New Meadowlands Stadium

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Location: East Rutherford, N.J.

Type of Precast: Structural precast risers, tubs, vomitory walls
Size: 2,100,000 sq. ft. (445,000 sq. ft. structural precast)

Design Architect: 360 Architecture
Architect/Engineer: Ewing Cole 
General Contractor: SKANSKA Building USA, Inc.
Owner: New Meadowlands Stadium LLC
Images: Ewing Cole

Overview

Quick Points:

• Larger spans save costs, engineered to ensure fan comfort
• Tub detail provides new solution to cascading water
• Precast accommodates structural LED ribbon board
• Unique RFID-BIM tracking system speeds construction

Contents:

Summary

  Super Bowl-caliber home for Giants and Jets pushes limits of precast

Building Details

  Unique precast designs save costs, improve fan experience

Construction

  RFID-BIM combination tracks precast pieces as they come together

Summary

Super Bowl-caliber home for Giants and Jets pushes limits of precast

Completed in 2010, the new $1.7 billion Meadowlands stadium gives both the New York Jets and 2008 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants a spectacular home field. Located next to the site of the existing Giants Stadium, which it has since replaced, the complex is the first specifically designed to house two NFL teams.

With precast concrete stadium components from High Concrete Group LLC, their respective fans have seating to rival any venue in the National Football League.

The massive, 2.1 million-square-foot privately funded facility incorporates 445,000 square feet of precast concrete. The seating bowl and sightlines were developed based on careful study of sections from other NFL stadiums. The result is a stadium with 82,500 seats surrounding the entire field, creating intensity and providing excellent views even from the farthest seat.

"When considering the precast, there are several firsts in this stadium that may set precedents for other sports venues," says Ewing Cole project architect Craig Schmitt. "These include the designs for the tub floors, the tub front walls and the RFID tagging and BIM system that tracked pieces from production through installation."

Though the scope and complexity of the project initially created logistical challenges, builder SKANSKA Building USA viewed High Concrete Group LLC as a natural fit for the demanding project. High Concrete Group had supplied the precast for the original Giants Stadium, so the design team knew what to expect when preparing for the new worksite. And High Concrete's experience handling large stadium projects including the new Prudential Center in nearby Newark and Citi Field in Queens provided an additional level of reassurance.

Building Details

Unique precast designs save costs, improve fan experience

Early coordination of the precast stadium units helped identify any conflict with structural steel or other trades, helping to avoid unnecessary fieldwork and limit costly change orders. For the owner, these error-reducing measures gained the potential to earn revenue sooner. High Concrete Group worked closely with Ewing Cole from the beginning to lock in the design so the architect could order materials ahead of expected price increases.

"The column to column spans are much larger than most other stadiums," notes Schmitt. "Typically, spans range from 36 to 42 feet. In the New Meadowlands they are 50 to 55 feet." Specially engineered by High Concrete Group, the precast was designed to minimize deflection, vibration and harmonics so that fans feel safe in the stands despite the larger spans. Meantime, the span increase helped reduce the number of steel pieces to be erected.

The very front row of each deck is unique, according to Schmitt. In a first for stadium design, "we built in a trough underneath where the seat would be mounted, purposely canting the floor and embedding drains so that cascading water would be carried away without getting peoples' feet wet."

The tubs in the mid bowl were produced without upturned fascia walls. In place of the precast in this area, a continuous structural LED ribbon board was used. Had the ribbon board been mounted to the precast it would have pushed into the sight lines of people sitting above. The ribbon board is mounted via weld tabs to plates formed into the precast tubs, which were designed to prevent corrosion of the connections. The same precast drain detail used on the standard tubs kept water away to keep the composite assembly watertight.

Construction

Unique precast designs save costs, improve fan experience

Early coordination of the precast stadium units helped identify any conflict with structural steel or other trades, helping to avoid unnecessary fieldwork and limit costly change orders. For the owner, these error-reducing measures gained the potential to earn revenue sooner. High Concrete Group worked closely with Ewing Cole from the beginning to lock in the design so the architect could order materials ahead of expected price increases.

"The column to column spans are much larger than most other stadiums," notes Schmitt. "Typically, spans range from 36 to 42 feet. In the New Meadowlands they are 50 to 55 feet." Specially engineered by High Concrete Group, the precast was designed to minimize deflection, vibration and harmonics so that fans feel safe in the stands despite the larger spans. Meantime, the span increase helped reduce the number of steel pieces to be erected.

The very front row of each deck is unique, according to Schmitt. In a first for stadium design, "we built in a trough underneath where the seat would be mounted, purposely canting the floor and embedding drains so that cascading water would be carried away without getting peoples' feet wet."

The tubs in the mid bowl were produced without upturned fascia walls. In place of the precast in this area, a continuous structural LED ribbon board was used. Had the ribbon board been mounted to the precast it would have pushed into the sight lines of people sitting above. The ribbon board is mounted via weld tabs to plates formed into the precast tubs, which were designed to prevent corrosion of the connections. The same precast drain detail used on the standard tubs kept water away to keep the composite assembly watertight.