Value Engineering - Design Risk and Reward at Major Sport Arena Projects-Paper

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The paper examines how specialty foundation contractors can improve the cost, schedule, and constructability of major sports-arena projects through early value engineering (VE) input. Because venues must be built quickly, teams need close coordination among owners, general contractors, geotechnical and structural engineers, and specialty contractors—and must remain open to design changes even after permit documents are submitted.

Three California projects illustrate this approach:

- <strong>Las Vegas Stadium:</strong> CFA piles were proposed as a faster, less costly alternative to drilled shafts in caliche and alluvial soils. A fast-track test program confirmed drillability and capacity, allowing the team to adopt the system while accommodating evolving designs and ground conditions.
- <strong>Golden 1 Center, Sacramento:</strong> Challenging soils, contamination, groundwater, seismic risk, variable bearing conditions, and existing piles constrained foundation options. Drilled displacement piles reduced contaminated spoil and accommodated variable pile lengths. The contractor also proposed larger-diameter piles to help avoid conflicts with abandoned piles; load testing verified capacity.
- <strong>Chase Center, San Francisco:</strong> Variable ground and potentially very hard, localized bedrock created uncertainty for the originally proposed CFA piles. A combined CFA-pile and drilled-shaft solution used the advantages of both systems and reduced the risk of construction delays or redesign.

The authors conclude that successful VE proposals require more than technical expertise. Contractors need strong knowledge of local geological, environmental, and historical conditions; competence, flexibility, and persistence; and an ability to understand project-team relationships and concerns. Establishing credibility, presenting benefits early, and providing a realistic schedule are key to turning an alternative foundation concept into a successful project.

Keywords

value engineering

specialty foundation contractors

sports arena construction

foundation systems

CFA piles

drilled shafts

drilled displacement piles

geotechnical conditions

constructability

load testing