Sports & Recreation
Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium
![Interior view of the Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/11/UU-South-End-Zone_HERO_2.jpg)
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
Total Size
120,000 SF
Seats
5,637
Certifications
LEED Silver
A history of excellence at Rice Eccles.
After expanding the original stadium in 1998—and adding the mega scoreboard in 2017—Layton was ready to tackle the south endzone expansion. Completed on a fast-track schedule, the Ken Garff Performance Zone consisted of a 120,000 SF addition, increasing capacity from 45,807 to 51,444 seats. The expansion also included a spacious home team locker room, numerous hospitality and hosting areas, premium seating, and 19 luxury suites.
Client: Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management | University of Utah
![Interior view of the seating at the Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/UU-South-End-Zone_Gallery_1.png)
![Interior view of audience in attendance at the Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/UU-South-End-Zone_Gallery_2.png)
![Wide angle view of the entrance to the Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/UU-South-End-Zone_Gallery_7.png)
Complex, fast, and sustainable.
This high-profile project required the complete demolition of the existing building to fully enclose the end zone. The new structure consists of over 400 soil nails with a 30-foot showring wall, over 2,400 structural steel members, and tens of thousands of yards of concrete in footings, decks, shear walls, and architectural walls. Layton and our trade partners worked strategically and efficiently to complete the project in just 19 months. Along with attaining LEED Silver certification, the Ken Garff Performance Zone was named Project of the Year by Utah Construction & Design in 2021.
![Interior view of hallway in the Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/UU-South-End-Zone_Gallery_3.png)
![Interior view of locker room at the Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/UU-South-End-Zone_Gallery_5.png)
![Interior view of family lounge in the Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/UU-South-End-Zone_Gallery_8.png)
Giving the Olympic Cauldron a new home.
Layton brought a 350-ton crane to the south side of the site to relocate the Olympic Cauldron used in the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Games. The cauldron was moved off site to be refurbished before being placed back, north of the former Olympic Museum atop a 30-foot pedestal and fountain for the public to enjoy.
![Exterior view of decorative tower at the Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/UU-South-End-Zone_Gallery_4.png)
![Exterior view of side entrance to the Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/UU-South-End-Zone_Gallery_6.png)
![Exterior drone view of the Ken Garff Performance Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium](https://www.laytonconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/UU-South-End-Zone_Gallery_9.png)