs whatÔÇÖs happening at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MissouriÔÇöhome of the Kansas City Chiefs professional football team and reputed to be the toughest place on earth for the opposition to play.ItÔÇÖs hard to say if the reason is due to the exuberance of the fans or some acoustical peculiarity, but fan-generated noise has been measured at an ear-damaging 116 decibels. Everyone agrees that the atmosphere is terrific, but the stadium is showing its age. Originally built in 1972 and at the time incorporating state-of-the-art design, Arrowhead is in need of a makeover.┬á Enter Turner Construction, which, in a joint venture with JE Dunn, is providing construction management services on extensive additions and renovations to Arrowhead. If the Chiefs had found another temporary home and handed over an empty stadium to the builders, the work would have proceeded in a straightforward manner. But the Chiefs havenÔÇÖt gone anywhere, so while the work is discontinued during the football season, itÔÇÖs not allowed to have any undue impact on spectatorsÔÇÖ enjoyment at any time. In broad terms, fans need to walk in and through the construction site without danger or hindrance, and the new additions canÔÇÖt make the old parts of the stadium unusable.The renovations feature the addition of a new press box along the south sideline and a suite level along the north sideline structures. On the club level, the suites, national broadcast booth and coachesÔÇÖ booths are being renovated and expanded. In other general areas, fan amenities such as restrooms, concessions, retail outlets and accommodation stations are being upgraded. The designers of the stadium have endeavored to integrate the current trends found in modern National Football League stadiums while maintaining the characteristics that make Arrowhead so popular and unique.One of the most noticeable aspects of the revamped stadium will be the airiness and openness of its public areas. Wider pedestrian walkways lead across an expansive plaza to the New ArrowheadÔÇÖs many entrances circling the stadium. All concourses are wider, and some have doubled in width. ItÔÇÖs much easier to move around the stadium, allowing fans to get out for a snack and back to the game in less time. If the beers catch up with you, itÔÇÖs good to know there are now almost twice as many restrooms as previously, spread more evenly throughout the stadium.This project has so far cost over $400 million and is costing the equivalent of $1 million a day when active, which is not surprising when you take into account that at times there have been more than 900 workers on site and construction is taking place seven days a week. ItÔÇÖs a big job, with less than half the work done and another 13 months of construction ahead after the 2009 NFL season.┬á The Turner group is one of the oldest construction firms in the country, having been established over 100 years ago in 1902, shortly after the consolidation of New York as we see it today. For a decade itÔÇÖs been part of HOCHTIEF, GermanyÔÇÖs largest and oldest construction company, which dates back even further, to the 1870s.┬á Today, Turner is as much an international player as its German owner, and its 5,000 employees are found in dozens of offices throughout North America and the world. However, Turner Construction is not structured simply to suit geographical needs. Rather, it is made up of business units dedicated to specific segments of the construction market, regardless of where any particular project may be located.From the earliest days, founder Henry Turner was an advocate for new technology and was one of the champions of reinforced concrete as a primary building material. As such, it has been involved with some of the most notable architectural achievements.┬áAlthough it seems like a brand new idea to be part of a modern marketing program, Turner City dates back to the very earliest years. According to legend, photographs of New YorkÔÇÖs network of streets and buildings, taken from the top of the new skyscrapers being built, inspired the creation of a mythical cityscape known as Turner City, made up of the buildings the firm had constructed. Over the years, six different artists have updated the view. Perhaps the next version will feature the revitalized Arrowhead Stadium in all its glory. ÔÇô Editorial research by Greg Petzold┬á