January 17, 2011—The Superdome’s golden perimeter walls were pierced and dulled gray by time and Hurricane Katrina. The enclosed stadium, home to the World Champion New Orleans Saints, needed a healthy dose of waterproofing and energy conservation not to mention an aesthetic upgrade.
Burtin Polymer Laboratories developed a materials solution using raw materials supplied by Bayer MaterialScience LLC for the cavernous project that encompassed nearly 400,000 square feet and is believed to be the largest perimeter wall insulating project in the world.
While insulating the Superdome was an unusual and complex project, spray polyurethane foam is used widely for insulation in commercial and residential applications, for new construction and retro-fit of existing construction.
The contractor of choice for this project was Calmar Corporation, which played a key role as the spray-applied fireproofing contractor during two previous Superdome renovations. To meet environmental requirements, increase spray application efficiency and limit waste, the scaffolding was covered with reinforced polyethylene, and fans with filters were incorporated to provide negative air pressure within the tented structure.
Accessing the upper wall of the Superdome required a custom-built scaffolding system that “flexed” with the 96 individual wall segments at a height of 120 feet, which were the same width at top and bottom but narrower at the “waist.”
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