Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Fla.
Retrofit Team
Plumbing Installer: Tharp Plumbing, Orlando
Engineers: TLC Engineering for Architecture, Orlando, and Bobes Associates Consulting Engineers Inc., Maitland, Fla.
Manufacturer’s Representative: Specified Sales Associates LLC, Orlando
Materials
The roster of plumbing products used in this project is lengthy and filled with high-performance veterans, including stainless-steel linear floor drains, lavatory and urinal carrier banks, closet carriers, stormwater drainage, custom debris covers, wall hydrants, cleanouts and light-duty grease traps, floor sinks, floor-drain stabilizers and more.
“Zurn carriers enabled us to cut the installation time in half for water closets, urinals and lavatories,” says Jim Tharp, owner and CEO of Tharp Plumbing. “Feedback we received from other members of the project team indicated they were impressed by the speed of installation—a week to two days, a day to a few hours. Zurn products allowed us to build a sturdy prefab that was moved to the site and installed in-place with no damage or leaks.”
Construction crews worked in 24-hour shifts and everyone associated with the project was laser-focused on the play clock.
“We had no room for timeouts,” recalls Dale Peterson, senior plumbing/FP specialty designer for TLC Engineering. “It was essential that the plumbing products deliver not only excellent quality and performance, but also easy and fast installations—and they did.”
Plumbing Products Manufacturer: Zurn Industries LLC
The Retrofit
Everything below the stadium’s upper deck was targeted for demolition and reconstruction to modernize the storied venue that opened in 1936. The game plan provides Orlando an 85 percent new stadium the city can use to host college football playoff games, World Cup soccer and other major entertainment events appropriate for a big, modern venue. The large-scale renovation project includes new restrooms, concessions, kitchen facilities and a team facilities building, as well as locker rooms for athletes and game officials.
Florida Citrus Sports is an organization that runs major events in the Citrus Bowl, including the Capital One Bowl and the Florida Blue Florida Classic. The group was instrumental in getting the stadium renovated. “Just seeing it in real life, to be able to walk into the bowl—it just blows me away,” says Steve Hogan, CEO of Florida Citrus Sports as quoted in the Orlando Sentinel.
PHOTOS: Zurn Industries LLC