Union High School Stadium Expansion & Performing Arts Center Renovation - Union Public Schools ISD 9

K12 education spaces are more than just classrooms and labs. We know enriching students’ lives through athletics and art is just as important as studying core subjects. That’s why we were excited to be a part of Union High School’s Union Tuttle Stadium and Performing Arts Center renovation; the first time this stadium had any changes since it was built in 1976. Upgrades included a 64,050 SF new construction addition that houses a new press box, weight rooms, a nutrition room, locker rooms, concessions, band rooms, practice rooms, offices, and restrooms. The visitor section of the stadium was also expanded to comfortably support 10,000 fans. The men’s and women’s wrestling teams also received a new practice space as a part of these upgrades. The project also involved backfill renovation to the main school building in order to provide fine arts and spirit team spaces. The marching band also now has a practice and warm up space directly off the field.

Henderson Engineers collaborated with the design team to provide thoughtful building systems design solutions. To provide conditioning for these new spaces, our designs included adding a third cooling tower cell, replacing the existing 750-ton chiller and incorporating a new part-load 300-ton chiller, and converting the chilled water system to variable flow. We also added a new boiler plant located to provide heating hot water. The new band building also allowed the school to incorporate the largest in-stadium screen in Oklahoma with more than 2,000 SF of video board incorporated to make sure no fan misses a play. As with any large gathering space, safety was also a top concern for Team Henderson as we expanded the fire protection and life safety systems to a level that rivals those in college and professional stadia. In addition to coordinating with the local fire department early and often to utilize systems that provide an effective fire protection system while saving the district money, this project included a full fire alarm replacement of the existing east stadium grandstand to provide a single, seamless fire alarm system for the complex. Our experts led discussions between the district and fire department to allow the system to incorporate Positive Alarm Sequencing (PAS). The PAS mode is utilized any time the stadium is at or above 30% capacity with the goal of avoiding a full evacuation in the event of a false alarm. Our designs, in conjunction with the commissioning completed by our sister company, Henderson Building Solutions, ensure the students and community only have to think about cheering on the Redhawks.