5 minute read
WIDE OPEN VIEWS for Every Inning
BY ERIN PINKERTON
In spectator sports, having a good view of the game is a must. But when Manhattan Construction, HKS and the rest of the team partnered to build Globe Life Field, they didn’t stop there. Instead, they created a ballpark that gives fans upclose and interesting vantage points to watch the game but also spectacular views, both inside and outside of the ballpark. Fans walking along the main concourse can enjoy unobstructed views of the ballfield and not miss a moment of game time action but also look outside and be greeted with views of Arlington sports staples, including the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, the Texas Live! entertainment district and Globe Life Park, the former home of the Texas Rangers.
Transparent building materials appear all around Globe Life Field to create the ballpark’s wide-open views, but these materials also let in natural light to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere whether the retractable roof is open or closed. In addition to panels of ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), a translucent polymer sheeting, in the roof and other translucent panels around the ballpark, glass can be found on all four sides of the ballpark.
Exterior glass has the effect of blurring the line between inside and outside, drawing the attention of passersby into the ballpark and keeping Rangers fans connected to the life teeming outside the stadium and the beauty of the great outdoors.
Fans enter the ballpark through glass entrances, and glass overhead doors open to allow access in and out of the west plaza, explained Andy Patteson, senior superintendent at Manhattan Construction.
But Patteson said the most unique glass feature is Globe Life Field’s 1,000-foot-long north façade, a glass curtain wall that connects 18 massive brick arches. The wall is made of 60-foot-wide by 80-foot-tall glass bays lining the arch corridor and creating an interesting design behind left field.
“When you’re inside and walking along the arch corridor, everywhere you are, you can see out toward the existing ballpark,” Patteson said, adding that Texas Live! and AT&T Stadium are also visible. “There’s a lot of glass, I’ll tell you that.”
Fans can also see the ballfield when walking through the arch corridor or around the upper and main concourses. HKS designed the ballpark to give Rangers fans great views no matter where they are in the stadium — whether they are looking down to the field for a triple play or out the curtain wall to a sunny spring day.
–BRYAN TRUBEY, HKS PRINCIPAL
To create the north façade, Manhattan Construction enlisted the expertise of curtain wall and specialty glass contractor Haley-Greer Inc., which was responsible for the exterior glass, 27 ticket windows and 161 aluminum doors.
“Haley-Greer is known for doing a lot of monumental projects throughout the state of Texas,” said Jason Wroblewski, executive vice president of Haley-Greer, which also partnered with Manhattan Construction and HKS to build Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium). “We’re fortunate to be a part of those projects, and especially with good partners like Manhattan Construction Company.”
The glasswork done by Haley-Greer was completed in three phases. The first phase, which started in late 2018, consisted of the west and south sides of the ballpark and included the office building to house the Rangers staff. The second phase was on the east side of the ballpark. The final phase was the north façade — the curtain wall.
“Always the challenge in our business is the engineering and the lead times with materials because everything we do is custom-fabricated curtain wall metal and glass. They’re specific sizes to the one-sixteenths of an inch. Those things take time,” Wroblewski said. “You can’t just go to the local hardware store to pick up the supplies we’re installing on these projects.”
To create the curtain wall, Haley-Greer purchased glass from its glass supplier and had it shipped to another industry partner that manufactured, fabricated, assembled and glazed the curtain wall glass. The glass panels were then shipped to the Globe Life Field site and installed by Haley-Greer.
“What really sets Globe Life Field apart from anything we’ve done is just the complexity of the job because most projects where we would install a curtain wall in Texas are office buildings. You can wrap a building pretty fast just working from floors. You go around from left to right, or counterclockwise, around the building and wrap the building from bottom to top,” Wroblewski explained. “This one is different just because these curtain walls are broken up by precast brick paneling. Every curtain wall elevation is different from the next one for the most part. That’s kind of what made it unique, and an engineering challenge and an installation challenge.” Tying the glass curtain wall system into the brick arches, although a tedious process, required precision and a tight fit, Patteson noted. Despite the complexities and magnitude of the glasswork on Globe Life Field, Patteson said there were no real headaches, thanks in part to Haley-Greer.
“They did a great job,” Patteson said. “With the amount of glass and the complexity of it, we knew they could handle a project like this.”
This project is certainly one that fans of both Major League Baseball and sleek, modern architecture will be talking about for a while. Globe Life Field offers Rangers fans great views of the ballgame and the surrounding area, but the ballpark also shows fans a picture of the past with a feel of the future. Globe Life Field reminds fans where the Rangers came from but also where they’re going. “Standing in the ballpark looking at the older ballpark might be the biggest attraction,” Patteson said.
Fans can look back at the familiar former home of the Rangers, with all its history and memories, while standing inside a sleek, sparkling, state-ofthe-art structure that’s sure to see many more wins and big plays that will bring fans to their feet.
“Glass just adds this level of sophistication to the building. What’s beautiful about this new ballpark compared to the old one is there’s a lot more glass,” Wroblewski said. “The amount of glass and architectural detail that was put into this stadium is top-notch. We’re in 2020 now, and this is a 2020 ballpark.”
–GREG WHITTEMORE, PRINCIPAL AT HKS AND PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE DESIGN
