Hitting a Home Run on Stadium and Ballpark Projects

Aug 11, 2022

Marx|Okubo has the privilege of working on so many challenging and exciting projects. With dedicated, integrated architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) teams at our local offices around the country, we have the opportunity to help protect and preserve stadiums. These beloved cultural icons add so much value to our communities—and our work.

So what do we mean by stadium-specific work? Stadiums are specialized structures with their own complex systems. The relatively large size of stadiums presents innate challenges. Foremost, big properties don’t take long to accumulate deficiencies. And with stadium staff generally preoccupied with ongoing operations, devoting enough time to proper maintenance is a hard goal to achieve.

Due to stadiums’ size, Marx|Okubo must assess these properties on their own terms. Often these massive facilities need to remain operational during any investigation, maintenance, and repair work. This adds another layer of complexity. But it’s this size and system diversity that provides such interesting learning and research opportunities for Marx|Okubo teams.

Complex stadium systems require far more than a standard property condition assessment (PCA). Reviews of stadiums can take anywhere from several days to months depending on the scope of the project, and Marx|Okubo occasionally brings in additional specialists to collaborate.

Our partnership with Seattle’s T-Mobile Park is just one example of our long-term commitment to stadium work. Over eight years we expanded the original generalist review to perform a variety of inspections, including paint systems that are continuously and directly exposed to marine air; the operable roof system including tracks, controls, and bogeys (wheels); and vertical transportation systems, such as elevators and escalators.

Proper scope is key to stadium work

Every stadium has its own requirements, and it’s not uncommon for surprises to pop up during our review process. That means Marx|Okubo is always careful to create a scope of work that is sufficient enough for an in-depth review of each facility, allowing for enough time and resources to adequately observe the sophisticated systems.

Our teams must also work around the schedule of the stadium activities, which can require extensive scheduling and timeline flexibility for our team members. To head off any issues, we typically advise an initial meeting with a stadium’s contracting officer to discuss any ownership concerns. From there we can build a schedule of activities that may include operation staff as well as outside consultants.

To each stadium project, we bring diverse talent and specialized knowledge through our integrated nationwide teams, each loaded with local insight. This means Marx|Okubo can operate with a local leadership team while bringing in additional specialists such as mechanical engineers and structural engineers from our national pool. Stadium work takes a careful balance of the right teams, expertise, and scope.

Have more questions about our stadium work and how Marx|Okubo might be a fit for your project? Please contact Corey Petersen. We’re here to help.