Allegiant Stadium (NFL)

Transparent Roof Innovation Overhead

Las Vegas Nevada is the new home to Allegiant Stadium, and the home of the Raiders NFL team. It is also the future home of UNLV football. The new fully enclosed stadium consists of 107 ETFE cushions, covering 33,515 m² of Texlon^® ETFE roof.  This unique and intelligent roofing system is supported by a structural cable net.

Design Concepts

The initial design concept; futuristic visual approaches with a transparent ETFE roof, of this scale, had never been constructed before. The design team was initially met with a big challenge. On the one hand, there were non-negotiable terms that the Raiders would always play on natural turf, which requires natural light to grow. On the other hand, the spectators and players needed to be shielded from the hot desert sun. 

A unique ETFE system was the key to controlling heat gain within the stadium: a combination of three different ETFE foil types ensures the right amount of light transmission and sun protection at Allegiant Stadium. The 107 cushions combine a transparent foil layer with a semi-sheer white layer, as well as a printed upper foil layer. The latter is printed with silver-colored pigments, that reflect the sunlight and therefore minimize heat gain. This combination of foil layers provides a beautiful outdoor feeling through sufficient light transmission while still protecting the players and fans from the harsh sun of the Las Vegas desert. Further, to ensure sufficient light exposure, the turf pitch can be rolled out of the stadium to sit in the sun. On match days the pitch is rolled back into the stadium.

Vector Foiltec knew immediately that the success and implementation of the design was going to be dependent upon creative collaboration, and flawless execution of all of the contractors involved on this Design Build project. The stadium was awarded with ENR’s 2021 ‘Best of the Best’ in the Sports and Entertainment category.

On Time Delivery

Vector Foiltec’s design and delivery were divided into five phases. It started with design assist where the overall concept, cushion sizes, and structural system were defined. This was followed by the design process where their highly experienced in-house team turned the architect’s vision into a feasible solution. The fabrication of the ETFE materials took place in Bremen, Germany and the steel was fabricated near Venice, Italy. To mitigate any delivery risk, both the transparent ETFE roof and steel system were delivered 6 months ahead of their scheduled installation (these were considerations taken pre-COVID). This allowed Vector Foiltec to use the pre-installation phase to start coordinating logistics and building mechanisms.

All of these components and pre-planning, were essential to on-time completion of the ETFE roof. Which was exceptional during such a unique time in history. Time is always of the essence in stadium construction. Aside from the normal constraints, the installation of the transparent ETFE roof began right before COVID-19 was shutting down project sites throughout the country. But, installation continued as uncertainties grew and new challenges were placed to keep everyone on site safe.