Remediation of a Timber Barrel Arch Field House Due to Water Infiltration and Deterioration

摘要

Walter Payton was known on and off the football field as “Sweetness.” In 1985, he led the Chicago Bears Football Club to the Superbowl. His thirteen year professional career set the standard for productivity. Following the announcement that he suffered from a rare liver disease, Walter Payton dedicated himself to advocacy of organ transplantation (Walter Payton Cancer Fund). Walter Payton’s legacy is remembered through the charity foundation he founded and honorary naming of many public works in Chicago. The indoor practice facility for his team is among those structures honored by his namesake. The Walter Payton Center was constructed in 1997 to provide an indoor protected practice area for the Chicago Bears. At the time, it was the only timber structure in use by the National Football League. By the summer of 2004, water infiltration through the roof had grown from a nuisance to a safety hazard in the eyes of the team ownership. A limited preliminary investigation revealed that the wood substructure had become saturated and was experiencing decay. Appropriately, the plan for remediation of the structure included removing deteriorated sections of timber and transplanting with new material. This paper intends to provide a thorough account of the investigation, design, and construction phases that eventually returned the Walter Payton Center to a state of the art practice facility. First, the background will be set with a thorough description of the existing structure. Then, the investigation into the cause and extent of the timber deterioration will be explored. Much of the repair design and construction happened concurrently as the remediation process uncovered greater extents of deterioration. Throughout the project, the exacting standards of the National Football League were expected of the design and construction team, namely, to provide a quality product in time for the next playing season.