The Retractable Roof at the University of Phoenix Stadium

Arizona's Most Advanced Roofing System
The point of retractable roofing on a Stadium like the University of Phoenix Stadium (where the Arizona Cardinals football team plays) is to keep those inside comfortable. The harsh desert climate in the state can take its toll on fans and players if they are exposed to it for extended periods, and being able to close the roof can help to control the conditions and thus the comfort inside the stadium. Another factor to be considered is the grass on which the game will be played. Grass requires sunlight to be healthy and this meant that the design had to take factors like the direction of sunshine into account.

Retractable Roofing
Retractable roof technology is not exactly a new phenomenon; it is widely used in stadiums as well as in homes and commercial buildings. The Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, is only the second football stadium to feature this type of roof and it takes the idea to a whole new level. What makes it so different? Consider the fact that it is domed. While this may not seem like that big a deal, the domed shape meant that a whole different set of technologies have had to be implemented in the design.

Innovative Design at the University of Phoenix Stadium
The Arizona roofing contractors responsible for the construction of the stadium’s retractable roof used concepts that were never before seen in North America, making the stadium the first of its kind. Among the innovations was the use of steel cables to tether each roof panel, as opposed to the standard traction wheel systems used in other stadiums. Each of the two roof panels weighs well over 500 tons. The panels themselves are made of a Teflon and fiberglass and are strong enough to support 17,000 pounds per square foot.

Of course, the whole point of a retractable roof is so that it can be opened as needed. How are roof panels that weigh more than 500 tons moved? With 64 7.5 horsepower motors, 32 for each panel. These motors pull the panels at a rate of 25 feet per minute, providing an open/close time of a little over 11 minutes. The panels are suspended on tracks that are curved to follow the roof line, moving down from the high point at the center of the field to the lowest points at the outer ends.

Sports stadiums are being built with increasingly complex designs, requiring more ingenuity on the part of Phoenix Arizona roofing contractors. The roof on the University of Phoenix Stadium took between 30 and 42 mechanics to build. They worked for 12 hours a day, six days a week for roughly eight months to construct it. Worldwide, the number of roofing contractors with the technical expertise and resources to complete advanced roofing projects such as the Cardinals stadium is very small.

Arizona Native Roofing
By Jason Swim
24008 N. 104th Avenue
Peoria, Arizona 85383
Office: 602-348-6559

Comments

Sign Up to comment