Johansen Mechanical Inc.’s work on a custom metals project at Lumen Field overcame a tight schedule and supply issues to leave the owner with extensive, eye-catching metal and finishing work in a renovated fan area.
By / Jessica Kirby | Photos courtesy of JMI
The Seahawks and First & Goal Inc. have officially kicked off a new improvement plan to modernize and upgrade various areas throughout Lumen Field—home of the Seattle Seahawks—over the next three years.
This includes a new 6300-square-foot premium food and beverage area, Cityside Bars, in the north end of the stadium. Open to all fans on game day, the project transformed the previously unused space underneath the stadium’s iconic Hawks Nest into a covered, open-air fan gathering area with premium lower-level views of the playing field. The space features two nearly 40-foot-wide bars—Hendrick’s Gin Cityside Bar and Tequila Herradura Cityside Bar—along with 83 feet of drink rails facing the field, an oversized outdoor gas fireplace, and Pacific Northwest-themed finishes.
SMACNA-Western Washington member Johansen Mechanical Inc. (JMI) completed the custom metals on the project. The company worked on both bars, the center main entrance gate section with the stairwell, and a fireplace under the center stairs. This was a fast-track project that required a great deal of overtime to complete within a very short schedule.
“The majority of the scope had to be complete prior to the Seahawks first game of the season, which happened to be the nationally televised Monday night football game vs the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson,” says Keith Johansen, principal at JMI. “We completed drink rails, column and fire place surrounds, metal panels at the sales counters, Banker Wire mesh for the stairwells, and metal cabinets behind the sales counters.”
Damon Hespe, estimator and project manager in JMI’s custom metals division, says the project’s highlights included a great deal of in-house designed uses of Banker Wire and extensive powder-coated finishes throughout the custom fabricated scope.
“The stairs and shelving above the bar included Banker Wire SS mesh screens,” Hespe says. “We fabricated and installed radius bars around the columns and all the cabinetry behind the bars. For longevity, everything is stainless steel then powder-coated. The final touch is a custom vinyl wrap.”
The Banker Wire products presented a challenge because the material can be difficult to procure. “The lead times are usually six to eight weeks, but I pushed for the Hawks to get it down to just two weeks,” Hespe says. “It usually isn’t fabricated until it is ordered, and there is only one place, in Wisconsin, to get it.”
Another challenge for the team was working through the designs, which were in many cases generic. An example of this is the panels at the point of sales areas, which JMI’s team fabricated out of aluminum and finished with an orbital, black-smoke and bronze coating so the aluminum finish is still visible. “There was some design-assist involved,” Johansen says. “They showed us a photo and said, ʻBuild this’ and gave us a little room to be creative. It was our idea to finish the panels that way, so we showed them a sample and they
liked it.”
The team also replaced the drink rails on field side with powder coated stainless steel frames and built a countertop bar around the fireplace. “For the main entrance, there is a big double gate, which we completed and refabricated because we didn’t love the design,” Johansen says.
The project also includes the installation of two new north-end video boards to significantly enhance the fan experience. The Mitsubishi Pixel Pitch Diamond Vision display (39.90’h x 70.34’w) is more than double the size of the previous video board configuration. Fans can now see the full 16×9 game presentation highlighted by enhanced graphics and 4K pan and zoom for highlights and replay reviews.
Though JMI didn’t work on the screen installation, the team did install a metal ceiling and some trim work around the openings and doors at an Amazon Go above the Hawk’s Nest. “We modified the exterior ceiling and finished another ceiling for the Seahawks,” Hespe says. “We also made on-field seating platforms for the VIP seating that include heated seats and a place to charge your phone.”
The District Market was also added to the south end of the upper level behind the Toyota Fan Deck and includes a more modern, open food and beverage experience with checkout-free transaction technologies. The space features food from the stadium’s community neighbors in Seattle’s International District. Additional concession upgrades include multiple checkout-less transaction location concepts, including replacing portable concession stands on the outer rim of the upper-level concourse.
The sheet metal scope had a requirement that 15% of the work had to be completed by women-owned businesses, and this target was easily met by JMI’s partners, including those completing the powder-coating. Their partners also helped the team meet the aggressive schedule, and a six- to eight-month job was compressed into three months. “We ran eight to ten workers seven days per week between the field and shop,” Johansen says.
At the end of 2022, the project was nearly complete with only change orders and minor additions to go.
“We had it ready for the first game (Monday night football), so the owners could start getting sales on their investment,” Johansen says. “This will easily be the most popular spot in the stadium, especially during colder weather because the fireplace helps to create a nice warming atmosphere.”
“It was crazy busy during the project, but the final product turned out really nice,” Hespe says. “The client is very happy with it.”
Learn more about the project and Lumen Field at lumenfield.com. Visit johansenmech.com to learn more about Johansen Mechanical Inc’s services, people, and projects. ■
