Chamberlin is honored to have received the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Oklahoma Build Oklahoma Award for their work on the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. This awards program represents the "Best of the Best" commercial building projects in Oklahoma for the year. Senior Project Manager Kraig Murray and Estimating Manager Craig Ayers accepted the award at the 80th Annual AGCOK Awards Banquet on Saturday, January 11th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is one of the most well-known football stadiums in college football. For years, the stadium struggled with moisture intrusion, specifically at expansion joint locations throughout the bowl. Multiple attempts to retrofit and repair these conditions had been unsuccessful over the years evolving into an annual and costly maintenance item for the university.
Chamberlin was selected to find a permanent solution for the expansion joints and ultimately stop the leaks. Additionally, their scope for the stadium renovation included structural concrete repairs, crystalline waterproofing, epoxy injection, joint sealants, traffic coating, bentonite waterproofing, extending concrete steps for widened aisles and adding intermediate steps to the east side of the stadium.
They repaired and replaced 4,100 linear feet of expansion joints and 285,000 square feet of traffic coating in just six months despite working through a rainy season, limited access to repair areas and a tight schedule. The project concluded within budget and with zero safety incidents.
Chamberlin’s Project Manager created a detailed schedule and phasing sequence for the project that detailed each trade’s daily plan to maximize everyone’s time, avoid conflicts and mitigate unnecessary damage to renovation finishes. Chamberlin suggested material substitutions for the traffic coating and expansion joints with longer lifespan, higher movement and custom color options without increasing the cost for the owner.
One area in need of structural repairs was the blockouts and concrete inside the expansion joints in the stadium. To begin, Chamberlin cut out the expansion joints leaving them exposed while extensive repairs were completed inside the joint. If there was a chance of rain, all joints had to be closed in order to protect them from water infiltration. Chamberlin brainstormed an idea that would allow them to quickly protect the joints and efficiently resume repairs when the rain passed. The solution was a sheet membrane waterproofing which was easily installed to seal the joints and swiftly cut away to allow quick access to the work.
Chamberlin reinforced structural concrete beams underneath the stadium with carbon fiber reinforcement to stabilize the stadium and prevent settling that could cause future damage to the structural integrity of the stadium. Access to this area was challenging as the beams were below the stadium bowl but above a sub-roof. Approximately 25-foot high scaffolding was needed but had to be constructed without compromising the sub-roof or the crew members' safety. Since the sub-roof did not have enough structural integrity to support the scaffold, the scaffold was built up to rest on a tie beam for support. In addition, the traditional assembly of OBS frames would not fit in the area, so a modular scaffolding system with interlocking poles was erected.
The Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was renovated on time, with zero safety incidents and without closing the stadium. Chamberlin was honored to help make the stadium at the University of Oklahoma new again.