Q2 stadium from a street view angle showcasing the curved awning and entrance.

Q2 Stadium

Austin’s first pro sports stadium embraces the great outdoors

Project Facts

Location Austin, Texas
Owner Austin FC
Size 432,000 SF
Cost $240 million
Status Completed 2021
Capacity 20,500 seats
Certifications LEED Gold; Performed WBLCA

Overview

History was made in 2021 when Q2 Stadium opened its doors for Austin’s first professional sports team, Major League Soccer’s Austin FC. This multi-purpose venue is home to professional sports events, concerts, music festivals, community activities, and private events.

Interior view of Austin FC locker room with green LED highlights and contrasting wooden lockers with jerseys hanging inside.

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Outdoor seating area with benches, green space, and covered awnings with people milling about enjoying themselves.

Detail view of structural support system and awning showing the lighting and speaker systems.

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Drone photo from high in the air level with the curvilinear awning showing a large green field.

High ceiling atrium area with abundant seating and lots of natural light.

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About the Project

The stadium embraces the city’s ethos and represents its cultural heritage with a focus on a sustainable indoor/outdoor experience. To be distinctly “Austin,” the Q2 Stadium team put sustainability at the forefront, recognizing that reducing ecological impact is a critical goal of the city’s collective spirit. Q2 Stadium is the first MLS stadium to use Whole Building Life Cycle Analysis to environmentally optimize the structure and enclosure to significantly reduce embodied carbon.

The seating bowl is shaded by the second largest roof canopy ever built on an MLS stadium. Our enclosure specialists provided consulting services to the architect on a variety of systems including glazing, metal and timber-composite rain-screens, as well as traditional masonry and cement plaster systems. The canopy enclosure features a combination of customized curved metal panel systems on the bullnose, soffit and edges; and single-ply roofing on the top side of the canopy over the stage and low roof canopies. At the high canopy an Epic deck systems constructed in a shingling pattern was utilized as rain screen to reduce the cost of the single ply roofing and tonnage of the steel canopy.

Interior view of a balcony space with foosball game tables and high ceilings.

Interior view of luxury suites with tables and seating and food serving area.

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Bar seating area with warm light and high wood tables.

Exterior facade of stadium showcasing bright green highlights and accent materials.

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Accelerated Project Delivery

To allow grass to grow in time for Austin FC’s inaugural season in spring of 2021, the roof had to be completed by August of 2020, leaving only 22 months for design and construction of the structure. To meet the short schedule, the team engaged our construction engineering specialists early in the design phase to provide connection engineering and develop an LOD 400 fabrication model. As early as at 50% construction documentation, our team had already finished portions of the building’s LOD 400 model for the steel fabricator. Our integrated approach shaved three months off the schedule as compared to traditional project delivery.

Through creative and sustainably focused engineering, our team successfully delivered a signature landmark stadium, executing both the architect and the city’s vision, whilst fully embodying the cultural spirit of Austin. From the verdant outdoor greenspaces to the sweeping, cable-supported roof, the cheer’s coming from Q2 Stadium are the heartbeat of Austin’s community.

Perspectives

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