Local 162 Roofs and Waterproofs Allegiant Stadium

Local 162 Roofers & Waterproofers Tackle Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium With Skill

Photos by Eberhard Southwest

Allegiant Stadium is the brand-new, 1.8 millionsquare-foot home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) college football team. The 65,000-seat facility—which includes a retractable field, large operable walls that open to views of the Las Vegas Strip, and a translucent roof—required more than 6 million labor hours to complete. This project was covered by a project labor agreement (PLA), so it was built by all union labor. There were no labor issues on this project.

The project began as a concept for converting a dirt lot off the Las Vegas Strip into a modern, high-tech mega stadium. The contractor, Mortensen, had been involved with many such stadiums across the country; however, their choice to team up with local general contractor McCarthy allowed them to reach the best local subcontracting talent available, and Roofers & Waterproofers Local 162 signatory contractor Eberhard Southwest Roofing was awarded the multi-million dollar contract for all waterproofing and roofing.

Experts Called in for Extensive Waterproofing

The first part of the waterproofing work is so far underground, it will never be seen again. It had to be a first-class installation, done right the first time. Eberhard Southwest provided the best in waterproofing mechanics, who were able to

overcome the challenges of working deep in a massive hole dug for all of the footings and foundation work to be done. Wind, dust, cranes the size of skyscrapers, trucks and people were so numerous that safety had to be everyone’s first priority. The below-grade walls are some 30’ down from grade level. Waterproofing of these walls was done as the building sections were completed, using Bituthene sheet membrane from GCP.

Next came the horizontal waterproofing with American Hydrotech Monolithic Membrane 6125 hot rubber membrane. Not only were plaza decks and pedestrian walkways done, but Local 162 members installed waterproofing over the entire playing field, about 85,000 square feet. The field is built on a movable “tray” that rolls on steel tracks, which allows the natural grass field to move outdoors for sunlight and water. This feature provides the stadium with the versatility of using both natural grass (for NFL) and artificial turf (for UNLV) playing surfaces.

Up to the Roof

Standing 170’ above the Las Vegas skyline, Eberhard Southwest Roofers installed 325,000 square feet of new roofing. This required loading 96 semi-truck loads of roof material, for a total of 1,384 crane lifts from a

tight staging area with multiple other cranes in use throughout the job. This challenge called for precise coordination in order to prevent conflict—and ultimately, an accident—on the fullproduction job site. “We executed this task accident-free using a wellthought-out work plan, highly trained personnel for their specific roll, and our safety director who was on site full time through this entire period,” said Eberhard Operations Manager Steve Hunter.

Eberhard Southwest Roofers install 325,000 square feet of new roofing.

Once loaded, a base layer of DensDeck Prime was installed over the metal structure, followed by peeland-stick vapor barrier membrane to act as temporary waterproofing so work could continue inside. The roofing consisted of two layers of polyiso insulation followed by another layer of DensDeck Prime, all mechanically fastened to the structure, followed by 80mil Sarnafil PVC membrane fully adhered on top.

Finally, the Roofers installed the stadium name by using Sarnafil membrane that was prepped and put together on the ground. The folded pieces were then loaded onto the roof and welded into place. The layout was done by marking GPS coordinates on the roof to align the letters correctly. For reference, the smaller of the letters is 40’ tall.

Part of the job is to install the stadium’s name using letters created from Sarnafil membrane which were folded, transported and welded to GPS-marked coordinates on the roof.

Safety Is Paramount

For good reason, the contractor required 100% body harness fall protection 100% of the time on the roof deck, but this presented its own set of challenges. With the back and forth of so many layers of installation and so much material on the roof, cumbersome was an understatement. Vigilant attention was paid to positioning of crews, equipment and ropes to confirm that progress was not hindered but safety was not compromised.

Another challenge presented itself halfway through the roofing installation, when the general contractor removed all elevator access to the roof. From that point until completion of the work, the only access to the 170’ tall structure was via the stairs. And, while working on a roof several stories high in the volatile conditions of Las Vegas, extreme weather conditions tested the crew’s mettle. High winds became an obstacle at one point, but one that they were prepared for.

There are many challenges that innately come with building a new development that has countless moving parts. The experienced professionals at Eberhard Southwest Roofing were prepared to address and overcome the tight project schedule, job site and equipment coordination, extreme weather conditions, and even the unexpected and new challenge of working through the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to deliver a worldclass events destination. “We’re proud to say that we played a role in creating an icon for Las Vegas, a home for the Raiders and a facility that will house many memories for the community,” said Eberhard General Manager Paul McKellar. This job demanded the best in our industry, and that is exactly what they provided—the best. ■