Baseball fans in
Reno, Nev., the self-proclaimed “Biggest Little City in the World,” were treated to Opening Day ceremonies in April 2009 at the sparkling new Aces Ballpark. The stadium is a feature element of redevelopment plans for the downtown area, and is situated between the Truckee River, the historic Freight House District, and downtown landmark casinos and restaurants. The ballpark is home to the Reno Aces, a Triple-A Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League. With a stadium capacity of 9,100, the $50 million dollar project is owned by SK Baseball, New York City, who brought professional baseball to Reno last year after purchasing the team previously known as the Tucson Sidewinders.
Groundbreaking at the site occurred only 12 months prior to the opening of the ballpark. Los Angeles-based HNTB Architecture, Kansas City, Mo., was chosen to lead a design-build approach to the construction of the facility. Milpitas, Calif.-based Devcon Construction completed the construction on time despite a demanding schedule requiring completion before Opening Day. The stadium incorporates traditional baseball elements such as a redbrick façade, fan-friendly amenities and handsome entryways on both sides of the field. A 360-degree concourse inside the stadium enables fans to walk around the entire perimeter of the field to view the game and the facility from all angles, and an expansive dugout level suite was created directly behind home plate bringing fans eye-level with the action.
Enriching the exterior features of the ballpark are curved metal canopies located at the entrances to provide cover from the elements, exposed steel support columns, tubular metal light standards extending high into the sky and the relatively wide usage of Orsogril Architectural Fencing’s “Pleione” pattern architectural metal fencing panels, distributed by Grating Pacific, Los Alamitos, Calif. Thpanels are used throughout the park to provide security while minimizing view obstruction. Gates and fences near the entrances incorporate the panels to provide crowd control while allowing security personnel to view the entire area. Handrail infill panels are used for stairways, landings and raised corridors, providing an open feel while meeting the safety requirements of building codes for public access areas. A feature element of the ballpark are the fence panels extending skyward along the perimeter roof line of the facility providing an attractive,functional screen to prevent foul balls from landing in the adjacent street. The handrails, gates and fence panels were fabricated and installed by Martin Iron Works, Reno. Economical and attractive, these fencing elements provide security, durability and versatility to this extraordinary new facility.
Orsogril Architectural Fencing, www.orsogril.us
