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Architecture & Engineering


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January 27, 2014

Best in State: Gold award
Complexity

Photo courtesy of Hart Crowser [enlarge]
Hart Crowser designed a system to protect the newly lowered Husky Stadium field from groundwater and runoff.

Hart Crowser

Project: Husky Stadium redevelopment

Client: Wright Runstad & Co./University of Washington


Husky Stadium is the crown jewel of the University of Washington campus. On fall Saturdays, more than 70,000 students, alumni and residents gather to cheer the Huskies, with millions more watching on television. The positive fan experience is evidence of the engineering excellence required to create this icon.

The Husky Stadium renovation represents how engineers fulfill owner needs and make great design possible. Bringing the fans closer to the action was an absolute requirement by the owner.

Lowering the field to create new bowl seating was an elegant way to maintain the classic stadium look while improving the fan sight lines. Hart Crowser was charged with supporting the new structure and protecting the lowered field — both of which the company accomplished with low-cost, low-maintenance solutions.

Hart Crowser modeled the groundwater flow direction and designed a three-part protection system that 1) cuts off the groundwater before it can intersect the field, 2) collects the runoff from the stands and channels it to a location away from the field, and 3) intercepts precipitation falling on the playing surface and diverts it away from the subsoil below.

Fans, players, alumni and the media have praised the new facility as “true to its roots,” “fan friendly,” and still the “loudest stadium and the best home field advantage in the Pac-12.”


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