First look: K-State's Bill Snyder Family Stadium expansion

Mortenson Construction officially completed Phase II of the Bill Snyder Stadium Master Plan on the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan, Kan., on August 21, 2013. The transformation was completed ahead of schedule, a full week before the defending Big 12 Champion Wildcats take on two-time defending FCS?National Champion North Dakota State in the first game of the season.

The largest project in K-State Athletics history will greatly improve the game-day experience for Kansas State University fans with new amenities, concessions, ADA seating, restrooms, premium seating, improved media and broadcast facilities, new field lighting – levels meet Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Games and high-definition TV broadcast requirements, a Hall of Fame, plaza improvements, and an enhanced tailgating experience.

"The Mortenson | GE Johnson team put an impressive amount of work in place in an aggressive eight-month time frame," said Derek Cunz, vice president at Mortenson Construction. "This accomplishment would not have been possible without the seamless collaboration between the design team, construction team, trade partners, University facilities and University athletics."

Other contributing factors cited by Cunz include:

Selection of Mortenson | GE Johnson as the single CM for the entire project, including FF&E, food service, signage, and furniture.
Early involvement between planning and design.
Focus on interim milestones.
Integration of Virtual Design and Construction into the daily planning.
Prefabrication of many exterior elements, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical.
Mortenson | GE Johnson self-performed the concrete and site work to manage the schedule, safety, and quality from the beginning of the project.

"We've sold a record number of season tickets," said K-State's Athletics Director, John Currie. "We'll have the most fans ever to come to the stadium this season, about 400,000, and set the all-time attendance record. We appreciate our partners Mortenson and GE Johnson and the great job they've done for our fans." Tickets for the opening game on Friday against North Dakota State are sold-out.

Project Statistics

218,000 square feet of new construction
12,000 cubic yards of concrete
78,000 square feet of stone veneer
390 peak workers on site every day during construction
750,000+ craftworker hours worked
1,250 tons of rebar
479 days to build Kansas State's Northwest Gateway
2,500 tons of structural and misc steel
44 new private suites
37 new loge boxes
713 new club seats
56 bid packages / trade partners
New lighting for East & West parking lots
Entire project funded by donors, premium seat gifts, and athletics revenue; NO State or University dollars.
Demolition of the existing press box December 15, 2012; first game being played August 30, 2013.
Zero disruptions/cancellations of events due to construction

Other team members include: AECOM / HEERY, Henderson Engineers, Olsson Associates, Bigelow Consulting, LeJeune Steel, Torgeson Electric, Central Mechanical, Bamford Fire Protection, Midwest Drywall, Gallegos Stone, Performance Masonry, Griffith Lumber, and Manko Windows.

Before you get your shorts in a knot, I have nothing against science, technology, engineering, or even mathematics; to the contrary, I love all four “STEM” disciplines (I’m lying about the math). But I question whether we need to be building K-12 schools that overly emphasize or are totally devoted to STEM.

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