Out of the Dome

By Patrick Londrigan

The Minnesota Vikings currently play in the Metrodome which is a 900,000 square foot, dome, stadium and seats 64,000 people.  This current stadium is out dated and right now they are under construction of a new stadium.  The hope of this new stadium will not only be to revitalize the downtown with a facility that it is unique to Minnesota but that it will provide the Vikings fans with the best game-day experience.  The new stadium will seat 65,400 people, with expandable seating for up to 72,000 seats and will be 1,750,000 square feet, nearly doubling the Metrodome in size.

Figure 1. Exterior view of stadium and downtown Minneapolis.

Compared to the Metrodome the new stadium will have more of everything.  The new stadium will have 6 club lounges, 8,000 club seats, and 116 suites compared to the Metrodome which has 1 lounge, 243 seats, and 87 suites.  Along with the extra premium seats there will be 2,500 premium parking spaces and a large public gathering space outside, perfect for pregame events and activities.  Inside you will find that the whole stadium now has wireless internet, two team retail stores, a Vikings Hall of Legends, and 2,000 high definition televisions.  Plus a full service restaurant and 430 general concession points of sale.

Figure 2. Interior view of one of the six club lounges.

The new stadium will provide many unique features compared to all other NFL stadiums one of which being the largest transparent ethylene-tetraflouroethylene roof in the nation.  Also five 95 feet high pivoting glass doors that will open to the new three-acre plaza and the Minneapolis downtown skyline.  Withe these doors and this roof it will give the fans the opportunity to experience an outdoor feel in a climate-controlled environment.  With seats about 40 feet away from the sideline, the fans will also be closer to the action here than in any other stadium.  Two of the largest and highest quality HD video boards in the NFL will be located at both end zones, along with the 2,000 high definition televisions as mentioned before, so the fans do miss a second of the action.  Like Levis Stadium, the San Francisco 49ners stadium, the new stadium for the Vikings is attempting to make the facility as environmentally and energy efficient as possible.  The project design and construction group is committed to building a stadium that will receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.  Though the stadium is currently under construction and some additions could be made or lost we will not know at this time if it receives this certification until construction moves forward.

Figure 3. Exterior view from the plaza looking towards the 95 feet high pivoting doors.

Figure 4. Interior view of the first row of seats onto the field.

Source:

Figures 1-4: http://www.newminnesotastadium.com/