U.S. Bank Stadium is a trendsetter in the NFL
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
U.S. Bank Stadium's roof is all the rage in the NFL. Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
U.S. Bank Stadium is more than just a jaw-dropping place to watch a game — it's one of the most influential buildings in professional sports.
Why it matters: If you've been inside, you know the feeling: bright, open and oddly warm, even during a Minnesota winter.
- Yes, but: What you might not know is that its signature translucent roof has sparked a design revolution — inspiring stadiums in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Nashville, and influencing proposed projects in Cleveland, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
The big picture: NFL franchises in these cities are using — or plan to use — the same translucent roofing material as U.S. Bank Stadium, called ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE).
- It costs much less than a retractable roof, provides an outdoor feel and, crucially, an enclosed stadium with 60,000-plus seats positions cities to host massive events like the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four and Wrestlemania.
What they're saying: With six NFL franchises following suit, Axios asked professor Tom Fisher of the University of Minnesota's College of Design if he feels U.S. Bank Stadium will be seen as a trendsetter the way Baltimore's Camden Yards and Cleveland's Progressive Field are in baseball.
- 'I think so," he said. "The feeling of being in daylight without the problems of being rained on, or snowed on, or being cold — I think it solves a lot of problems."
Flashback: When the Vikings were weighing stadium designs, architecture firm HKS convinced them to skip a retractable roof — the popular choice at the time in places like Indianapolis and Arizona.
- Architect John Hutchings, then at HKS and now working for Overland Partners, said retractable roofs are usually only opened a few times a year, which is why his team pushed for ETFE.
- At the time, the translucent plastic material was growing in popularity overseas because it is strong, yet lightweight enough to span massive roof structures. It was most famously used in Beijing's Water Cube during the 2008 Olympics.
Yes, but: With U.S. Bank Stadium being the first stadium to use it in the U.S., there were concerns about how the material would handle Minnesota's snow and whether people inside would be able to see the sky clearly after the ETFE was "fritted" to reduce the amount of solar energy coming into the stadium
- "We were pleasantly surprised when we started getting the ETFE installed and could see the white clouds," Hutchings said.
Nick's thought bubble: I went to a Raiders-Vikings game at Allegiant Stadium a couple years ago and it felt very similar to U.S. Bank Stadium. Golden Valley-based Mortenson built both.
Reality check: While many of these new stadiums will look similar on the inside to U.S. Bank Stadium, they look much different from the outside, Fisher pointed out. That's because it was built with a gabled roof that is meant to allow snow to easily slide off.
- New stadiums in warmer climates have flat roofs.