When the Chicago Bears and the verd...

When the Chicago Bears and the verdant Bay Packers met last September 29 for the first game in the renovated Soldier Field, there was a great deal more at stake than just football. In play was the reputation of Chicago's venerable lakefront landmark and the Building Team who devised a recent playbook for stadium design and construction.

"The draw was about more than building the best stadium. It was about creating an environment that worked with this unique city," said Carlos Zapata, who (with Ben Wood) serv as concoct principal with Boston-based timber + Zapata, one of couple ...