Project Details
Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
Design an athletic building that reflects the people of a city and an entire state? It’s a tall order. But it can be done when vision and design align, resulting in a space that does more than welcome sports, it welcomes an entire community.
The goal of the U.S. Bank Stadium is to create a resource that welcomes all the people of the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota. All of its patrons, its users and its neighbors can see themselves reflected in the design and materials – their climate, their character, their history, their experience. It provides an iconic venue for sporting and cultural events, while also offering plazas, parks and an observation platform that embraces the surrounding urban environment and can be used year-round. Within the stadium, the fan experience is heightened by a design that balances protection from the elements with a connection to the outdoors: operable doors providing views of the Minneapolis skyline and surrounding plazas.
The Vision and The Design
Respond to Minnesota’s unique climate: The asymmetrical, angular roof is designed to shed snow, with a steeper roof plane on the north of the building than on the south, which receives more sun.
Modern yet economical design: The transparent roof and façades provide natural light and reduce energy consumption; lightweight roof materials are more cost-effective; the vast interior volume functions as part of the passive ventilation system; a simple palette of materials helps contain costs as well.
Interact with Minneapolis’ public space: The highest point of the composition faces west, where walls open to provide views of the skyline and a connection to downtown, and then slopes downward to transition into the surrounding low-density neighborhood. Nearby plazas allow the public to use the space year-round, while connecting to existing recreational spaces to the north, south and west of the site.
Transparency and openness: The stadium’s canopy, with its roof of transparent ETFE panels, allows natural light into the stadium, while also generously sharing glimpses of the events inside with commuters passing by on the metro, or office workers in a downtown skyscraper, serving as a glowing marquee that announces its games, concerts and conventions to the entire city.
Reflect the culture and character of Minnesota: This stadium’s ambitious and iconic shape fits into the strong, internationally diverse architectural heritage of Minneapolis. The design’s attention to craft and value, to texture, detail, clean lines and elegant functionality evoke the early, founding influence of Nordic cultures, while the use of distinctive pattern, texture and finishes provides a palette for recognizing the rich range of cultures and nationalities in the Twin Cities region.
