Guaranteed Rate Field

Formerly named U.S. Cellular Field, Guaranteed Rate Field stadium is the home of the Chicago White Sox baseball team. Perimeter concourses at the three main stadium seating levels consist of a concrete wearing surface supported on rigid insulation, a waterproof membrane, and a structural concrete slab.  Shortly after completion of the construction in 1990, the wearing concourse slabs cracked as a consequence of widely-spaced contraction joints. Cracks were both aesthetically unpleasing and were thought to be the source of observed water infiltration into enclosed suites below.

RRJ was retained by the Project Architect to investigate the cause and extent of cracking and leakage and to develop a cost-effective repair method which would avoid complete slab and waterproof membrane removal and replacement. Systematic water spray tests conducted by RRJ revealed that water leakage was attributable to construction deficiencies not associated with the cracked concourse slabs.

RRJ developed schematic repairs consisting of stitching cracked portions of the slab together with steel dowels, installing new contraction joints, and applying a durable, slip-resistant traffic deck coating over the entire concrete slab surface.