At & T Stadium Case Study

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Pages: 5

AT&T Stadium Paper

The Dallas Cowboys have for many years been called “America’s Team.” The organization has become a super-franchise in the National Football League (NFL), its logo is a national icon, and many now consider the team name synonymous with success. Since the franchise was founded, the Cowboys are tied for the most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history (8) and are tied for the second most titles won (5) (nfl.com). 12 players, one coach, and one president have been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, placing Dallas as a top-ten team in that category. Not only has the football conglomerate experienced team success, but also financial and economic accomplishments. None of which are more significant than the stadium where the Dallas
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He did this by designing a 660,800 square-foot retractable roof to create an opening that simulated the same view fans would have if they were still sitting in Texas Stadium (unisystems.com). The proposal of the roof initially proposed a design challenge to the project engineers because the employees of the hired company, Uni-Systems, had never constructed a roof with as severe of an incline the roof required. They formulated the conclusion of designing a “custom rack-and-pinion drive system to ensure the roof’s operation as it climb(ed) the tall arches” (unisystems.com). This was the first rack-and-pinion design system in North America (walterpmoore.com). Separated into two 800 thousand pound panels, this problem was overcome and the electro-mechanical drive system motors each panel 215 feet to its final destination (uni-engineer.com/at-t-roof). While the roof takes 12 minutes to close and 18 to open, the roof travels with a slope varying between 0 and 24 degrees. When opening, gravity pulls the panels downward while the motors actually push upward in order to prevent the roof from traveling too quickly. The exact opposite process is used to close the roof; motors generate the upward velocity while gravity impedes its speed (uni-engineer.com/at-t-roof). Not only does AT&T Stadium’s roof have several pioneering structural features, …show more content…
In Atlanta and Minneapolis, new football stadiums are currently under construction. Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz stadium will have several similar features to AT&T Stadium, including a circular retractable roof, a floor-to-ceiling curtain wall which gives visitors a view of the city, a 360-degree HD video board, as well as countless lounges where fans can congregate and relax during intermission periods (mercedesbenzstadium.com). U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota is also constructing a state-of-the-art facility that has design plans similar to those of AT&T Stadium. Heading the major project is HKS Architects, the same firm in charge of the construction of AT&T Stadium. The transparent roof and walls project natural light into the stadium and they are also a part of the ventilation system that will reduce cost and save energy. The translucent material also allows visitors outside the building to observe what’s going on inside (hksinc.com). Since the construction of AT&T Stadium, these two projects are the first domes to be created in the NFL. Obviously, it seems these plans are similar structurally, architecturally, and even environmentally, are inspired by those of AT&T Stadium. Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys reconfigured the ideal NFL stadium with their bold and proactive plans. This is the reason why AT&T Stadium is so