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.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
PCA partners with MIT on concrete research center
MIT today announced the creation of the Concrete Sustainability Hub, a research center established at MIT in collaboration with the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation.
| Aug 11, 2010
Study explains the financial value of green commercial buildings
Green building may be booming, especially in the Northwest, but the claims made for high-performance buildings have been slow to gain traction in the financial community. Appraisers, lenders, investors and brokers have found it difficult to confirm the value of high-performance green features and related savings. A new study of office buildings identifies how high-performance green features and systems can increase the value of commercial buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index flat in May, according to AIA
After a slight decline in April, the Architecture Billings Index was up a tenth of a point to 42.9 in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index drops to lowest level since June
Another stall in the recovery for the construction industry as the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped to its lowest level since June. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the August ABI rating was 41.7, down slightly from 43.1 in July. This score indicates a decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).
| Aug 11, 2010
RTKL names Lance Josal president and CEO
Lance K. Josal FAIA has been named President and CEO of RTKL Associates Inc., the international planning, design and engineering firm. Josal succeeds RTKL’s current President and CEO, David C. Hudson AIA, who is retiring from the firm. The changes will take effect on 1 September 2009.
| Aug 11, 2010
Balfour Beatty agrees to acquire Parsons Brinckerhoff for $626 million
Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction, investment and services group, has agreed to acquire Parsons Brinckerhoff for $626 million. Balfour Beatty executives believe the merger will be a major step forward in accomplishing a number of Balfour Beatty’s objectives, including establishing a global professional services business of scale, creating a leading position in U.S. civil infrastructure, particularly in the transportation sector, and enhancing its global reach.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction unemployment rises to 17.1% as another 64,000 construction workers are laid off in September
The national unemployment rate for the construction industry rose to 17.1 percent as another 64,000 construction workers lost their jobs in September, according to an analysis of new employment data released today. With 80 percent of layoffs occurring in nonresidential construction, Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, said the decline in nonresidential construction has eclipsed housing’s problems.
| Aug 11, 2010
Billings at U.S. architecture firms exceeds $40 billion annually
In the three-year period leading up to the current recession, gross billings at U.S. architecture firms increased nearly $16 billion from 2005 and totaled $44.3 billion in 2008. This equates to 54 percent growth over the three-year period with annual growth of about 16 percent. These findings are from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Business of Architecture: AIA Survey Report on Firm Characteristics.