FORD FIELD

Project Overview

Opened in August 2002, Ford Field is one of America’s premier sports and entertainment facilities. Home of the Detroit Lions, the domed stadium was also the site of the Super Bowl XL in 2006 as well as the 2009 NCAA Final Four.

W.J. O’Neil Company was the mechanical contractor for all the HVAC and plumbing. We furnished and installed 38 air-handling units and exhaust fans to ventilate the stadium. The construction project also included the chilled water and natural gas piping to the new air-handling units, and refrigeration/air conditioning for the elevator machine rooms. The plumbing work included all new facilities for 105 public restrooms and 132 suites, concession stands and stadium clubs, and a beverage conduit system.

WJO is known for our innovations. On this project we contributed Value Engineering (VE) ideas that saved time and money. Case in point: the gutters – 10-feet across and 8-10 feet deep – originally had a snowmelt system designed with steam heat. We developed an easier, more cost-effective hydronic snowmelt system. We wrapped all three sides of the gutter with tubing and put indirect, gas-fired rooftop boilers on the end of each gutter to melt the snow and allow the water to get carried away.

The 22-month project was completed on time, and all the plumbing and sheet metal work was fabricated in our Livonia fab shop and delivered for installation at the job site.