Renovation of the Soldier Field Stadium with Viega Profipress
Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA, opened its doors in 1924 as the Grant Park Municipal Stadium and was renamed to honor American soldiers. The Chicago Bears moved from Wrigley Field and began using the facility in 1971.
In 2011 Hill Mechanical Corp. undertook the 20-month renovation project to update the stadium’s mechanical systems and add more amenities, like a ground-floor service level with training rooms, locker rooms and administrative offices, club level bathrooms, concessions, lounges, food service and suite levels.
Hill Mechanical campaigned for Viega’s Profipress system (US standard), which was not included in the original specs. Working with Minneapolis-based engineering firm Ellerbe Becket, SG Supply, and Viega directly, Hill Mechanical succeeded.
Tight construction schedule
From a time-saving standpoint it was imperative that Hill Mechanical use Viega Profipress, because the complete mechanical systems overhaul consisted of 27,000 linear feet of 1⁄2" to 4" piping. “The construction schedule was the fastest a stadium had ever been built,” said Russ Nelson, Senior Project Manager, Hill Mechanical Corp.
Hill Mechanical also relies on Viega Profipress in many instances where contractors are working in confined spaces. Soldier Field was no different. Due to the mechanical room and closet-size constraints, Viega Profipress was a vital component to Hill Mechanical completing the project schedule on time and within budget. “If the 25 pipefitters dedicated to Viega Profipress had to braze or sweat all joints, the job could not have been accomplished on time,” Nelson said.
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. So it’s comforting to know that, to this day, Nelson said, “We haven’t heard a single negative comment regarding the installation.”
