AT&T Stadium

OWNER

Cowboys Stadium LP

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Size: 3 million SF

Seats: 80,000 expandable to 100,000

Suites: 350

Architect: HKS

AT&T Stadium

Arlington
Texas

Walter P Moore served as lead structural engineer for the new $1.15 billion, 80,000 seat, 3 million square foot, 350 suite retractable roof NFL stadium for the Dallas Cowboys. The project was completed in time for the 2009 football season. The domed roof is supported by 14,100 tons of structural steel, including two 16.5 feet wide by 35 feet deep arched box trusses whose span of 1225 feet makes them the longest of any building structure in the world. Arch truss thrusts of up to 19 million pounds react against a 25 feet wide thrust block constructed above an 18 feet wide by 176 feet long by 71 feet deep slurry wall box foundation. A 256 feet by 410 feet opening in the 660,000 square feet roof is covered by two translucent tensile fabric membrane retractable panels. A rack-and-pinion drive system opens and closes the bi-parting panels in less than 12 minutes.

A permanent perimeter soil nailed retention system allows the playing field to be located 50 feet below street level, offering fans a panoramic view of the field upon entering the stadium. The seating bowl structure consists of cast-in place concrete moment frames, cast-in place concrete pan joist floor framing, and precast concrete seating units. Each of the end zones are enclosed with 180 feet wide by 120 feet high five panel glass retractable doors that open in 18 minutes to connect the building interior spaces to adjacent outdoor plaza areas. Suites are situated in eight different locations on five separate levels, including field level suites just 20 rows from the playing field. A 160 feet long by 72 feet high four-panel video board, weighing in at 1.2 million pounds, is suspended 90 feet above the center of the playing field by eight 3-inch diameter cables in conjunction with eight 1 ¾-inch diameter lateral sway cables. The new Cowboys Stadium is the fifth retractable roof stadium designed by Walter P Moore with mechanization design by Uni-Systems.