 Philadelphia Eagles StadiumWhen winter weather arrives at the end of football season in 2003, SWOOP, Greenman and other avid Eagles fans may seek shelter inside the new Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. When they do, they may be wearing green from head to toe but it will be PINK extruded foam insulation that will help keep them warm. After 30 years at Veterans Stadium, the Philadelphia Eagles broke ground for a new stadium on June 7, 2001. Plans for the $512 million project include more prime sideline seating that starts closer to the playing field – 60 feet vs. 120 feet at the Vet – and larger seats with cup holders. The team expects to begin using the facility – named Lincoln Financial Field – in August 2003. The team is understandably pleased. “For the first time in the 68-year history of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise, we will have our own stadium,” owner Jeffrey Lurie said. “No longer will we be a secondary tenant.” Local and area contractors are also happy about the new stadium. “It’s the largest masonry project in the tri-state area in the past 10 years,” says Rodrigo Rodriguez, executive vice president of Dan Lepore & Sons Inc., which formed a joint venture with Mark Masonry to do the job. “Not only is it one of the largest masonry projects we’ve ever gone into,” continues Rodriguez, “it has a very, very aggressive schedule that requires the full cooperation of the local unions and the design team.” Despite the challenges, the people involved are pleased to be a part of it all. “The men in the field feel a lot of pride when they tell their children and grandchildren they helped build the new stadium that’s going to be there for the next 30 to 50 years,” explains Rodriguez. Lincoln Financial Field Facts:
“There is a lot of pride in every individual who is out there,” he says. “They are proud that some of their sweat is in that building.” Rodriguez says there are a lot of Eagles fans among the workers and involvement with the team has been a bonus for them. “The Eagles have been very gracious,” says Rodriguez. “They have had a couple of lunches for the workers and some of the players have come over. The cheerleaders have been there, too. It’s been great.” The joint venture masonry team is building walls that include an interior surface of block, a vapor barrier, rigid foam cavity wall insulation and an exterior veneer of face brick or brownfaced block. Inside the wall is conditioned space, including locker rooms, offices and mechanical areas where equipment must be maintained at a constant temperature. Rodriguez says his company and the workers are happy to be using the PINK rigid foam insulation. “We’ve used the PINK stuff ever since they invented it,” he says. Alexson Supply, an Owens Corning distributor for many years, provided the FOAMULAR® cavity wall insulation. Alexson sales representative Mike George says owner, Claire McGough, and her husband Dennis, now retired, made the decision to distribute PINK FOAMULAR® insulation years ago and have been selling the product ever since. “We’ve never had a problem with the product and their sales people are very good with product knowledge,” says George. “They always keep us competitive in the marketplace. Plus, people know the PINK board. They know the company name. When we are bidding a job with Owens Corning, we are bidding with a quality product that everybody knows.” Owens Corning Foamular® at Lincoln Financial Field:
George says the PINK insulation will be very helpful at playoff time when the wind is howling off I-95 and the river. “If you ask my opinion, they should have put it only on the home side of the field.” After a brief pause, he adds, “No, I’m just kidding.” George didn’t say whether he retracted the statement for humanitarian reasons or the fact that he doesn’t want to lose the sales. In addition to PINK foam insulation in the walls, there will also be three-inch layers of it overhead in some places. T. Brown & Associates, a commercial waterproofing company, is installing a sandwich slab over habitable space under the upper concourse. Michele Butcher-Benjamin is the project manager for T. Brown. “We start by putting hot-applied rubberized waterproofing on the structural slab,” says Butcher-Benjamin. “Then we apply Carlisle’s Sure-Drain V-2 board, which keeps water from being trapped between the two slabs. The next layer is PINK Foamular® 404 insulation, and then we pour a topping slab of concrete.” Butcher-Benjamin says about 32,000 square feet of the sandwich slab will be applied at the stadium. About 8,000 square feet of it will cover the main concourse and the rest will be in concession areas. “There is plenty of it there,” she says. When the winds of winter howl at Lincoln Financial Field, hardcore Eagles fans will be tickled pink. Owens Corning |