Newly renovated Michigan Stadium was awarded with a Best of the Best Award by McGraw-Hill Construction, a national competition that recognizes design and construction excellence based on regional winners of the company’s 10 regional publications. This is the third year McGraw-Hill Construction has presented the Best of the Best Awards.
Michigan Stadium was awarded as the top construction project in the sports/recreation category. Barton Mallow, Inc., oversaw the construction project with HNTB, Inc., providing the architectural design.
The $226 million renovation to Michigan Stadium was completed prior to the start of the 2010 season. The three-year construction to the Big House added new structures on both sides of the stadium, complete with 81 suites, over 3,000 club seats and a new press facility.
The project also included the widening of aisles on the east side of the stadium and added additional seating for fans with a disability. It increased the capacity to 109,901 seats, making Michigan Stadium once again the largest venue in college sports. The only facility larger is the newly constructed Cowboy Stadium with a capacity of 111,000.
There were winners selected in 21 different categories. The group selected 255 regional winners and an independent group of design and construction professionals selected 64 national finalists before selecting the winners in each category.
The construction projects were judged on safety, innovation, contribution to the industry/community, aesthetic and functional quality of design and construction craftsmanship.
The winners in all 21 categories will be profiled in the Jan. 24, 2011, issue of Engineering News-Record.
Michigan formally rededicated the stadium with a NCAA record crowd of 113,090 fans against Connecticut on Sept. 4, 2010. The Wolverines defeated the Huskies by a 30-10 score.