Louisiana Superdome Phase III, Re-Skin, New Orleans, La.

The numerous parties comprising the project team worked together to accomplish the many new inventions and design challenges encountered on this project.

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The specifications included the fabrication of mock-ups that were sent to labs in Philadelphia to make sure the waterproofing, vapor, wind loads and numerous ASTM criteria were met.

Another of the many challenges was to design and develop a new metal wall panel system with a structural sub-framing clip attachment system so a single wall panel could be removed from any location on the wall without disturbing the adjacent wall panels.

This was accomplished when Kalzip and its international engineering committee offered a newly developed adjustable Nauth clip system.

The new anodized panels are the same color as the Superdome’s original façade. With today’s technology, the finish is improved to ensure the panels maintain their appearance due to the anodized coating, which is six to seven time thicker than the original panel.

Another challenge encountered was access to the concave shape of the 120-ft-high upper wall. A team of engineers worked for months designing a one-of-a-kind system that followed the convex vertical line of the building attached to vertical guide tracks, which were attached to the Dome structure at the expansion joint lines.

Key Players

Developer/Owner: State of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, La.
GC: Gibbs Construction LLC, New Orleans, La.
CM: The Tobler Co., Hammond, La.
Architect: Trahan, Billes, Sizeler, Ellerbe, Becket Joint Venture, New Orleans, La.
Structural Engineer: Thorton Tomasetti, Dallas, Texas
MEP Engineer: Associated Design Group, New Orleans, La.