University of Arkansas Reynolds Razorback Stadium Renovation

OWNER

University of Arkansas

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Construction Cost
$160 million

Completion Date
July 2018

Project Size
230,000 SF

University of Arkansas Reynolds Razorback Stadium Renovation

Fayetteville
Arkansas

In 2015 Walter P Moore joined Populous in a pursuit of a major renovation and expansion of the University of Arkansas football stadium. This project included a complete demolition and rebuilding of the Frank Broyles Athletic Center; the addition of two large scoreboards; and upgrading fan amenities throughout the stadium.

Time was a critical factor for the university throughout the project as it needed to be completed by Fall of 2018 and remain open during the 2016 and 2017 football seasons. Walter P Moore developed a Revit model of the existing stadium to use throughout the design process and worked closely with the construction team to create a schedule to maximize the time available during the off seasons. Another major acceleration of the overall schedule occurred during the excavation of the new North Endzone. Bounded by a highway, city road and existing sideline buildings, this work required precise coordination. We suggested a hybrid top-down excavation approach which allowed the construction team to dig the site directly next to each boundary and build the retention system as the project progressed – saving significant time and resources.

A second critical factor for the university was the experience of their fans which included how comfortable they would feel in the stadium itself. Unlike most structures, fans moving or swaying together in a stadium can generate vibrations that are strong enough to be felt. Our team utilized a comprehensive model to analyze the behavior of the new steel seating trusses and studied several options of truss designs for the owner. Ultimately, the university requested we match the behavior of the North Endzone to that of the existing South Endzone.

The addition of a large scoreboard to the South Endzone presented its own challenges. The roof of the club room where the owner wanted to mount the new scoreboard could easily handle more weight, however, a large cantilevered scoreboard exceeded the structure’s lateral design capacity. Walter P Moore determined that by stiffening the existing roof, the building could support a scoreboard of up to 6,300 SF. This stiffening limited the potential building drift and cantilever deflections.

This renovation increased the life-span of the stadium and ensured viability of the facility and Razorbacks program within the SEC. Walter P Moore worked closely with our partners to create solutions that enabled the project to be completed within budget and on time.