Johns Manville

Architect:

HKS, Inc.

General Contractor:

Mortenson Construction

Scope Of Work

Description: “Two Tribes, Two Teams, One Home” is an apt description for this scenic 140-acre development
on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in the heart of metropolitan Phoenix. It’s an innovative
complex that is home to an 11,000-seat ballpark, 12 practice fields, Major and Minor League clubhouses, and
training facilities and offices for two Major League Baseball teams – the Arizona Diamondbacks and
Colorado Rockies. It is the first Major League Baseball spring training facility to be built on Native American
land.
Challenges: Arizona: Where baseball is king, and the sun and heat are relentless. In fact, according to
Dave Dunne, owner representative, “During construction of the most beautiful ballpark in the nation, Phoenix
experienced one of its most brutal summers, underscored by history-making sandstorms. And the project’s
quick turnaround was just as relentless.”
Solution: The signature feature and reason so many fans said they will be returning to the Salt River Fields
Stadium next season is its uniquely designed roof. It features two overlapping decks behind home plate that
are positioned so that 85% of all fans in the grandstand are shaded during the course of the afternoon.
A light gray JM PVC membrane was specified to reduce potential glare on passers-by from a too bright
surface. HKS’s architects worked closely with Johns Manville’s Technical Services team in Denver to develop
the parapet flashing system, resulting in a custom color around the stadium clubhouse. Light stands and
towers were particularly challenging, and, again, JM’s Denver group teamed with the designers for a solution
that would keep the roof structure watertight and be in compliance with detail drawings.
“Really, the toughest thing about the project was the tremendous time crunch. At times we had four to five
crews on the decks,” reported roofing contractor Jeff Starkweather. “Their teamwork was evident in the
fast progress that was made,” said Dunne. “The first pitch of 2010 Spring Training came just 14 months
following groundbreaking. And the project was awarded the U. S. Green
Building Council’s LEED® Gold designation – the first LEED-certified
Spring Training facility,”