The Malaysian national football team may not be high in the FIFA rankings, but that does not stop the national team from building one of the largest football stadiums in the world. The Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which was built at a cost of RM800 million, is a colossus that can hold more than 87,000 spectators. It is the largest stadium of its kind in Southeast Asia. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that it has hosted many other events apart from the games of the Malaysia national team.
Building a permanent roof makes sense for football venues desiring non-stop events. Opening up to the elements has a draw for those not as concerned with rain or heat. The retractable roof doesn't have a defined place in football or soccer. The stats show the roofs remain closed roughly three-fourths of the time in warm MLB climates and close only about a quarter of the time in the rain-threatened Pacific Northwest. Us fans, we like the modern comforts of air conditioning.
Sixty-eight degrees and artificially sunny always feels nice. Rescheduling 20 or more Mariners games would turn nightmarish. But closing the roof for the sun in Phoenix, Miami and Houston? A multipurpose facility that has features 29 luxury suites, a full-service club restaurant and a built-in concert stage, Subaru Park is the ideal destination for any type of event. An expansive grass and promenade area surrounds the building and is perfect for tailgating and outdoor music festivals. The natural grass surface that covers the 120 x 75 yard field is suitable for soccer, as well as other sports such as football, lacrosse and rugby.
The sideline roofs were designed to protect fans from the elements without obstructing the scenic view of the Commodore Barry Bridge and the Delaware River from their seats. Two NFL teams, the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, have gone to extraordinary lengths to play on natural grass in retractable-roof and fixed-roof stadiums, respectively. The Cardinals' rollout grass field is contained in a 40-inch-deep tray that is rolled outside the stadium on 546 steel wheels resting on 13 railroad-like tracks to get sunlight on non-game days. Similarly, the Raiders' new stadium features a sliding field tray containing a natural-grass playing surface, which is rolled outside, powered by 72 motors, into the sunlight on non-game days.
But rain doesn't stop soccer or football, where we see the most expensive stadiums in the world and the largest roofs. In baseball and tennis we want both to avoid rainouts and to protect against heat—three of baseball's six movable roofs are solely to combat heat, not rain. In football, roofs close in order to host non-sporting events, concerts and conventions that bring added revenue to the building's owners. The dual-use nature of the venue was cause for the retractable roof's rise, but also proves our love for keeping it closed. Nick Reynolds, Populous architect and designer of Wimbledon's movable roof, says that 10 years ago steel retractable roofs were installed almost as a matter of course. Typical retractable steel roofs—with added engineering, materials and structure to support weight—add roughly a five percent surcharge to your project.
An after-market addition, such as for Arthur Ashe Stadium, though, could easily top $100 million, even for that relatively small venue. During eras when a stadium set you back a mere $250 million, a surcharge wasn't as foreboding. As football stadiums top $1 billion, that cost isn't minimal. Only domed and retractable roof stadiums are included, i.e. stadiums that cover both spectators and playing field. Wembley Stadium in London, which seats 90,000 spectators, is not included as the roof can only be partially closed. The stadiums are divided into current stadiums, closed stadiums, and future stadiums (those currently under-construction and those planned for construction).
FedExField has consistently made it to the list of worst NFL stadiums. One reason cited is its location, which makes it difficult for fans to reach especially via public transportation. The five-level venue has hosted college football games, as well as occasional international soccer and rugby matches.
State Farm Stadium is regarded as an architectural landmark in the area, and has won awards for its design. It boasts the first retractable natural grass-playing surface in the US, as well as the first completely retractable roof operating at an incline. State Farm is a multi-purpose facility, also having hosted soccer and basketball matches, motor sports, and trade shows. Traditionally, the beautiful game has always been considered a game outdoors where the weather played a decisive role.
Rain, cold, hot, air, snow, few were the pretexts for a meeting not be played. But nevertheless, The advancement of technology has meant that in recent years have increased the number of stadiums that have retractable roofs with which close the campus at any given time. In the past, many popular, multi-purpose stadia roofs were simply domed.
Today, retractable roofs – the next-generation of roofing systems – are convertible and can be opened up to let the sun shine in on good weather days, and closed during bad weather. This provides flexibility in creating the level of required level of weather protection while maintaining optimum play conditions, fan experience, and conditions for natural grass to grow. In summary, football stadium do not have roofs for several reasons.
These reasons include the costs of construction, the complexity of construction and the natural light and air requirements of grassed playing surfaces. In addition , football is culturally known as a fun, outdoor sport. Having roofed stadiums may negatively impact this perception. However, there are advantages to having roofed stadiums.
These include the fact that weather can no longer cause cancellations and that venues can be multifunctional. In the future, more franchises may opt to break ground on domed and retractable-roof venues, but the data indicates it isn't in their best interest, unless every team is on an equal playing field. Until then, the teams with open-field stadiums appear best suited to march on to victory, especially when the games count the most. • The stadium may have a broader variety of suites, wider concourses, more tunnels and "higher quality" concessions.
The report notes the "potential for tunnel club" – presumably a premium ticketing area – as a revenue opportunity. Fans in general admission will have access to heated areas. Despite the extravagant cost, the Wembley justified its image as one of the premier football destinations. It is the home of the England national team and it is one of the top destinations where international games are played. However, the increased construction costs forced the England FA to allow games from different competitions to take place.
As a result, the Wembley now hosts games from the League Cup, FA Cup, and many other lower league competitions. It is also the destination where many event concerts are held. An iconic symbol of the ground is the huge semi-circle that can be seen from a distance.
MetLife's seating capacity is the biggest among all NFL stadiums. It hosted Super Bowl XLVIII, as well Wrestlemania, soccer games, as well numerous concerts. It covers 2.1 million square feet, provides parking for 28,000 vehicles, and cost $1.6 billion to construct. Going into the 2016 season, 24 out of 32 teams will only be able to play their home games outdoor.
The better question is which NFL teams have "indoor" stadiums? The Cardinals, Colts, Cowboys, and Texans play in those stadiums. These are other facets of the business case that compels sports stadium developers to invest in retractable roofs.
Fans and supporters don't attend events if they know they are going to get wet. Thanks to retractable roofs, events can proceed as planned regardless of the weather conditions. The fan experience and the environment in which fans experience sporting events is far better when it involves a retractable roof. This is part of the financial business case for choosing a retractable roof. Do you think the days of the open-air NFL stadium are numbered?
Seems like the closed or retractable roofs are all the rage now. Venue and the Raiders' Las Vegas digs will have some sort of covering. I can see new stadium situations developing in Washington, D.C., and Buffalo in the next decade being domed.
To me, I always thought it was great to see that late afternoon hazy sun gleaming off the Rams, Chargers and Raiders helmets in the Coliseum on TV when it's freezing outside here on the East Coast. U.S. Bank also ranks among the best, and its design is considered a trendsetter for stadiums that have come after it. It has a roof that mimics the effect of a retractable one, effectively protecting fans and players from the city's chilly weather. Eisenman Architects and HOK Sport designed this stadium in Glendale, Arizona, home to the Phoenix Cardinals. The UFO-esque, retractable roof, made of translucent ""Bird-Air" fabric, opens in 12 minutes.
Moving on steel rails, it's the first such ceiling to operate on an incline. But perhaps more impressive, in order to maintain natural grass indoors, the facility has a retractable, 20-million-pound field that travels 740 feet from outside the building in less than an hour. An increasing amount of NFL franchises are looking into or are already building stadiums with retractable roofs.
Due to this fact, a need arose for the National Football League to clarify the rules for when such stadiums are open and closed. There are certain rules the NFL has with regards to retractable stadiums, and every football team also has its own rules in their respective stadiums. Another possible solution to facilitating a healthy pitch is to retract the roof over the stands when the weather is good. Wembley Stadium, for example, has retractable roof panels that open over stands on three sides exposing the grass to sunlight when needed. Aurecon undertook the structural engineering of the arch and the roof, which required the use of advanced structural engineering to achieve the 315-metre span arch and elegant proportioned roof structures design.
With the north side covered by the fixed roof, seven independently driven roof panels move in a parallel motion to the south to open over the eastern, western and southern stands. Adding translucency to a retractable roof provides a level of lighting to the grass that can facilitate growth. However, while the roof sheeting and panels can be translucent, the effect is limited due to the fact that a structure still needs to be created to carry the roofing. Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand, is the world's only permanently covered stadium with a natural turf playing field. Many of the popular domed stadiums that were built during the 1960s and 1970s required artificial turf as the enclosed structures wouldn't allow adequate sunshine for natural grass to grow.
Retractable roofs have been a game changer as they create a better environment for natural grass in the open conditions. Photo byJuan SalamancaMany American football teams use permanent roof stadiums. However, this is not a problem as far as the playing surface is concerned; the majority of these stadiums use Artificial grass playing surfaces. Despite opening in 1920s, the stadium started becoming a landmark in the world of football when it hosted the World Cup games in 1994. Since then, many clubs have used this ground as their host with LA Galaxy being the most prominent tenant in recent years. You can just imagine the noise in this stadium too when players such as Mo Salah take to the field to represent the Egyptian national team.
At full capacity, with more than 85,000 fans supported, it must be electric in there – although we'd imagine the seats that are covered in shade are like gold given the heat in this part of the world. Lucas Oil Stadium's traditional exterior belies its state-of-the-art interior. It's a modern arena with a retractable roof, a handsome structure, and a good location which allows fans to walk to nearby restaurants and bars.
The stadium's massive windows give fans access to picturesque city views while enjoying the game. Soldier Field, the oldest NFL stadium, was renovated in 2002, which resulted in a more modern facility but also caused it to be removed from the list of National Historic Landmarks. Aside from sporting events such as soccer, boxing, and the Special Olympics World Games, it has also seen concerts, circuses, open-air operas, and skiing events.
Soldier Field has the smallest seating capacity among all NFL stadiums. Open finally bit the bullet and installed a gargantuan retractable roof for its prime venue, Arthur Ashe Stadium. The $150 million, 270,400 square foot addition, built over the last three years, consists of two 800-ton, steel framed structures, covered with teflon-coated fiberglass panels, that glide on 27-inch wheels along a track. Many believed such a huge appendage could never be built atop the marshy land of Flushing Meadows Park, but it's resting on massive steel and concrete-filled pilings 180 feet below the surface. Opening in 2006, the stadium offers outstanding, unobstructed views for 63,400 fans with the ability to expand to 73,000 for mega-events.
The stadium has hosted two Super Bowls , two National College Football Championship games, and the 2017 NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship. Encompassing over 1.7 million square feet of space, State Farm Stadium has numerous premium seating and space options including 88 lofts and 7,505 club seats. In club football covered stadia are an enormous cost for a relatively limited return, as it stands every seat position in all-seater stadiums are required to be protected from rain, therefore we are only dealing with the players. In my opinion part of the English game is the full range of seasons that we play through and I think if you remove that, you eliminate an element of intrigue and skill from the game. Additionally most English stadiums have been renewed over the last 30/40 years and would find it technically challenging and very expensive to change the current roof structures to opening mechanisms. If a stadium with a retractable roof is set to host a Superbowl game or a divisional playoff, it is the NFL that decides if the roof should be closed or remain open during the game.
Once this decision is made by the NFL, all of the other rules apply equally, such as the end of game, regular game play, and overtime roof rules. If at the start of the game the roof is open, it has to stay open unless there are adverse weather conditions. If the roof is to be closed by officials for this reason, it has to stay shut for the whole game. And that coming from the man who designed half the retractable roofs in the NFL.
There's a simple remedy to all this, of course, and it's to put a roof overhead. A movable roof gives the option of both welcoming the natural elements and blocking them. Wimbledon first covered Centre Court in 2009, and the All England Club has plans to retractably cover Court 1 by 2019.
In all, there have been 216 regular season games in stadiums that currently have retractable roofs -- where the Cardinals, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys play their home games. Careful planning and out-of-the-box thinking helps architects and engineers design beyond prestige events, meet client's requirements and simultaneously create a structure that will maximise the stadium's usage in the future. For example, designing a base structure that can accommodate a future retractable roof would be a lot more economical than strengthening the stadium structure to be able to carry the loads of a retractable roof.
