U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings NFL American football team, is set to undergo $21m (£16.4m/€18.9m) in renovation work after it emerged that panels on the venue’s exterior require replacing.
The Star Tribune newspaper reported that the stadium’s zinc panels “leak more than previously revealed” and a new façade is necessary.
The cost of the repairs will be covered by the stadium’s general contractor Mortenson and seven other companies involved in the construction of the venue, which opened in the summer of 2016.
The Star Tribune notes that the panels started leaking before the stadium had even opened, with Mortenson having downplayed the seriousness of the problem.
Mortenson senior vice-president John Wood said: “I’ll be honest with you, we’re embarrassed by the fact this building has had the issues it’s had.”
Wood added that the company can “do the right thing” by fixing the problem.
The panels had been reinforced by the summer of 2017 but there remained long-term concerns over potential leaks.
The Star Tribune reported that the MFA approved a mediated settlement for the replacement of the panels following talks between Mortenson, HKS, M.G. McGrath, Custom Drywall, TRI-Construction, Larson Engineering, Thornton Tomasetti and Studio Five Architects. Each of the companies will not know how much the others are paying towards the repair work.
The replacement of the panels will take around two years and the new structure will be of a similar appearance to the existing panels.
U.S. Bank Stadium hosted the NFL’s Super Bowl in 2018.
Image: Darb02
