By / Jessica Kirby • Photos courtesy of Climate Pledge Arena climatepledgearena.com
Project: The Climate Pledge Arena
Location: Seattle Center Campus, Seattle, WA
Size: 800,000 square feet
Private capital investment: $1 billion
Architecture and design – Rockwell Group
Populous – Design Partner
Project Manager – ICON
Construction Partner MA – Mortenson
Engineer – ME Engineering
Mechanical Contractor – Hermanson
Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA, is a game-changing, world’s first that will set the bar for facilities construction into the future. Constructed though a partnership between Amazon, Oak View Group, and the City of Seattle, the project’s vision is to reimagine and redevelop an arena constructed under an historic landmarked roof originally built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. The 740,000 square foot multi-purpose project will be the world’s first International Living Future Institute certified zero carbon arena. It doubles the size of the original facility, and implements an holistic environmental strategy that addresses everything from zero single use plastic to the complete absence of fossil fuel consumption in the arena for daily use.
When complete, it will seat 17,100 for NHL and concert events and 18,100 for NBA events.
SMACNA-Western Washington member Hermanson is the mechanical contractor on the project, and is in the process of completing the plumbing, fitting, and sheet metal, a monumental scope that began with and was affected by the arena being completely gutted except for the roof.
“The roofline is an iconic part of the building and an historical landmark, so the architect developed a way to save it,” says Scott Sinclair, project manager at Hermanson and lead on the project.
Construction crews erected temporary roof supports before demolishing the walls and excavating down 70 feet, which reduces embodied energy use typical of new construction. The footprint was expanded horizontally before new structural supports were in place and new decking poured.
Part of the Climate Pledge is converting all facility mechanical systems, gas combustion engines, heating, dehumidification, and cooking to electric. Hermanson has installed water-cooled chillers, boilers, and 25 air handlers.
The air handlers are positioned in two 10,000-square-foot mechanical rooms into which the temporary steel for the roof has been placed. As a result, multiple 3-foot in diameter columns with cross bracing and a major chevron structure for the roof are located right where the mechanical rooms are located.
“The removal of the temporary steel is what releases us to start our work, and they can’t release the old steel until the new steel—which needs the concrete—is ready,” Sinclair says. “It really compresses the timeframe. We have a very small window before the bleachers go in and we no longer have access to the equipment. The timing and logistics are incredibly detailed and challenging.”
Another outstanding element is the sheer volume of sheet metal required on this project.
“We will have installed approximately 1 million pounds of sheet metal and 200,000 linear feet of pipe once the project is complete,” Sinclair says.
The arena space is essentially one wide open space with considerable height and span, and it contains 66-inch round exposed ducting suspended 180 feet in the air. Without a flat surface to rig from, the logistics of installation are challenging.
“It is pretty tricky ductwork,” Sinclair says. “The configuration isn’t flat and level. The diffusers have to be rotated in varying angles and it is suspended in the air while we are doing that.”
“We will use a cable system to lift the ductwork into place where it will be secured,” Sinclair says. “We’ll have a crew member up there to complete the work. It is a two- or three-step process for each piece.”
Another thing making it a challenging build is its configuration as a six-level structure that is divided into quadrants. “It isn’t constructed level by level but quadrant by quadrant,” Sinclair says. “That means we are working on multiple areas and floors simultaneously. It makes planning materials and crews for three trades a little difficult. We have a great team and general contractor. Last year, everyone said ‘impossible’. Today, we are making it look easy. That is what makes this process manageable, and we are really excited to be a part of it.”
Climate Pledge Arena will meet its ambitious environmental goals with additional measures, such as a fully integrated transportation plan that includes subsidized public transportation, electric vehicle charging stations, and investment in the Seattle Center Monorail and by operating all events at zero carbon and purchase offsets including those for transportation. Solar Panels on the Alaska Airlines Atrium and 1st Ave Garage combine with off-site supplementary renewable energy for 100% renewable energy power.
For more information about Hermanson Company, visit hermanson.com/
Learn more about Climate Pledge Arena visit climatepledgearena.com/ ▪
