SoFi, So Good

November 2020

Read the full article in the September 2020 issue of Stadia Magazine.

The NFL’s latest stadium rewrites the architecture playbook with one of the most technically revolutionary designs in modern sport.

“Workers removed more than six million cubic meters of earth to accommodate a space large enough to seat the stadium, including a 11.4ft (3.5m) gap around its perimeter to allow for lateral movement in the event of an earthquake says Alvin Huang, an associate professor of architecture at University of Southern California.

‘T’s getting the benefits of a lot of design technologies that are a little more exotic for a project of this size and scale,’ he says.

The perimeter is lined with a mechanically stabilized earth wall (MSE), which is designed to withstand large deformations without the loss of structural integrity in the event of an earthquake explains Rafael Sabelli, director of seismic design at SoFi Stadium’s structural engineers Walter P Moore.

‘The seismic demands at the site are quite large due to the Newport-Inglewood fault that runs behind the stadium, so it required an immense planning strategy,’ he describes.

To mitigate and protect the project against the high seismic demands of the area, the Henderson design team worked with the structural design team of Walter P Moore to implement solutions.”

SoFi, So Good

Overview