For a little over 2 years, the Raiders have been producing and releasing periodic videos, which give an in-depth look into the construction of their nearly $2 billion dollar stadium in Las Vegas. I wrote about this series early last year, but I thought it would be a good time to give an update.
The new stadium, which will be called Allegiant Stadium, is set to open in August of 2020, in time for the 2020 NFL season opener. It will also be the future home to the NCCA Football’s Las Vegas Bowl and will hold the Pac-12 football championship games in 2020 and 2021.
From the Ground Up, the web series focusing on the construction of the stadium, is now on episode 9, with each episode typically around 15 minutes long. In the videos, you’ll gain much deeper access to the inner workings of major construction projects than can typically be seen.
Each episode focuses on a different aspect of the build in which the joint venture of Mortenson and McCarthy have to deal with. For instance, the most recent episode (episode 9) is set around communication. Though it’s extremely important on any construction project, you can imagine just how difficult proper communication can be on a project this large and with as many people involved as they have.
“One Wrong Repeat…Causes Chaos,” as episode 9 is titled, touches on that difficulty of communication. Think of it like a game of telephone, if you rely on one person to tell another, who ahs to tell another, and so on, the message can be totally different by the time it gets to the last person. The decision makers on a project this big can be dozens of layers away from the people who actually have to implement the work, so how can the process be streamlined?
I won’t ruin the whole episode for you, but communication to the field starts with signage and continues with meeting, like tool box talks, and, perhaps most importantly, actually talking to each other. But that’s not the only necessary delivery of information, general contractors need to effectively communicate to the owners, suppliers, and government agencies. For those, the contractors employ a steady diet of daily and weekly meetings, as well as a heavy dose of 3D BIM models and virtual reality.
We shared the first 4 episodes before, so below are episodes 5-9 for you to enjoy!
From the Ground Up - Ep. 5: "Know Before You Go"
From the Ground Up - Ep. 6: "I Sleep Like a Baby"
From the Ground Up - Ep. 7: "We Protect Our Home"
From the Ground Up – Ep. 8: “Raise The Roof!”
From the Ground Up – Ep. 9: “One Wrong Repeat... Causes Chaos!”
Shane is the creator of Construction Junkie and an active construction project manager. In his career, he has managed interior remodel projects, site development, construction safety, governmental project compliance, and facility maintenance. He has a strong passion for construction technology and safety, as well as sharing the knowledge or insights he has gained throughout his career.