University of New Hampshire Wildcat Stadium
Durham, N.H.   
Award of Merit

Owner: University of New Hampshire
Lead Designer: Lavallee Brensinger Architects
Design-Build Contractor: PC Construction Co.
Civil Engineer: Tighe & Bond
Geotechnical Engineer: S. W. Cole Engineering Inc.
Structural Engineer: Foley Buhl Roberts and Associates Inc.
MEP Engineer: Yeaton Associates Inc.
Design Consultant: Populous
AV/IT/Acoustic Engineer: Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams
Subcontractors: Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. (Scoreboard); Dant Clayton Corp. (Stadium Seating)

The University of New Hampshire’s $25.3-million stadium renovation improved and increased the number of seats at the school’s multisport facility.

The scope of work included adding concessions and updating broadcast and recording capabilities. Crews worked while the existing field and running track remained in use.

The project had a perfect OSHA recordable incident rate and lost-time accident rate during 110,000 worker-hours. The team developed strategies during preconstruction to prevent falls during the installation of the stadium seating.

Work was sequenced to allow concurrent installation of planks along with temporary warning lines that identified fall hazards. Much of the system was installed from the ground using stepladders and all-terrain fork lifts, to minimize the reliance on harnesses.

PC Construction Co. has an experience modification rating (EMR) of 0.64, ranking it among the top 2% safest contractors nationally.

The firm says its “preplanning process and tools prepare teams for high-risk activities in advance of the work, while the zero accident planning and prevention program, called ZAPP, identifies task-specific hazards and detailed safety protocols with associated crews before each shift.” 

During the three-month project, completed in time for the 2016 football season, workers added stand-alone bleachers and replaced field lighting.

Related Article: Innovation Permeates Region's Top Work