A Glimpse of the Future: Michigan Stadium, Fall 2008

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A Glimpse of the Future: Michigan Stadium, Fall 2008
March 5, 2008

Construction at Michigan Stadium continues in the first year of the three-year renovation project, and the considerable amount of work planned for the nine months between the end of the 2007 football season and the start of the 2008 campaign is proceeding on target.

"Even though we have been having a rough winter, we are still ready to meet all our scheduled construction deadlines," said Mike Stevenson, senior associate athletic director.

All the activity surrounding the stadium has many fans wondering what the facility will look like this coming fall. And thanks to the architects at HNTB and the remarkable capabilities of computers, the Athletic Department is able to offer a preview of how Michigan Stadium will look when September rolls around.

The most obvious additions are the massive steel superstructures that eventually will support multi-story masonry structures as well as elevated concourses on the east and wide sides of the "Big House." During the season, construction crews will fill in the superstructures with more steel and start boxing in the structures.

Visible in the rendering at the north end of the stadium are two new buildings. The one on the west (right) side will house a medical facility, the department of public safety headquarters and lavatories. The east building includes space for the M-Den (merchandise sales) and game operations as well as additional lavatories for men and women.

A large amount of earth was moved on the east side of the stadium when foundation and caisson work was done (seen in this photo gallery from January), but by the time football season arrives, the east concourse will have been restored.

While the stadium will be ready in September to welcome more than 100,000 fans each game day, construction work will continue Monday through Thursday prior to home games. "We will use Friday as a clean-up day for the game," added Stevenson. "When the team is on the road, we are going to work seven days a week."