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2008 FICE Grand Award winner
New Busch Stadium
Structural Systems |
43,975-seat New Busch Stadium
incorporates innovative structural features that reflect
its heritage as Gateway to the West. As structural engineering
consultant, Bliss & Nyitray, Inc. played a leading
role throughout the design and construction process,
helping to ensure that this complex fast-track project
was completed on time (Opening Day, April 10, 2006)
and on budget ($365 million).
BNI developed a synergy with HOK Sport + Venue + Event
that resulted in a structural system that was efficient
and economical, yet achieved the superior sightlines,
spacious open concourses and aesthetic appearance that
the architect envisioned. Design reflects the context
of downtown St. Louis, the Cardinals colorful history,
and the best attributes of the most successful ballparks.
The creative use of old and new materials, from brick
and concrete to exposed steel and glass, makes an architectural
statement with a modern sensibility for the 21st century.
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| The History |
The St. Louis Cardinals began play
in the National League in Union Park in 1892. After a
few moves, the club was purchased by Anheuser-Busch, who
built Busch Stadium in 1966. It was a popular design in
its day, a multipurpose baseball-football concrete-donut
stadium. In time, the baseball market changed, as did
the needs of the Cardinals.
The Cardinals watched as modern, baseball-only stadiums
popped up throughout the league, including for four of
their rivals in the National League Central Division.
Economics virtually mandated a new stadium. After considering
other locations, the city of St. Louis drafted a financing
plan to keep the team in downtown St. Louis and groundbreaking
took place in January 2004.
The new Busch Stadium features 43,975 seats plus 2,500
club seats, 63 suites and 41 party rooms. Design incorporates
innovative structural features that reflect its heritage
as Gateway to the West. As structural engineering consultant,
we played a leading role throughout the design and construction
process, helping to ensure that this complex fast-track
project was completed on time (Opening Day, April 10,
2006) and on budget ($365 million).
The Entrant was the Structural Engineer of Record for
Architect HOK Sport + Venue + Event. The Cardinals chose
to proceed using HOK’s home office in St. Louis,
under the direction of design-builder Hunt Construction
Group and St. Louis-based Kwame Building Group.
The Entrant’s knowledge of materials, foundations,
and framing systems, and our focus on the needs of the
project, has given our firm a reputation for highly creative
designs that reduce cost and simplify construction.
Having worked with this same construction manager on four
previous major league stadiums, we were able to quickly
select the most appropriate framing system for this building
type and local construction practices. Combining our past
experience with listening to all parties, including the
fabricator, resulted in selecting the appropriate members
and details quickly, with very little value engineering.
Our extensive experience as a team also facilitated "partnering",
where all team members agreed early in the project to
focus on creative cooperation and avoid adversarial relationships.
The structural steel for New Busch Stadium required a
lead-time of approximately 21 weeks from the time the
steel contract was awarded until the first piece of steel
arrived at the job site. We helped shorten the overall
schedule by submitting structural bid packages well in
advance of the architectural documents.
The design of connections has a major effect on the cost,
schedule and appearance of sports facilities, where a
light and airy appearance is desired. Many engineers delegate
connection design to the fabricator under the assumption
that the fabricator is better suited to design the connections.
However, the fabricator often designs utilitarian connections
without taking the extra time and effort to detail for
appearance.
The Entrant designed all major and exposed connections
for New Busch Stadium in-house. While this was more time
consuming for us up front, this decision accelerated the
shop drawing preparation and approval process, resulting
in a much quicker process overall. We recognized the importance
of constructability in our designs and cooperated with
the fabricator to value engineer connections. And since
we were in a constant process of collaboration with the
architect, this assured aesthetic conformity and architecturally
proportioned connections.
For much of the stadium, the magnitude of wind and seismic
forces did not justify full moment connections, which
are expensive and increase the size of beams and columns.
Since braced frames were unacceptable, we detailed a semi-rigid
connection using “dog bone” plates. This behaved
as a moment connection while the concrete slab was placed,
minimizing the beam size. Once the slab hardened, it became
a semi-composite section via headed studs. This section
had a much greater section modulus and moment of inertia
than the bare steel beam, and resisted the design live
load predominantly as a positive moment. The dog bone
allowed the connection to yield and rotate, redistributing
moment into more of a simple shear connection and permitted
smaller beam and column members.
Unlike many buildings, New Busch Stadium had complex geometry
where precise fit-up of some members was difficult. Typically
the bolt holes are only 1/16” diameter larger than
the bolt and the bolt is tightened to the snug tight condition.
So, we detailed fully tightened bolts in oversize holes.
The oversize holes accommodated large dimensional tolerances,
minimized the need for corrective action, and hastened
construction. Since an impact wrench was used to tighten
bolts, fully tightening added little erection time.
Since the stadium was located in a geologic region subject
to relatively high seismic activity, expansion joints
were as wide as 7”. This normally creates a significant
cost premium for the expansion joint cover. We simplified
and economized this condition by developing an intricate
detail where the structure provided a full-width gap and
a collapsible plate with a 1” gap. In the rare occurrence
of a major earthquake, the plate would collapse and be
easily replaced. This provided a significant overall savings
to the project.
The Cardinals and public officials determined the optimum
location of New Busch Stadium to be up tight to Highway
I-64 and physically overlapping Busch Stadium. Only three-quarters
of the new stadium could be constructed until the old
stadium was imploded three weeks after the 2005 season.
Then it was off to the races with construction of “The
Miracle”, so dubbed because it had to be constructed
from the ground up before Opening Day.
Whereas the majority of the ballpark is framed with cast-in-place
concrete beams and one-way slabs to the Main Concourse
level and structural steel above, we framed The Miracle
(the quadrant from Left-Center Field thru 3rd Base) using
structural steel. This allowed members to be detailed,
fabricated and delivered to the site in advance and erected
immediately upon demolition of the old stadium.
The project site, from the northern edge of current old
Busch Stadium (Walnut Street) to the base of the elevated
Interstate 40/64 highway (Poplar Street), gradually slopes
down about 40 feet. This seemingly ordinary topographical
fact created a fantastic site condition for the New Busch
Stadium that the architects exploited in two ways.
First, by placing home plate in the southwest corner of
the site and lowering seating and scoreboard heights in
center field, the majority of spectators have dramatic
views of the Gateway Arch and the downtown St. Louis skyline.Second,
after Clark Street was "rebuilt" through the
site after the old Busch Stadium came down, fans and motorists
traveling along Clark Street were able to enjoy unobstructed
views into the ballpark, including the playing field itself!
These views strengthened and extended the connection between
the new ballpark and the emerging urban neighborhood on
the north side of Clark Street called Ballpark Village.
Perhaps the best outfield views of all will be from the
balconies and rooftops of the new buildings in the Ballpark
Village.
The design of the new Busch Stadium took into account
the context of downtown St. Louis, the colorful history
of the Cardinals, and the best attributes of the most
successful ballparks built around baseball since the construction
of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992. With classic arched
openings recalling the nearby Cupples Station warehouses
to the rich warm colors of the Wainright building, this
ballpark is inspired by the classics. However, its creative
use of old and new materials, from brick and concrete
to exposed steel and glass, creates an architectural statement
that stands on its own, with a modern sensibility appropriate
for the 21st century.
The ballpark has expanded bleacher sections, a state-of-the-art
video board and entertainment system. There is increased
access for fans with disabilities, new escalators and
more elevators. The Main Concourse circles the entire
ballpark, providing a 360-degree view of the playing field.
A public plaza provides a perfect gathering spot for fans
before and after games.
The architecturally exposed structural steel arch at the
3rd Base Grand Entrance emulates the historic Eads Bridge,
the first bridge to span the Mississippi River. The stadium
is open at the center field for a magnificent view of
the St. Louis Arch.
New Busch Stadium has 43,975 seats, 2,500 club seats,
63 suites and 41 party rooms and fully satisfies the economic
requirements of Anheuser-Busch, owners of the Cardinals.
The design is detailed and creative, yet the project was
completed on time and on budget. While this is not primarily
within our control, we worked very closely with the construction
manager to address value engineering suggestions promptly,
review submittals quickly, communicate often, and work
hard to develop the optimal solution to problems, regardless
of cause.
The St. Louis Cardinals entered the 2006 season with the
most World Series championships in the National League.
During the season, every game sold out and the total attendance
of 3,407,104 was the second largest in team history. They
ended the season with another World Series win and a new,
state-of-the-art home, the New Busch Stadium. |
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