Jerry Jones, controversial billionaire owner of the Dallas Cowboys, wanted the team's new stadium in Arlington, Texas, to really amp up the fan experience. The organization spent $1.2 billion building a massive three-million-sf arena that seats 80,000 (with room for another 20,000) and has more than 300 private suites, some at field level-a first for an NFL stadium.
Jones was aware that only about 7% of NFL fans ever set foot in a stadium-even in football-mad Texas. So when planning began on the Cowboys' new digs in 2003, Jones tasked the Building Team of HKS (architect), Walter P Moore (structural engineer), and Manhattan Construction Co. (GC) with creating a facility that wooed fans with an exceptional game-day experience.
The owner wanted every seat in the house to offer a spectacular view, so the Building Team ruled out super-column supports that would have blocked the action for a few fans. Structural support is instead provided by two steel arches that, at 1,225 feet each, form the world's longest single-span roof structure. The mega-arches' 14,000 tons of steel create 19 million pounds of thrust and necessitated construction of massive subterranean concrete abutments. Each steel arch is anchored to the abutments with custom-cast, 64,000-pound solid-steel pin-bearing assemblies.
The stadium's retractable roof consists of two translucent panels, each measuring 290 feet by 220 feet; it utilizes the first rack and pinion retractable roof drive system in the U.S. The panels are made of a Teflon-coated fiberglass tensile membrane with a photocatalytic titanium dioxide coating that uses sunlight to break down dirt. Each panel travels the length of the arches and then meets at the 50-yard line; when retracted, they create a giant 104,960-sf opening. (The Cowboy's iconic doughnut hole in the roof is evident when panels are closed.) The entire operation takes 12 minutes. Operating at a 23-degree angle, it represents the steepest incline of any retractable roof in the world.
A massive four-sided video scoreboard suspended above the field also bumps up the fan experience a few notches. The custom super-high-def Mitsubishi unit measures 158 feet wide by 71 feet tall-extending from 20-yard line to 20-yard line. The $40 million unit weighs 600 tons and is suspended from the twin arch supports by 11/2-inch-diameter steel wire rope cables.
Utilizing BIM, the Building Team managed 1,500 design change requests from Jones and 300 design revisions with 5,500 drawing clarifications before the stadium opened in June 2009. A thousand visitors a day show up just to tour the facility, which will host Super Bowl XLV next February 6. BD+C
PROJECT SUMMARY
Special Recognition
Dallas Cowboys Stadium
Arlington, Texas
Building Team
Submitting firm: Manhattan Construction Co. (GC)
Owner/developer: Blue Star Development
Architect: HKS
Structural engineer: Walter P Moore
MEP engineer: M-E Engineers Inc.
Related Stories
Market Data | Jan 30, 2018
AIA Consensus Forecast: 4.0% growth for nonresidential construction spending in 2018
The commercial office and retail sectors will lead the way in 2018, with a strong bounce back for education and healthcare.
Architects | Jan 29, 2018
14 marketing resolutions AEC firms should make in 2018
As we close out the first month of the New Year, AEC firms have made (and are still making) plans for where and how to spend their marketing time and budgets in 2018.
Education Facilities | Jan 29, 2018
My day as a kindergartner
The idea of a kindergarten-only school presents both challenges and opportunities in regards to the design.
AEC Tech | Jan 29, 2018
thyssenkrupp tests self-driving robot for ‘last mile’ delivery of elevator parts
“With driverless delivery robots, we could fill a gap and get spare parts from our warehouses to the jobsite faster,” said thyssenkrupp SVP Ivo Siebers.
Architects | Jan 26, 2018
Stephen Ayers, FAIA, honored with the 2018 AIA Thomas Jefferson Award
The award honors significant contributions to public architecture.
Architects | Jan 26, 2018
Recipients for the 2018 Collaborative Achievement Award selected
The recipients will be honored at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2018 in New York City.
K-12 Schools | Jan 25, 2018
Cost estimating for K-12 school projects: An invaluable tool for budget management
Clients want to be able to track costs at every stage of a project, and cost estimates (current and life cycle) are valuable planning and design tools, writes LS3P's Ginny Magrath, AIA.
Architects | Jan 25, 2018
Four keys to designing autistic-friendly spaces
Autism, in part, gave us modern architecture, writes PDR’s Julie Troung.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 25, 2018
Virginia Beach: A surf town with a wave problem no more
A world-class surf park will highlight Virginia Beach’s new live-work-play development.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 24, 2018
Apartment rent rates jump 2.5% in 2017, led by small and mid-sized markets
The average price for one-bedroom units increased the most.