Mile High Design
by Jeff L. Brown, Contributing Editor;Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 2001, Vol. 71, Issue 5, Pg. 60-65
Document Type: Feature article
Abstract:
Denver's hybrid steel and concrete Invesco Field at Mile High, the National Football League's first design/build stadium, is on schedule to replace the existing Mile High Stadium this summer. The 1.7 million sq ft (157,930 m�) stadium preserves the horseshoe shape of the original as well as its steel treads and risers, on which fans jump and stamp to create the loud noise known as Rocky Mountain Thunder. Structural engineers chose an A36 killed steel to imitate the treads and risers of the existing stadium and conducted dynamic analyses of the subframing to maximize the noise without creating excessive vibrations. Land ownership issues prevented construction of the entire stadium at once, so it was built in eight sections separated by expansion joints. Market conditions and the stadium's curved geometry would have made precast elements expensive, so the project team chose two-way posttensioned cast-in-place concrete decks instead. They created an efficient custom framing system in which pans up to 50 ft (15 m) long could be reused in different parts of the building�one of the longest pan-joist systems in the United States.
Subject Headings: Stadiums and sport facilities | Steel | Frames | Existing buildings | Vibration | Team building | Structural systems
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