University of Minnesota Athletics
TCF Bank Stadium Taking Shape
5/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
The University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium is beginning to take shape. Erection of the steel stadium structure has been under way for several months and masonry work on the exterior of the building has begun.
The stadium will be fully enclosed by Fall 2008. At that point interior finishing will begin. TCF Bank Stadium is slated for substantial completion in July 2009 and will open for the first Golden Gopher football game of the season on September 12, 2009.
Much of the steel structure is now in place, including the full height of the press box on the south side. Steel erection will continue through June 2008.
The stadium's lower and upper seating bowls are being installed. The seating bowl is made of prefabricated sections, which are made off site by Hanson Precast Midwest of Maple Grove and then delivered to the job site.
Brick is being laid on the southwest exterior of the building and arched entrances in the Minnesota Room (the covered walkway around the Stadium) are taking shape.
The construction schedule for the building is complicated and must be highly coordinated. As steel structure and concrete decks are finished in one area, the crews working on these items move on to the next area, while crews working on the plumbing, electrical, mechanical, brick and stairways move in to start work. Approximately 500 people will be working on site by the end of May.
In addition to the stadium being built skyward, work is continuing on the ground and beneath it. A new multi-million dollar storm water management system will serve the stadium and the larger area around the stadium site. A major sand filter to clean water before it is discharged to the Mississippi River was recently installed as part of this storm water management system.
