Facts about McMaster University’s Ronald V. Joyce Stadium

•$10-million donated to stadium construction by businessman Ron Joyce will accommodate seating for 6,000 new home of the McMaster Marauders football team, as well as soccer and other field sports
•The stadium will also be the new home of Spring Training for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
•Stadium is part of the $43-million expansion plans for a new athletics and recreation centre and stadium opening September, 2007
•Stadium’s state-of-the-art playing surface will extend training time, allowing teams and individual athletes to practice in a range of weather conditions.
•Stadium use will extend to the community, hosting school championships for children and teens, as well as for regional, provincial and national competitions.
•In May 2005, 38 per cent of student athletes were named to the Dean’s Honour List for achieving a grade average of more than 80 per cent
•McMaster’s original stadium and bleachers were built in 1958 (Pinky Lewis Field House was built two years earlier), and renovated and expanded in 1967. No major improvements to the stadium have taken place in nearly 40 years.

The new 6,000 seat stadium was built using 240 precast bleacher slabs, 19 precast guard walls, 33 precast vomitory walls and 13 precast floor slabs.

The project was modeled using PC-3D software that allows manufacturers, designers and consultants to readily develop and visualize the layout and details of precast construction.

Construction methods, layouts, details, reinforcement and erection procedures can all be readily visualized within the model.

Drawings required to produce the erection layout and the individual precast components are all generated directly from the PC-3D software.

Design issues can be easily identified and resolved prior to manufacturing and erection.

PC-3D modeling inherently removes the possibility of misaligned connections or geometry conflicts, and provides a database of information for estimating production and installation.

Installation was completed using a mobile crane at the rear of the stadium. All precast units were hoisted over the steel frame into their ultimate location. The schedule required the commencement of the installation of the slabs in December of 2007. Completion was the end of January 2008.

The Bleacher Slabs bear on a steel raker beam with seats under the bleacher upstand supporting the slabs and providing the connection point.

The underside of the Bleacher Slabs provides and attractive exposed surface. Here you can see the long spans of 34 ft (10.3m).

The top surface of the Bleacher Units had a broom finish and is sloped to allow water to drain off the front end. Coreslab was able to achieve a maximum length of 39’-8” (12.1 m) using a 5 in (125mm) thick slab.

All lift hooks are removed and patched and exposed connections covered

Credits:
Owner: McMaster University
Architect/Engineer: Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated
Structural Engineer: Halcrow Yolles
Contractor: Vanbots Construction Corporation
Precast Engineer: Kassian Dyck Associates
Precaster: Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc