Soldier Field Adaptive Reuse

CTE oversaw the construction for the adaptive reuse of Soldier Field, the home of the NFL's Chicago Bears. CTE was asked to perform design review of the plans and ensure that construction was completed in accordance with the plans and specification as issued. CTE assisted the Bears in managing construction of the $632 million program to make sure that work progressed in a timely fashion and was finished for the home opener on September 29, 2003. CTE inspected the construction, reviewed and made recommendations on all change orders, reviewed quality control measures, and assisted with the punching of the completed work. CTE also reviewed all invoices against project progress and approved all payments.

The renovation encompassed a 97-acre site on the shores of Lake Michigan, between the city's "Museum Campus" grouping of the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium, and McCormick Place, the city's convention center. The adaptive reuse of Soldier Field preserved the historic exterior and colonnades of Soldier Field but replaced most of the existing interior with a 61,500-seat facility. The work included new skyboxes, seating, administrative offices, lounge areas, concession facilities, locker rooms, parking lots and structures, communications center, and video boards. Immediately north of Soldier Field, a new 2,500-car underground parking garage was built. The parking garage is topped with a landscaped park and veterans' memorial. To the south, a new, two-story, 1,600-space parking structure replaced an existing surface lot. This oval, partially buried, parking structure is landscaped to blend in with the surrounding park setting. The existing open air parking lot to the south of the new parking structure was resurfaced and landscaped. The improvements reclaimed 17 acres of paved surface as parkland. Other infrastructure improvements included: a children's garden, a sledding hill, areas for outdoor exhibits, new roads, and pedestrian and bike trails.