Dickies Arena
Designing for versatility
Project Facts
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Owner | City of Fort Worth |
| Size | 717,200 SF |
| Cost | $450 million |
| Status | Completed 2019 |
| Capacity | 14,000 seats |
| Certifications | LEED Silver |
Overview
The 14,000-seat Dickies Arena in Fort Worth is a multipurpose venue that hosts events ranging from the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo to the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, hockey games, festivals and more. Walter P Moore provided construction and structural engineering for the arena, which was built to replace the nearby Will Rogers Coliseum, and features a massive domed roof crowned with a cupola, alongside high-end acoustic design features, and an ornate pedestrian bridge. Here, efficient, constructible solutions brought the architects’ vision to life, creating a world-class facility with some of the best amenities in the country.
Services
Challenges
Roof Design
The 280-foot by 420-foot clear span roof needed an efficient structural design with column free spaces, southwest art deco elements, and exposed steel sections to reflect a “Cowboy Culture” feel.
Hosting Capabilities
Since Dickies Arena had to act as both a rodeo arena and a performing arts venue, the project demanded high acoustic performance standards and had to accommodate multiple show rigging configurations for diverse types of events.
Seating and Sightlines
The architects aimed to create a distinct, intimate fan experience, with clear sightlines and access to amenities, which required reducing the floor-to-floor height in the seating bowl.
Erection Process
The sheer scale of the structure and the roof required a step-by-step assembly process with temporary supports to realize the architects’ vision.
Solutions
Leveraging Expertise
To achieve a lighter and shallower truss assembly, we used a system of primary and secondary steel trusses for the span, and fitting the vaulted, oval dome with a perimeter tension ring and a smaller compression ring.
Digital Workflows
Digital workflows helped us analyze thousands of rigging grid configurations to tighten roof truss spacing and develop rigging attachment areas to host multiple different show configurations in quick succession. A 9 ¼”-thick roof deck filled with insulation eliminated the need for additional acoustic panels.
Integrated Design
By reducing floor-to-floor heights through an unconventional framing layout, and pulling the north and south clubs into the bowl, we ensured that patrons have clear sightlines throughout the venue.
Comprehensive Sequencing
Following meticulous load analysis, we used the dome’s curved trusses as beams during construction, and also designed shoring towers, custom header systems, and tower foundations as part of a detailed erection process that accounted for each temporary connection to maintain structural stability and mitigate any risks throughout the assembly period.
Results
Structural Efficiency
Walter P Moore’s solutions allowed the roof to use shallower and lighter truss elements with its span supported by elegant 14-feet-deep exposed steel trusses that showcase their connections cleanly, to create an airy, open feel inside the venue.
Best-in-Class Performance
The roof deck’s acoustic properties ensure superior sound quality at all times, and the tight truss spacing accommodates 800 attachment areas for rigging, allowing the venue to host everything from concerts to rodeo.
A Unique Atmosphere
Dickies Arena boasts an atmosphere unlike any other rodeo venue, with column-free, grand lobbies, and unhindered sightlines across the seating bowl and amenity spaces.
Honoring Heritage
The arena’s domed roof, which honors the Will Rogers Coliseum, epitomizes its Southwest art deco design, and our efficient, constructible solutions helped create an iconic facility with some of the best amenities in the country.
