The new home for MLB’s Texas Rangers is now reaching its final stages with finishing touches being made to Globe Life Field, including the testing of its bathroom facilities.
At 94% complete, the new 40,300-seater ballpark in Arlington has already seen over five and a half million man hours of work at the 13-acre site, with structural, external and internal work, and the field being put in place.
Ahead of its scheduled opening day on March 14, 2020, Globe Life Field hit another key milestone as it conducted its Super Flush event where every toilet in the facility was flushed for the first time.
The Super Flush event is a stress test on Globe Life Field’s plumbing system. It ensures that sporting venues can handle maximum usage during critical windows such as the seventh-inning stretch. Over 300 students from Arlington ISD’s Dan Dipert Career and Technical Education Center participated in the Super Flush.
TDIndustries, the HVAC and plumbing subcontractor on this project, installed 860 water closets, 260 urinals, and 2,600 total plumbing fixtures.
Elsewhere at the HKS-designed venue, construction has been keeping a steady pace since first groundbreaking on September 28, 2017 with approximately 1,700 workers on-site daily.
Highlights:
- Installation of the synthetic turf surface started earlier this week.
- The Rangers “T” logo was installed on the east façade of the ballpark last week.
- Installation of ETFE panels on the retractable portion of the roof is 100% complete. ETFE panels allow natural light to flow throughout the facility.
Field surface:
- Work is in progress on the field surface. Installation of padding and synthetic grass began on Monday. Completion of the synthetic turf installation is expected next week and infill will begin shortly after.
- A majority of the clay mixture has been installed and will continue into next week.
- The synthetic grass field was provided by Shaw Sports Turf with installation completed by Texas-based Paragon Sports Constructors.
- Installation of the retractable pitching mound is complete. Home Plate was installed earlier in the month.
Roof work:
- Installation of ETFE panels on the retractable portion of the roof is 100% complete. ETFE panels allow natural light to flow throughout the facility.
- Seal work is ongoing for the entire roof structure.
- Operations for the retractable roof mechanism is currently in progress, including finalizing controls and communication to the roof control room.
- Decking and roofing work is 100% complete over the retractable roof structure.
Internal work:
- The lower concourse is 97% complete, including all clubs, suites, and concession areas.
- The Globe Life Field sign above the video board was installed last week. Installation of all interior signs is underway throughout the ballpark, including seating sections, concession stand branding, and directional signage.
- Work on interior finishes is ongoing throughout the building.
- Epoxy floor update is complete on the lower concourse and 92% complete on the main concourse.
- Cabinetry work is ongoing on all levels. All cabinets have been installed in the lower concourse, office area, and suite levels. Cabinets are in progress on service level.
- Drywall is 99% complete in the ballpark. Drywall on the club and concession areas is currently in progress.
External work:
- Installation of the Globe Life Field signage over the roof has started. The layout was prepared earlier this week, with metal installation and painting is expected later this week. Installation of all four exterior Globe Life Field entryway signs was completed earlier this month.
- The Rangers “T” logo was installed on the east façade of the ballpark last week.
- Landscaping and Hardscaping is nearing completion on the southeast portion of the project. Hardscape is in progress on all other exterior areas of the project, including construction of the fire lanes, retaining walls, concrete curbs, and gutters.
- Several trees have been planted throughout the property. Trees from the existing lot C were relocated directly outside Globe Life Field at the end of January.
- Glass installation is complete on all exterior areas of Globe Life Field.
Miscellaneous:
- Furniture has been delivered to several areas of the ballpark, and is being installed throughout.
- The video boards and ribbon panels have been undergoing testing this month.
- Seat installation is 100% complete on the main concourse and 85% complete on the upper seating bowl. Over 34,000 seats have been installed up to this point. Upon completion, Globe Life Field will hold the capacity for 40,300 seats.
- The four-story office building, located on the southeast side of the site, is 100% complete. The Rangers staff will move into the office next week.
- All elevators have been installed, and 13 are currently operational. There will be a total of 24 elevators at Globe Life Field. All 13 escalators have been installed on-site.
- Delaware North, the concessionaire provider for Globe Life Field, has started testing equipment in the lower concourse kitchen and concession areas. Health inspections are in process throughout the site.
- The foul poles were installed in mid-November.
- Sports lights have been installed throughout the building. The lights are currently being tested in stages.
- Air conditioning and heating function has been established in limited areas of the ballpark, including the service level, lower concourse and office building.
- Plumbing & HVAC work is 98% complete. Electrical work is ongoing.
Structural steel:
- Bowl steel was completed in mid-February 2019, using a total of 16,000 tons of steel to construct. The final piece was installed on the upper concourse area of centerfield, the northeastern portion of the site.
- The bowl steel construction started in June of 2018, taking nine months to complete.
Concrete work:
- The concrete was poured for both bullpens last week, one of the final stages of concrete work for the entire facility.
- All other concrete work for the entire facility has been completed.
