Home to the Atlanta Hawks – and countless concerts and special events – State Farm Arena underwent a dramatic renovation in 2017-18. Because the interior was densely packed with contractors and subs, B&K had to artfully work alongside hundreds of other professionals and equipment while safeguarding workers at all times. For much of the project, an entire day’s work had to be completed by early afternoon so the venue could set up for nighttime events. The venue owners also offered (good) new ideas that had to be accommodated quickly – in all, we executed 140+ change orders without compromising the project schedule.
Only one side of the house had luxury boxes and specialty seating; the rest of the place was pure fan seating. This somewhat populist approach was embraced by others, from Soldier Field in Chicago to Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco.
Sixteen years later, the arena’s operators and the Atlanta Hawks decided to rethink all of it. But rather than tear down the venue, they elected to transform the interior – and we were honored to be the mechanical contractor chosen for the job.
“The focus was to upgrade the aesthetics and the feel of the arena,” says Gordon Dunn, B&K’s project manager on the job.
And did they ever.
With Turner Construction as general contractor, crews of hundreds worked two shifts daily across three project phases in 2017-2018. On the east side of the arena, they removed bleacher seating. Now, open-air concourses extend into the arena, providing an array of vantage points for viewing. Lounges provide sofa-seating and fireplaces.
The project schedule was equally tight, requiring us to navigate around the Hawks' 2017-2018 schedule and a calendar parade of concerts and other events.
During construction, the arena was densely packed with crews and equipment. The project schedule was equally tight; we navigated the Atlanta Hawks’ schedule and a calendar parade of concerts and events.
On the west side, they replaced two levels of luxury boxes with a bold concept of premium seating. You can get a trim and a shave in rapper Killer Mike’s barber shop or practice your golf swing in virtual reality – all while watching a game. Walk-up areas provide a variety of sight lines. Connecting it all is a wide-open promenade circling the arena, with “neighborhoods” and clubs on two levels.
Marveled former Hawks superstar Dominique Wilkins: “They just took the box and opened it up, so everything seems bigger.”
Our greatest challenge was conquering the juxtaposition of time and space. During construction, the inside of the arena was densely packed with crews and equipment; the project schedule was equally tight, requiring us to navigate around the Hawks’ 2017-18 schedule and a calendar parade of concerts and other events.
The creativity of the owners made the arena impressive. It also required us to be quick on our feet.
The creativity of the owners made the arena impressive. It also required us to be quick on our feet.
“Getting the work done was complicated in terms of coordination,” Dunn recalls. “We had to figure out ways to do our work faster without compromising safety. For example, instead of working off of scaffolding and platforms, we had to use a lot of specialty rigging and lifts, which gave us time and room to adapt.”
In the first phase – following the Hawks’ final game in 2017 – structural demolition was the order of the day. Some of the systems had no valves, so we had to figure out ways to shut them down without taking down the entire central plant. That sometimes meant freezing the pipes with liquid nitrogen so we could cut and cap pipe while the system continued to operate. At other times, hot tapping was required to attach branch connections without interrupting pipeline flow.
This need to adapt quickly applied to other aspects of the project. The inspired owners had ideas along the way – what if we moved this here? What if we added that over there? Their creativity is what yielded the impressive outcome. But it also required us to be quick on our feet. In all, our team had 140 change orders on the job.
That same agility was needed in Phase 2, which began with the start of the Hawks’ 2017-18 season in October. For the next six months, we would focus on back-of-the-house type work and the north end restaurant renovations. We often started in the (very) early morning, as we had to be finished by noon on days with games and events. To the viewing public, our craftsmanship was shielded by huge curtains.
The Hawks made the playoffs that season, but they didn’t venture past the first round. So, in May 2018, the clock began ticking to get the renovation finished by October.
That third phase involved making structural changes on the east side of the arena, with its open concourse and varying viewing options. Much of it required revising and re-routing ducts with our sheet-metal subcontractor partners Southside Sheet Metal and BHW. We also replaced a series of air handling units and 50 fan coil units.
“The complexity and magnitude of this project made it unique,” says Gordon Dunn, “but it was worth it. State Farm Arena today is really a masterpiece venue.”
Some of the systems had no valves, so we had to figure out ways to shut them down without taking down the entire central plant.
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