Western Specialty Contractors Replace Deck Sealants on Historic Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama

Considered the eighth-largest stadium in the United States and the tenth-largest stadium in the world, the historic Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama is an icon in American college football.

Opened in 1929, Alabama’s football stadium was originally named in honor of the school’s president from 1912 to 1932, George H. Denny. In 1975, the state legislature added longtime head coach and alumnus Paul “Bear” Bryant to the stadium’s name. At its peak, the stadium can accommodate over 101,000 fans.

Boasting such a large capacity, the historic concrete, steel, and masonry stadium has seen its share of wear and tear over its 93-year history, which included expansions in 1937, 1946, 1961, 1966, 1988, 1998, 2006, and 2010.

With such an iconic stadium to maintain, the university relies on Western Specialty Contractors –Atlanta Branch to safeguard it. Without routine maintenance and protection, these concrete and steel structures are subject to cracking, spalling, and structural damage from movement and reoccurring freeze and thaw cycles.

Western’s experts work with stadium owners and facility managers across the country to analyze the type and extent of any damage present and recommend cost-effective, remedial measures to protect and extend the facility’s life and keep fans safe. Cutting-edge, long-wearing materials are often recommended to restore and protect a stadium from future damage.

In April 2021, Western was contracted by the University of Alabama to perform concrete restoration and sealant replacement on Bryant-Denny Stadium’s Upper West Deck. Western performed the appropriate restorations at the direction of engineers Walter P. Moore and Javier Balma. Western’s crews removed all the old pre-mold expansion joints and sealants beneath and behind the seating on the Upper West Deck and installed new, two-part sealants and pre-molds. Western also cut out and re-caulked all the control joints on the deck and made minimal concrete repairs at the throats of the joints.

The university challenged contractors to complete the project in a short amount of time to prepare for the fall 2021 football season. When other contractors backed out of the project because they feared removing all of the stanchions and replacing them during the timeframe provided to complete the project, Western’s experts devised a plan using creative means and methods to successfully complete the project ahead of schedule in August 2021.

Western Specialty Contractors Replaces Leaking Roof in Bloomington, IL
McLean County Museum of History, Helps Save Historic Relics

Extensive water damage from an aging roof threatened to destroy treasured artifacts housed at the McLean County Museum of History in Downtown Bloomington, IL. The water intrusion resulted from a 30-year-old, damaged roof that had exceeded its useful life span by more than five years, allowing rain to leak through the roof and insulation, clay tile, and mortar down into the building’s ceilings and interior rooms.

The nationally accredited, award-winning museum occupies the former McLean County Courthouse, an American Renaissance-style structure built between 1900 and 1903. The building features a limestone-clad facade and solid masonry construction with a steeply sloping roof connecting the built-in gutter to the clocktower dome rising from its center. The old roof consisted of a 4-ply, built-up asphalt roof over one-inch perlite insulation mopped to the clay tile deck.

Although the McLean County maintenance staff had repaired the roof over the years, it no longer functioned properly and needed to be replaced immediately, along with the historic building’s drainage system. According to reports, as much as 14 gallons of water had leaked into the building after heavy spring rains, causing extensive damage. Although the water had damaged no artifacts, one area of the museum had to be closed off, and an office was relocated due to the leaking roof.

In 2020, the McLean County Board agreed to hire Scharnett Architects & Associates of Bloomington to perform architectural and engineering services to replace the building’s roof and improve its drainage system. Western Specialty Contractors’ Peoria Roofing Branch was contracted to replace the historic building’s damaged roof, with work on the project starting in May 2021.

Western’s crew removed the old roof and replaced it with a Firestone UltraPly TPO roofing system consisting of an 80 mil white membrane over gypsum coverboard, Polyisocyanurate insulation, and vapor barrier directly over the clay tile deck.

“The entire job was very challenging. We had to stage materials on the grounds as we needed them because the old clay tile deck could not be overloaded,” said Western Specialty Contractors Peoria Assistant Branch Manager Jared Osterman. “Tearing off the old roof every day was equally difficult because we had to crane materials down and up from the street as we progressed.”

The architect designed the new TPO roof system to go above and beyond what the manufacturer recommended, with double membrane thick valleys and ridges and built-in gutters lined with TPO and terminated with a liquid flashing, three-course step. The liquid flashing was used in place of counterflashing to minimize the use of mechanical fasteners in the historic structure. The job also required a 30-year, 80 MPH Firestone Roof warranty, including hail, cut, and puncture resistance.

Western’s Springfield, IL Branch also participated in the project by grinding out reglets, reworking the clay tiles around the drain replacements, and cleaning and sealing limestone at the gutter edge.

Performing a successful mock system pull test to ensure the new roof’s viability and strength, Western completed the roof replacement in September 2021. The museum had been closed to visitors during the roof replacement project while its restrooms were remodeled and its lighting fixtures replaced.

Julie Emig, the museum’s Executive Director, noted that the staff was relieved when the roof was restored. “The quality of Western Specialty Contractors’ work, especially given the complexity of this project, was outstanding. We no longer worry that the next rainstorm could damage our award-winning collections and exhibits.”