Georgia Dome Enhancements Score with Fans
01/14/2009
Since construction of the Georgia Dome in 1992, fervent fans of the Atlanta Falcons football franchise had longed for the day when the stadium's teal and mauve color scheme would be retired. Their cause to celebrate came in 2008 when the downtown stadium's original colors were sacked as part of a major renovation that included a new and refreshing look designed to enhance fan experience. The overall project was managed by Darden & Company, with Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates (TVS) as the architectural firm.
"The new interior and exterior renovations are something that everybody has been looking forward to here in Atlanta," according to Jeff Wierenga, project architect with TVS. "Now it has a red-and-black scheme, which makes up the home colors of the Atlanta Falcons."
The improvements are part of a multi-year effort to update the stadium by the Falcons and Georgia World Congress Center Authority, which runs the state-owned facility. Interior enhancements included replacing more than 61,000 teal-colored seats with red seats on the upper and lower levels and black seats on the mezzanine level behind the end zones. Walls on the upper interior of the stadium and railings in the aisles were painted black, while new graphics, improved lighting, concessions kiosks and 350 new flat-screen TVs were used to upgrade the concourse areas.
Coating the Georgia Dome's exterior presented a special challenge given the stadium's close proximity to moving traffic, nearby parking and office buildings. In order to avoid damage to surrounding property from overspray, all coatings had to be applied by roller. The exterior skin of the dome consists of architectural concrete masonry units (CMU) to a height of 12 feet, flat metal panels up to the low roof level at 97 feet and corrugated panels from the lower roof to the compression ring 55 feet above. The embossed metal had a textured galvanized surface originally finished with a Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) coil coating. The panels had never been cleaned before, but they showed little to no chalking.
An advanced fluoropolymer polyurethane coating from Tnemec was chosen as the finish coat on the metal panels based on its use as an overcoat on strong adhesion, aged coil-applied coatings and its ability to be roller-applied. Series 1071 Fluoronar provides high color and gloss retention and resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light, which were key requirements outlined by project manager John Carr, executive vice president for Darden & Company.
"A deciding factor was that Tnemec had a second generation fluoropolymer routinely used in recoating applications," Carr acknowledged. "This was important in the event we ever needed to touch up the stadium. We could do it with that coating."
More than 1,200 gallons of primer and 1,300 gallons of fluoropolymer finish were used on the exterior panels, in addition to 700 gallons of a breathable waterborne acrylate, which was applied in two coats to the stadium's architectural CMU.
"There was a lot of anxiety prior to the project getting started," Wierenga acknowledged. "We weren't sure how well the paint would adhere to the building, but everything went along smoothly and we were very pleased with how it turned out."
The changes in 2008 followed earlier upgrades to the stadium's luxury suites, lounge areas, club sections and the addition of new video boards. Georgia Dome is one of the largest cable-supported domed stadiums in the world. Its roof is made of Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric and has an area of 374,584.08 square feet.
ABOUT TNEMEC
Established in 1921, Tnemec is one of the largest privately held companies in the U.S., specializing in industrial coatings for steel, concrete and other substrates for new construction and maintenance. More than 120 architectural and industrial coating products are manufactured at facilities in Kansas City and Baltimore. Headquartered in Kansas City, Tnemec operates distribution facilities in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Seattle and Compton, Calif. In addition to the company's national network of technical representatives, Tnemec has technical representatives in Canada, the Dominican Republic, England, Puerto Rico and Trinidad. For more information on Tnemec Company Inc. or any of its products, call 800-863-6321; write to 6800 Corporate Drive, Kansas City, Mo. 64120-1372; or visit www.tnemec.com.
