The roar of more than 40,000 fans echoed through Rogers Centre as general superintendent Jeff Long and superintendents Steven Lowe and Greg Cooper stepped onto the field on April 8, 2024 with brand-new bases in hand.

When the Toronto Blue Jays asked Cooper, Long and Lowe if they wanted to install the bases for the Home Opener, their answer was immediate. So when Lowe’s name was announced and he stepped onto the field that day alongside fellow PCL employees and tradespeople who had spent the last two years transforming Rogers Centre, the magnitude of the moment hit him.

“I remember bending down, putting the base in and looking up to wave at my kids who were somewhere in the stands. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it was a big honour that the Blue Jays thought of us to do that,” says Lowe.

For the team behind all four phases of the renovation, Home Opener was more than the start of a baseball season. It was the moment every phase had built toward.

That journey began in the summer of 2022 when the Toronto Blue Jays announced a multi-year renovation of Rogers Centre. The vision was ambitious: transform the iconic stadium into a modern ballpark with enhanced fan experiences and world-class player facilities through a series of off-season renovations, all without disrupting the Blue Jays' regular season.

Three months following the announcement, PCL Construction and its trade partners hit the ground running to bring the Toronto Blue Jays’ vision to life. Design was led by global architecture design firm Populous.

Through a construction management delivery approach, the team worked as one integrated group to align decisions, schedules and execution across all phases of the transformation. Home to Canada's baseball team, Rogers Centre opened in 1989 as a multi-purpose stadium and went more than three decades without a major renovation. The multi-phase revitalization program addressed the facility's most significant challenges while preserving and modernizing the ballpark for future generations of fans.

With every phase tied to the deadline of Home Opener, there was no room for delay. Every member of the project team understood the stakes. That shared sense of purpose became the driving force behind one of the most ambitious renovation programs in Canadian sports history.

For phase one of the revitalization, the traditional outfield seating bowl was transformed into the Outfield District, featuring five new fan-focused Outfield “neighbourhoods,” designed to bring spectators closer to the field and create an entirely new ballpark experience. Among the most significant upgrades was the complete replacement of all 500 Level seating and railings throughout the stadium, improving safety while giving the upper bowl a completely new look.

With a six-month construction window tied directly to the baseball offseason, the team had to be ready to move at a moment’s notice, making extensive preconstruction planning critical to mitigating risk and maintaining schedule certainty. Materials were procured in advance, logistics were mapped out and the site was strategically staged so work could begin immediately once the green light was given.

This intricate renovation project involved 14 individual projects rolled into one. While crews transformed the outfield, Rogers Centre's back-of-house operations and the attached hotel remained operational. Work often took place above and below other work areas at the same time, requiring constant coordination between teams to maintain safety and keep progress moving.

With a wide-ranging scope of work, PCL took a novel approach to project execution. Rather than following a traditional sequence where activities move from one location to the next, the team’s “no-flow” approach enabled multiple work fronts to progress concurrently across the venue, maximizing productivity and accelerating delivery. 

Within the first week, demolition, ironwork, mechanical, electrical, drywall, masonry and painting activities were all underway simultaneously. Daily huddles for on-site supervisors were held every morning to run through the plan of the day and ensure that all contractors were made aware of the day’s activities.

Trade partners were equally invested in the outcome, creating a culture where collaboration and open communication came naturally.

"You saw very quickly how well the team gelled," says Lowe. "I think that was one of the major reasons for success there, just how well we all got along together and how we handled the stress."

When construction crews returned to Rogers Centre in October 2023, they were not just renovating another section of the stadium. They were preparing to remove and rebuild the heart of it. The second phase overhauled the 100 Level infield from foul pole to foul pole around home plate, with a new 100 Level seating bowl designed and rebuilt specifically for baseball viewing, along with adding world-class player facilities, premium clubs and amenities.

The scope was nearly twice the size of phase one and significantly more complex, requiring major demolition, excavation, structural work and high-end finishes within the same six-month offseason window. To maintain progress, construction activities regularly operated six and, at times, seven days a week, with double shifts scheduled during critical periods. Despite the increased complexity, the relationships built during phase and months of preparation between seasons gave the team confidence to tackle the challenge differently.

“With the success and buy-in we received from the first phase, everyone knew what the expectations were going into phase two,” says Cooper. “We had the opportunity to be a lot more collaborative with our trade partners, having them help us build the plan based on their experience and knowledge."

To address challenges posed by the 35-year-old stadium’s existing conditions, the team used 3D modeling and site surveys to map the original layout and elevation points. During construction, multiple surveys were completed, confirming that the trade partners were hitting the same elevation points and gridlines. Among the most significant demolition tasks was removing the stadium’s original track system, which once allowed the stands to split and rotate to accommodate baseball and football configurations.  

Early in the planning phase, the team recognized a potential challenge: how to continue bringing materials into the facility once the lower bowl was excavated. To maintain the construction schedule, the team installed a “Bailey Bridge,” creating a direct route from the Rogers Centre loading dock to the field, becoming the main artery for all site logistics. At the peak of demolition and excavation work, 10 excavators were on-site with 344 dump trucks cycling in and out of Rogers Centre over the temporary bridge in a single day. By maintaining a continuous flow of materials, the team kept demolition, excavation and formwork on track, ultimately completing the below-grade structure 22 days ahead of schedule.

Collaboration was key to the project’s success. During the second phase, the Toronto Blue Jays hosted a trade appreciation event to thank the workforce for their contributions, recognizing the dedication required to deliver the fast-tracked renovation.

By the time phase three began in September 2024, the team had successfully delivered two offseason renovations, built strong relationships with the client and trade partners and developed a deep understanding of how the stadium operated.

New premium spaces took shape throughout the ballpark, including Heinz Club 328 in right field. Designed to bring fans closer to the action, the club features field-facing views, a dedicated bar, private amenities and openings in the outfield wall that offer a unique perspective of the game. Behind the scenes, new support spaces were created for premium club staff, including offices, locker facilities, washrooms and break areas. The former Health Club was repurposed into valuable storage space and integrated with a new freight elevator that connected the stadium and concourse levels.

The majority of the design was still evolving as schedules were being developed, requiring the team to build sequencing plans and construction durations from preliminary renderings and early design information. “Most of our team remained the same from previous phases, so the knowledge gained during phase one and two provided a valuable advantage,” says Jason Walker, project manager.

Unlike a traditional construction site, Rogers Centre remained one of Canada's busiest entertainment venues. During construction, the team had to plan around a series of major events, including six shows for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and a WWE event.

“Entire sections of the project were temporarily demobilized as we paused construction activity to accommodate the facility's operations,” says Samuel Flatt, superintendent. “Across four separate blackout periods, the schedule absorbed 22 days of lost construction time. Despite those interruptions, the team continued to achieve its critical milestones.” 

The Rogers Centre Terrace Club, built during phase four in 2025 was one of the most ambitious and complex components of the stadium’s multi-year renovation. The team gutted the existing premium TD Clubhouse space and expanded the footprint, creating a fully modernized space that seamlessly connects indoor hospitality with an expansive outdoor terrace. The terrace stretched three structural bays, requiring extensive structural work to support large steel trellises and reconfigure the seating bowl below.

Construction took place during the winter months, requiringthe team to remove the building envelope and expose the structure to the elements. The outdoor work added another layer of complexity, from weather protection to street occupancy permits and coordination with paid duty police officers. To maintain progress, the team implemented a highly adaptable weather wall system, allowing interior work to continue safely and efficiently while the terrace structure was erected. Work on the exterior required careful coordination with the city to manage road and sidewalk closures.

While the city rallied behind the Blue Jays’ exciting playoff run, it meant six weeks of lost construction time. “The team successfully delivered one of the fastest turnovers to the Jays to date, entering the space later than ever before and exiting earlier than any previous phase,” explains Walker.

Working in an active ballpark environment added another layer of complexity. For the first time in the stadium's history, the project involved demolishing and reconstructing a portion of the precast seating bowl while working around existing structures. To facilitate this, the team relied on 3D reality capture scanning and intensive structural and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) clash coordination, allowing the design and construction teams to identify and resolve conflicts before work began, avoiding costly rework. Access was orchestrated from the field, with cranes brought onto the playing surface to facilitate critical lifts, all while the team coordinated around Rogers Centre’s event schedule.

To mark the Toronto Blue Jays’ 50^th season, the client initiated a two-phase project to celebrate the club’s history while phase four renovations were underway. Working under a separate design-build delivery contract, PCL helped transform underutilized areas of Rogers Centre into permanent fan experiences, including concourse displays with memorabilia and artifacts from defining moments in franchise history. Phase two focused on creating the Hall of Excellence, a permanent exhibit honouring the players, coaches, executives and broadcasters who have shaped the Blue Jays organization.

The renovated club space, combined with the new historical exhibits and Hall of Excellence have transformed how fans experience Rogers Centre while commemorating the team's 50-year legacy.

The new Rogers Terrace Club introduced seven distinct food and beverage experiences, a new kitchen, a reimagined entrance sequence and an outdoor terrace that offers some of the most unique views in the ballpark. Within the seating bowl, structural modifications improved sightlines, created a more intimate premium seating experience and brought guests closer to the action than ever before.

For Steven Lowe and Greg Cooper, that moment on Home Opener was the culmination of two years of work.

It was also a celebration of the hundreds of tradespeople, craft professionals and project team members who transformed Rogers Centre under extraordinary deadlines and expectations. Their work created a lasting legacy for fans to experience for generations to come.

“The Toronto Blue Jays consider PCL a trusted and valued partner,” says Jennifer Angiolella, senior director of  facilities management for the Toronto Blue Jays. “Their professionalism, innovation, and consistent delivery of high-quality results make them an outstanding organization for projects of this scale and complexity. We are grateful for the collaborative spirit they brought to every phase of the renovation and for their shared investment in creating something extraordinary for our fans.”

When schedules are fixed, stakes are high and the start of the baseball season is non-negotiable, success depends on thousands of decisions made long before the first pitch. At Rogers Centre, PCL’s planning, innovation and execution ransformed one of Canada’s most iconic sports venues without disrupting a single baseball season.