Safeco Field Seattle, Washington
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Safeco Field Seattle, Washington n 1995, Seattle’s profes- sionalI baseball team, the Mariners, decided they wanted a new stadium. Across the country, great baseball venues were being created, echoing the early days of old-style stadiums, fresh grass fields, and the great outdoors. After 21 years of playing in the fully enclosed Kingdome, the Mariners, too, wanted out in the sun, both for the joy of playing outside and the financial boost it would bring the team. But Seattle’s rainy climate dic- tated that the stadium be equipped with an “umbrella” to shield fans on days of inclement weather. And, thus, the demand was made: Build us a new stadi- um, open to the sky, with real grass, but make sure we can cover the field and the fans when it rains. Plus, do it by opening day 1999. With those ground rules, the design team set to work. The result is Safeco Field, a 47,000 seat, state-of-the-art, retractable roof ballpark. This one-of-a-kind project offers a landmark public amenity that will keep major league baseball in the region for years to come. It pro- vides good family entertainment, while stimulating economic growth and redevelopment in the area. Proactive management and innovative design solutions were required to meet the aggressive Modern Steel Construction / March 2000 project schedule and design chal- lenges. The retractable roof was designed for speedy erection and to minimize the impact on the construction of the seating bowl. The close proximity to the Seattle Fault required special seismic considerations, such as the use of an innovative viscous damping system in the roof that reduces the seismic forces by 50%. The exposed steel structure was designed to be functional as well as aesthetically interesting. The complex dynamic interaction between the three roof panels and the supporting runway required the use of very sophisticated lead- ing-edge analytical techniques. Large, three-dimensional, non- linear, time history analytical models were used to simulate dif- ferent earthquakes and develop the criteria for designing the damping system. The roof has over 12,800 indi- vidual pieces, weighing a total of 10,800 tons. It covers 8.8 acres and is supported by eight 655’ long tri-chord trusses. The roof rests on eight 90’ tall steel lattice legs. The trusses are pinned at one end to allow for lateral deflections due to temperature expansion and snow loads with- out imposing large stress in the structure. The legs are supported Modern Steel Construction / March 2000 Washington, on a site constrict- ed on three sides by busy streets and the Kingdome on the fourth. • Provide an architectural con- nection to the adjacent Pioneer Square historical district • Complete the stadium in time for opening day 1999 Application of New or Innovative Technologies The use of steel was the key to the stadium’s success. Apart from the precast seating bowl, virtually all the project elements incorpo- rated steel. Below is an explana- tion of some of the more out- on large travel trucks, which suites and 5 to 7 party suites standing and innovative ideas and move along two elevated runway • Include administrative offices, technologies applied. Several structures on the north and south a stadium club, restaurant(s), new and innovative applications sides of the stadium. Through state-of-the-art clubhouses, were incorporated into the roof this system, the stadium roof and parking facilities design: moves at the rate of 1’ per sec- • Incorporate the retractable ond, taking 10 minutes to fully roof as an “integral part of the First-EEver Fully Retractable open or close in moderate winds design” Roof Utilizing Linear up to 20 mph. Tracking Movement With The stadium was designed in Jurors’ Comments: Three Independent Roof an amazing 9 months and built in just 27 months, 16 months less A one-of-a-kind project Panels than a normal design and con- taking a moveable roof Each of Safeco Field’s three struction schedule. The project is roof panels is completely inde- definitely a home run experience, stadium to a new level in pendent, as opposed to the inter- revitalizing the team, the fans, dependent panels of the ballpark and the city. a seismic design. in Phoenix, where the edge of Designed in just nine each panel is supported on the Satisfying the Building adjacent panel. By making the Program months and constructed panels independent, less steel was needed, and roof construction The demands of the building in just 27 months, the could be completed over the rail- program, as detailed in the con- engineers met a long road tracks without interfering tract between the Washington with construction of the seating State Public Facilities District series of complex chal- bowl. (appointed by Governor Gary Locke to oversee construction of lenges. The linear tracking and inde- the stadium) and the design team, pendent panel design of Safeco were few and straightforward, yet Field allowed the roof to be fully also incredibly complex and chal- stacked and provided a simpler lenging: • Construct the roof to expose as method of dealing with tempera- many fans as possible to the ture expansion and seismic dis- • Build a new retractable roof, outdoors when it is open placement. In the retracted posi- world-class major league base- • Provide a natural grass base- tion, the three panels are stacked, ball stadium and entertainment ball field which allows the roof to be com- complex • Locate the stadium near the pletely retracted off the stadium • Accommodate 47,000 fans, Kingdome in Seattle, and stored over the adjacent rail- including 70 to 75 standard Modern Steel Construction / March 2000 road tracks under a long-term air- rights agreement with Burlington Northern. By completely retract- ing off the field, fans can enjoy a totally open ballpark, and not just a “peek-a-boo” view to the sky. Only Retractable Roof Ballpark In UBC Seismic Zones 3 or 4 Not only is the stadium located in Seismic Zone 3, it is built near the Seattle fault! The use of vis- cous dampers mounted on the roof panels play an important role in dissipating seismic energy and reducing overall lateral forces. mass of the structure constantly Construction This provided a very economical changes. Essentially, the stadium Once constructed, the dramatic design and saved over $5,000,000 becomes many different struc- tri-chord trusses are self-support- in construction costs. tures, depending on the roof loca- ing. By taking advantage of this tion. Gravity, wind, and seismic The original roof design con- feature, a greatly simplified and loads were evaluated at incre- sisted of five panels. In an effort shortened construction sequence mental stages along the runway so to reduce the overall cost of the was determined. A single erec- account for all the possible load- stadium, the original restrictive tion platform was built directly ing conditions. An analysis was stacking requirements were outside the stadium footprint performed using 1,500 different relaxed, which allowed the num- towards the railroad tracks. Once load combinations. ber of roof panels to be reduced each truss was complete, it was from five to three. A 70’ curved In an application never before released to be self-supporting, “brow” cantilevers off the attempted, variable-depth, vari- then rolled along the runway retractable roof and fills the gap able-width tri-chord trusses were trestle to be temporarily stored in between the roof truss and the selected to support the stadium’s the “air-rights” area over the rail- sun canopy. retractable roof. The selection of road tracks. This allowed con- The final solution also skewed the tri-chord trusses was arrived struction of the next truss to pro- the roof 8 degrees, to more close- at after considering a multitude of ceed on the same erection ly align the panels with the field. different structural, architectural, platform. and constructability criteria. The Both of these ideas resulted in After all the lower trusses (for sleek upturned tri-chord trusses complete field coverage while the end panels) were erected, the are one of the primary defining eliminating the expense of the platform was extended 50’ to con- architectural features of the ball- two additional roof panels, reduc- tinue with erection of the taller park. The very stable tri-chord ing the overall area by 30%, and trusses. By removing the roof configuration allows the trusses to cutting 100’ off the length of each erection from the critical path for be erected on a stationary work runway structure. The redesign the stadium, construction of the platform, then rolled aside to reduced the original $100 million stadium bowl could proceed make way for the next truss. The roof estimate by nearly $30 mil- unimpeded. Additionally, this tri-chord truss is the most effi- lion. solution minimized disruption to cient way to span long distances the West Coast’s main Most structures don’t move and when using an upturned truss. can be analyzed using conven- north/south Burlington Northern tional tools with approximately “Not only were they more sta- route. ble, they were more beautiful,” 100 load cases. The moving roof As each truss was built, it was said NBBJ principal and design of Safeco Field presented a totally temporarily supported on the team member Richard L. Zieve. different challenge. As the roof erection platform. A jacking sys- moves along the runways, the tem on the platform allowed each stiffness and distribution of the Trusses Enhance truss to “drop” into its self-sup- Modern Steel Construction / March 2000 Additionally, a computerized monitoring system utilizing 50 accelerometers was put in place to verify damper performance in the event of an earthquake or high-wind event.