Great Pic: The Bank

[purplefaithful]

[StickierBuns]

Its a great stadium, especially when the big doors are open.

[Still Hurtn]

I have a very similar picture on my phone. Was sitting the next level up. Such a beautiful view.

[MAD GAINZ]

It's the closest feeling to an outdoor game experience while your indoors. Especially when the big doors are open and you get that outside air moving through and the heat from the sun through the glass.

[JimmyinSD]

anybody see the drawings of the new browns stadium? wonder who they are trying to emulate?

apparently the new bears stadium is basically the raiders stadium but in a town with better pizza.

[AGRforever]

anybody see the drawings of the new browns stadium?  wonder who they are trying to emulate?

apparently the new bears stadium is basically the raiders stadium but in a town with better pizza.

Wonder why we didn't do both sides of the stadium in glass like the browns are doing?  Weight?  Solar radiation/heating cooling?

[JimmyinSD]

Wonder why we didn't do both sides of the stadium in glass like the browns are doing?  Weight?  Solar radiation/heating cooling?

Likely a cost to benefit thing,   as most of the football season is fall/winter when the sun is at a lower plane,  having glass on the north side of the roof wouldnt add an appreciable amount of light vs the costs associated with it?

[purplefaithful]

Likely a cost to benefit thing,   as most of the football season is fall/winter when the sun is at a lower plane,  having glass on the north side of the roof wouldnt add an appreciable amount of light vs the costs associated with it?

Here's what I found:

US Bank Stadium wasn't built with an all-glass roof due to the prohibitive cost and complexity of the structure, the need to manage heavy snow loads in Minnesota's climate, and the fact that the team eventually opted for the "Clear is the New Retractable" transparent ETFE roof design to provide the benefits of natural light and outdoor feel without the operational issues of a retractable roof.  

Cost and Complexity
An all-glass roof would have been prohibitively expensive to design, construct, and maintain, adding hundreds of millions of dollars to the total cost of the stadium.

Retractable roofs, which also would have been an alternative to a permanent glass roof, are rarely used enough to justify the added expense..

Snow and Climate Management
The Minnesota climate presents a significant challenge with heavy snowfall, and architects needed a roof designed to handle these loads.
An all-glass roof would not have been structurally sound for the amount of snow Minnesota experiences.

The chosen solution was a sloped roof made with lightweight, transparent ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) pillows, which allow for natural light and also help snow melt off more quickly due to the material's low thermal resistance (low R-value).

The "Clear is the New Retractable" Philosophy
To achieve the feeling of being outdoors and experiencing natural light, which was a key goal, the architects devised the ETFE roof system.
This approach allows the stadium to have a bright, natural feel, similar to an outdoor stadium, without the maintenance and structural burdens of a permanent glass roof.

The ETFE roof, combined with a large glass wall on the west end, creates the desired atmosphere, coining the phrase, "Clear is the new retractable".

AI