Building Design Construction

uilding
team
awards
2016
SILVER AWARD
A berm in left field provides a picnic-like
setting for up to 1,000 fans at CHS Field.
Brick warehouses highlight the setting in
the Lowertown arts district. The concourse
(left) allows fans to navigate 360 degrees
around the 7,210-seat ballpark.
PHOTOS: PAUL CROSBY PHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY SNOW KREILICH ARCHITECTS
‘greenest ballpark’
PROVES A WINNER FOR ST. PAUL SAINTS
CHS Field, the new home of
the Double-A St. Paul (Minn.)
Saints, bills itself as the “greenest
ballpark in America.” Ryan
Cos. (GC) and its design partners—Ryan
A+E, Inc. (AOR), Snow Kreilich Architects,
and AECOM (sports architect), envisioned
a greenspace connecting the city’s Lowertown
arts district to nearby riverfront
parks and trails.
The ballpark is the fi rst such venue to
meet Minnesota’s B3 Sustainable Building
2030 Energy Standards. The 13-acre site
had to be completely remediated to remove
chlorine solvents, coal tar, and lead from its
days as a manufacturing hub. Five underground
storage tanks had to be removed.
Fifteen percent of the ballpark’s power
is derived from 100kw solar arrays. CHS
Field collects stormwater from the stadium—and
from the roofs of nearby buildings.
The runoff is treated via sand fi lters,
tree trenches, and rain gardens to prevent
direct fl ow into the Mississippi.
The 7,210-seat stadium provides room
for another thousand fans on its picnicfriendly
“park within a park.” There are
outdoor terraces at the suite level, berm
seating and park space in left fi eld, and a
terrace off the adjacent main street. Thirty
bus lines stop at the front gates.
The Building Team was responsive to
the local community, which wanted an
existing dog park at the site preserved, a
public art courtyard in the ballpark, and a
second entrance on the east side; all these
requests were accommodated. Restrooms
in the ballpark are kept open during the local
farmers’ market. The front gates are left
open during off-hours so that visitors can
stroll around the concourse.
Last year, the Saints went 74-26 to
win their division. They averaged 8,091
fans over 50 games—20% of their entire
league’s attendance.
Who said green doesn’t pay?
—Robert Cassidy
PROJECT SUMMARY
SILVER AWARD
CHS Field
St. Paul, Minn.
BUILDING TEAM
Submitting firm: Ryan Companies US, Inc. (GC)
Owner: City of St. Paul, Minn.
Design/interior architect: Snow Kreilich
Architects
Architect of record: Ryan A+E, Inc.
Sports architect: AECOM
Structural: Ericksen Roed & Associates
Mechanical: Schadegg Mechanical, Inc.
Electrical: Hunt Electric
GENERAL INFORMATION
Project size: 63,414 sf (enclosed); 347,000 sf (total)
Construction cost: $63 million
Construction period: July 2013 to April 2015
Delivery method: Design-build
40 MAY 2016 BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION www.BDCnetwork.com