University of Houston Athletics
Athletics Names Construction Company for New Football Stadium
7/13/2012 12:00:00 AM | General
July 13, 2012
HOUSTON - Manhattan Construction Company, builders of some of the nation's and the city of Houston's premier athletics facilities, was selected to build the University of Houston's new football stadium, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades announced Friday.
 Photo Gallery | Manhattan Construction Company Quick Facts |
The new Houston Football stadium will be the latest facility built by Manhattan in the state of Texas. The company also developed Houston's Reliant Stadium, featuring the first retractable roof stadium in the NFL; Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, which is recognized with Reliant Stadium as two of the premier sports venues in the world; and its latest successful venue, BBVA Compass Stadium, home of Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo.
Cougar fans also are familiar with another one of Manhattan's projects. The company built the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., where the 2010 Houston Men's Basketball team won four games in as many days to win the Conference USA Championship title and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly two decades.
Other facilities include ONEOK Field (Tulsa Drillers minor league baseball team);jetBlue Park (spring training home for Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox); Apogee Stadium (North Texas football stadium), New Orleans Sports Arena andOklahoma State's Gallagher-Iba Arena expansion and renovation.
Manhattan Construction Company is the latest company to join this record-breaking project. In mid-June, PageSoutherlandPage and DLR Group were named the project's architects.
"Manhattan Construction Company has constructed preeminent athletics venues for successful sports franchises in this great city and in the state of Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Manhattan as they are a leader in building first-class intercollegiate and professional athletics facilities across the country," Rhoades said. "With a builder like Manhattan Construction Company and architects like PageSoutherlandPage and DLR Group, we are poised to create a football stadium that will be a source of pride and the centerpiece of our great University for decades to come."
"Manhattan Construction Company is very excited to have been selected to build the University of Houston's new football stadium. As you can imagine, with over 70 years in this great city we are honored to be a part of this new era for the University of Houston Athletics Department as it continues to grow and move into the BIG EAST Conference in 2014," said Duane Duffy, Manhattan Construction Company Senior Vice President - Houston Division. "Manhattan is pleased to bring our many years of stadium experience and lessons learned to construct this new, exciting facility."
The new football stadium - to be built on the site of Robertson Stadium following the 2012 season - is expected to cost approximately $105 million. The new facility will hold 40,000 fans with Phase II expansion designs that could increase that total to 60,000.
Plans call for luxury suites, loge box seating, comfortable club seating and other premium seating options. The stadium will boast home and visiting team locker room facilities, space for Sports Medicine and Equipment Operations and academic/meeting spaces covering approximately 20,000 square feet.
Besides serving as the Cougar Football program's home, the facility will service the entire campus and be capable of supporting student activities as well as outside events year-round.
ABOUT MANHATTAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
Founded in 1896, Manhattan Construction Company is ranked as the number one sports complex builder in Texas by McGraw-Hill's Texas Construction Magazine. The company's $15+ billion project portfolio includes sports stadia, office, healthcare, government, higher education, K-12 schools, laboratory, aviation, religious, museum, library, transportation, condominium, convention, casino, entertainment, and hospitality facilities.
Manhattan builds projects throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The firm's services include Manhattan's trademarked Builder-Driven Pre-Construction®, construction management, general building, and design/build. Manhattan operates from offices in Dallas and Houston, Texas; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; and Mexico City.
For more information about Manhattan Construction Company, visit its official website.
