TEMPE, Ariz. – After months of planning, hard hats and construction boots will replace helmets and cleats as work begins on the transformation of Sun Devil Stadium at Arizona State University. While the south end zone is the primary focus during Phase 1 of the project, work will include demolition of the upper deck of the northeast end zone.
“This month marks the beginning of tangible change at Sun Devil Stadium,” said Vice President for University Athletics and Athletic Director Ray Anderson. “We are going to upgrade the aging infrastructure, improve the amenities, enhance the fan experience and deliver an intimate collegiate experience for our students, our student athletes and Sun Devil fans.”
When complete, the enhanced stadium will be better integrated into its iconic location, with views to the unique desert landscape of the Tempe Buttes and the developing urban environment of the Athletics Facilities District north of the stadium. Ed Soltero, Assistant Vice President and University Architect, said the stadium also will feature improved entry pathways on both the north and south end zones and a single enhanced and connected concourse that carries through the entire facility.
Hunt Construction and Sundt Construction are the lead construction management partners in the project, working with the university’s capital programs management team. The majority of the work in Phase 1 will occur in the south end zone, where steel bleachers will be replaced with permanent concrete stadium bowl seating to create a new student section. Demolition will also occur in the northeast end with the removal of additional upper deck seating. Work will continue until the 2015 football season begins in September.
“The first phase is just the beginning, so it may be hard for people to envision the magnitude of the ultimate transformation, but they are going to see things happening throughout the first three quarters of 2015” said Bruce Jensen, ASU’s Executive Director of Capital Programs. “The stadium will definitely feel different the next time the Sun Devils take the field.”
As important as what people will see as the project unfolds are the things that they will not see. Sun Devil Stadium was built in 1958 – its back-of-house operations and basic infrastructure are in need of repair, replacement and modernization. Concessions, restrooms and utility and plumbing upgrades will be part of the improvements and will become visible in 2016 and 2017.
Tab Baker of Hunt Construction said that the eight-month construction window means that efficiency in scheduling is paramount. He said the construction crew, at its peak, would reach 200 people.
“Every day is important and we will make adjustments as we seek to maximize efficiency,” said Baker. “We have a budget and a schedule and we will meet it.”
Phase 1 activity will create a new student section in the south end zone, removing existing steel bleachers and replacing them with concrete treads and risers and permanent stadium seating. The south end zone section will be complemented by the implementation of a student section in the north end zone, creating what head football coach Todd Graham has called a “double-inferno” of student sections at both ends of the field, unlike any stadium in the Pac-12.
Phase 1, which will be completed by August 2015, includes the removal of a majority of the existing loge structure in the southwest and southeast corners of the stadium as well as the demolition to the upper deck of the northeast end zone. The area cleared by the removal will be redeveloped in a configuration that is dedicated to students for seating and standing, enhanced concessions, food service, restrooms and dedicated student entrances to the stadium.
Phase 2 work will be conducted on the east and north sides of the stadium in 2016, upon conclusion of the 2015 football season. The Phase 3 work will begin in January of 2017 with work on the west side of the stadium and on the Student Athletics Facility, completing in time for the 2017 football season.
“The Sun Devil Stadium transformation team continues to refine plans as we transition from one phase to the next,” said Morgan R. Olsen, ASU Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. “The challenge is that, as with any large, complex construction project, it is a long process and some inconveniences will arise as changes are made. In the end, we will have an elite college football facility that past, present and future Sun Devils will love.”
“These changes will open up the stadium and create better view corridors to the field from anywhere in the stadium,” said Olsen. “When we are finished, every seat in the house will have an extraordinary view of the field and the circulation and amenities within the stadium will be improved no matter where you find your seat.”
The changes in the south end zone and demolition of the upper northeast deck will trigger the relocation of some season ticket holders. As work progresses over the next two phases, additional relocations will occur. University officials said a plan is underway for relocating season ticket holders and re-seating them temporarily and then permanently.
Work on Sun Devil Stadium began in the spring of 2014, when approximately 5,700 seats were removed from the north end zone as a preparatory step. The last major renovation to Sun Devil Stadium came in 1988 with the addition of 1,700 seats.