When the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club™ committed to making improvements to its ballpark, now known as American Family Field™, the organization looked to its long-term partner Johnson Controls to help provide fans with an outstanding experience while ensuring the ballpark operates at peak performance and efficiency. As a result, the team increased attendance significantly.
Playing Against the Elements
The weather at the start of baseball season in Wisconsin is unpredictable and often still cold, and the old Brewers stadium had trouble attracting fans during chillier months. The club wanted the new ballpark to have a better climate control system, not only for the colder months, but also for those unbearably warm summer days.
With these updates, the stadium could be used year-round for events like concerts and company outings. However, varying events require different operations; lighting, HVAC, and security systems had to run efficiently and reduce operational inefficiencies over time but also be scalable across differing scenarios.
The Playbook
During the warm summer months at American Family Field, Johnson Controls operations and maintenance of nearly 350 pieces of HVAC equipment keep fans cool. During the colder months, 14 indirect gas-fired heaters heat the seating bowl. Both the HVAC systems and heaters are managed by the Metasys® building automation system, the Johnson Controls technology platform for integrated facility management.
The Metasys system enables suite-by-suite climate control with smart scheduling for HVAC usage and maintenance to ensure comfort and regulate the temperature beneath the stadium’s retractable roof, which covers the entire seating bowl. Having a central system for all HVAC operations supports seamless performance and energy monitoring, leading to long-term savings.
Uninterrupted operation of all the systems is supported by a team of Johnson Controls technicians who are present at every event. The technicians oversee the Stadium Operations Control Center, a central hub that not only manages the retractable roof and climate systems but also all lighting systems, from public areas and parking lots to specialized event lighting. A computerized maintenance management system tracks and records work orders across HVAC, electrical, and security systems to guarantee they are addressed in a timely manner and supports operational reporting.
In the neighborhood? American Family Field offers tours of the ballpark, including a technical tour that focuses on the architecture and HVAC system: https://www.mlb.com/brewers/ballpark/tours
A Home Run
The Brewers accomplished their goal of improving climate control to attract more fans. The updated stadium has more than one million additional attendees annually compared to previous years.
Now, American Family Field maintains a consistent and comfortable temperature of 62° F with minimal variation and continues to reduce energy waste through proactive building system optimization.
Read the full case study: American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wis. | Johnson Controls
The Game Never Stops
Johnson Controls’ long-standing relationship with the Brewers demonstrates how expertise and technology can drive fan satisfaction and operational efficiency. There is no one-size-fits-all plan for building optimization and energy efficiency, making a proactive, flexible partnership increasingly essential.
While the success of the updated stadium is remarkable, the work is not over. Johnson Controls technicians use their long-term knowledge of the ballpark’s operations to perform retro-commissioning and ongoing efficiency reviews to ensure that all systems are running efficiently.
For more information, visit: www.johnsoncontrols.com.
A Winning Game Plan
Here are some tips for contractors embarking on similar projects:
- Put the right building technology, processes, and experienced people in place to deliver the best user experience possible, drive improved efficiency and building performance, and enhance sustainability.
- Modify building automation scheduling often to best support the unique needs of games, events, or special occupancy requirements.
- Review operating parameters routinely and adjust to ensure comfort and system efficiency, less wasted energy, and more satisfied building occupants.
- Invest in maintenance systems that reduce long-term costs.
