Projects: Nationals Park

Nationals Park

Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Wayne Stocks/Thornton Tomasetti

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Structural design for a 41,888-seat stadium, home to the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team. The one-million-square-foot ballpark includes luxury suites and club level seating, a restaurant and sports bar, a picnic area and family plaza. The design also includes a 4,500-square-foot scoreboard, team offices, a conference center, and parking. The exterior makes innovative use of glass, structural steel and pre-cast concrete to create a facade that reflects the architectural heritage of the Nation’s Capitol.

This ultra-fast-track schedule was achieved through a design-build delivery method, with a construction schedule of only 23 months. The steel design relied on a Tekla Structures 3-D Building Information Model (BIM) that was transferred to the steel subcontractor. Connection detailing and design changes were made in the BIM and downloaded directly to the fabricator’s shop. This innovative approach significantly reduced the design and fabrication schedule for the stadium’s 7,800 tons of steel and allowed the structural design to be completed well in advance of the final ballpark design.

Nationals Park incorporates sustainability features and has achieved LEED Silver status, the first professional sports stadium in the United States to gain this certification. Green features include a 6,300-square-foot green roof above the concession stands beyond left field.

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