Building SoFi: How an NFL Stadium is Designed | LA Chargers

Summary

The script details the construction and design of SoFi Stadium, a state-of-the-art sports venue. It emphasizes the unique architectural challenges, such as seismic safety and proximity to LAX, which led to an innovative design with a 100-foot deep foundation and a distinctive roof structure. The stadium features a canopy system for fan comfort, with a focus on outdoor breezes and shade. The building's metal panels are a novel use of white anodization, changing appearance with the light, and equipped with LEDs for a dynamic nighttime display. The design team's collaborative spirit and commitment to creating an unparalleled fan experience are highlighted.

Takeaways

• 🏟️ The stadium is being hailed as the greatest built to date, with a unique design that stands out in architecture.
• 👀 The design process was intricate, taking about two years to finalize, involving extensive drawings and considerations for the structure.
• 🌟 The stadium is designed to accommodate 70,000 people, a scale of occupancy that's rarely seen outside of historical structures like the Roman Colosseum.
• 🏞️ The design team conducted a deep regional dive to understand and embody the lifestyle and culture of Angelenos into the NFL venue.
• 🌋 The stadium had to address significant challenges like seismic activity and proximity to LAX, which influenced its distinctive design.
• 🛠️ The stadium is built to withstand earthquakes, with the roof structure sitting on isolators allowing it to move independently during seismic events.
• ✈️ The stadium's design had to comply with FAA regulations due to its close proximity to LAX, leading to its unusual design of being partially underground.
• 🌈 The roof's canopy system is a standout feature, providing shade and comfort for fans while still allowing for an outdoor stadium feel.
• 🎨 The stadium's metal panels underwent a unique anodization process, giving them a color-changing quality that responds to different times of the day.
• 🌆 The stadium is designed to have a different visual impact at various scales, appearing solid from a distance but revealing its intricate details up close.
• 🌟 The final piece of the canopy was recently installed, marking a significant milestone in the stadium's construction.

Q & A

What is the significance of the stadium mentioned in the script?

The stadium is described as the greatest stadium built to date, with unique architecture and design that sets it apart from other stadiums.

What was the speaker's role during the construction of the stadium?

The speaker has been fortunate to be present throughout the entire construction period of the stadium, witnessing its evolution from the original site to completion.

How long does the design process for a stadium like this typically take?

The design process for such a stadium usually spans over a two-year period, involving extensive planning and development.

What challenges did the design team face in terms of the stadium's capacity?

The design team had to address the challenge of accommodating 70,000 people within a three to four-hour window, a scale and degree not commonly found in other building types.

How did the design team approach the stadium's design to reflect the region's culture?

The design team conducted a deep dive into the region's identity, lifestyle, and culture to embody these elements into the NFL venue.

What were the two major challenges the design team had to address?

The two major challenges were the seismicity of the job, due to the stadium's location in a high seismic zone, and its proximity to LAX, requiring the stadium to be below a certain elevation.

How did the stadium's design accommodate the seismic demands?

The roof structure sits on columns with isolators, allowing the ground to move underneath without imparting large accelerations during a seismic event, expecting the isolators to move about 50 inches.

Why was it necessary to push the stadium about a hundred feet into the ground?

The stadium had to be pushed into the ground to meet FAA elevation requirements for planes flying over from LAX, and to address the seismic challenges of being located next to a fault.

What is unique about the roof canopy system of the stadium?

The roof canopy system is unique because it is not enclosed like typical structures. It provides shade while allowing outdoor breezes, and its fretted pattern ETFE panels are designed for comfort and light control.

How does the stadium's appearance change with different lighting conditions?

The stadium's appearance changes throughout the day, with a metal panel that looks almost white in sunlight but transitions to capture the hues of sunsets and sunrises. At night, the building's holes that let in light during the day emit light, transforming its appearance.

What was the design team's approach to creating the ultimate fan experience?

The design team aimed to create an ultimate fan experience by ensuring the stadium feels unique and exclusive to its location, with a design that couldn't happen anywhere else in the world.

Outlines

00:00

🏟️ Stadium Construction and Design Challenges

The paragraph discusses the construction of a monumental stadium, highlighting the intricate design process that spanned over two years. The speaker, who has been involved since the project's inception in 2016, emphasizes the stadium's unique features, including its ability to accommodate 70,000 people. The design team faced significant challenges such as the region's high seismic activity and the stadium's proximity to LAX, which required innovative solutions. The stadium was designed to withstand earthquakes, with a roof structure on isolators that can move up to 50 inches during a seismic event. Additionally, the stadium had to be built 100 feet into the ground to comply with FAA regulations due to its closeness to the airport. The design team, including HKS, worked to create a venue that not only serves as an NFL stadium but also as an entertainment destination, with a focus on the fan experience and the incorporation of regional characteristics into the architecture.

05:01

🌅 Innovative Roof Design for Enhanced Fan Experience

This paragraph delves into the rationale behind the stadium's roof design, which is intended to provide comfort and protection for fans while maintaining the outdoor stadium feel. The speaker explains that the roof is not a typical enclosed structure but is designed with a fretted pattern to allow natural light and air circulation. The focus is on creating an entertainment destination that goes beyond football, ensuring a unique experience for visitors. The design process involved extensive testing of metal panels with different perforation patterns to achieve the desired light and air flow. The stadium's metal panels, a first-of-its-kind white anodization, will change appearance with the time of day, capturing the hues of sunsets and sunrises. At night, the stadium transforms with color-changing LEDs that emit light through the panels, syncing with the energy of the events. The speaker expresses the ambition to create a stadium that feels unique to its location, providing an unparalleled fan experience.

Keywords

💡Stadium Architecture

Stadium architecture refers to the design and planning of sports venues, focusing on creating spaces that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and capable of accommodating large crowds. In the video, the speaker discusses the unique design of the stadium, emphasizing its evolution from a simple site to a complex structure that can house 70,000 people. The design process is highlighted as a two-year period involving intricate planning and consideration of the region's culture and lifestyle.

💡Seismicity

Seismicity is the susceptibility of an area to earthquakes, which is a critical factor in the structural design of buildings, especially in high-risk zones. The script mentions that the stadium is located in a high seismic zone, with a fault line running behind it. The design team had to address this challenge by incorporating seismic isolators into the roof structure, allowing it to move independently during an earthquake to minimize damage.

💡LAX Proximity

The proximity to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is a significant factor in the stadium's design, as it influences the building's height restrictions and aesthetic considerations. The script describes how the stadium had to be built below a certain elevation to accommodate air traffic, leading to the unusual design of pushing the stadium 100 feet into the ground.

💡Roof Canopy System

The roof canopy system is a distinctive feature of the stadium, designed to provide shade and comfort to fans while maintaining an outdoor feel. The script explains that the roof is not a typical enclosed structure but is designed with a fretted pattern of ETFE panels to allow natural light and air circulation, enhancing the fan experience.

💡Isolators

Isolators are seismic base isolation devices used in the construction of buildings in earthquake-prone areas. They allow the structure to move independently of the ground during seismic events, reducing the impact of ground motion on the building. The script mentions that the roof structure sits on columns with isolators that can move up to 50 inches during a major seismic event.

💡Entertainment Destination

An entertainment destination refers to a venue that offers a variety of leisure activities and experiences beyond its primary function. In the context of the video, the stadium is not just for football games but is designed to be a multi-purpose venue that can host various events, thus becoming an entertainment destination. The roof is described as a guarantee for the stadium's multi-functionality.

💡White Anodization

White anodization is a process used to create a decorative and protective finish on metal surfaces, giving them a unique appearance that can change with different lighting conditions. The script describes how the metal panels on the stadium are treated with white anodization, allowing them to appear almost white in sunlight but transition through different colors during sunsets and sunrises.

💡ETFE Panels

ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) panels are lightweight, transparent materials used in architecture for their energy efficiency and durability. The script mentions that the roof's fretted pattern is made of ETFE panels, which contribute to the stadium's unique design and functionality by allowing natural light and air to penetrate while providing shade.

💡Fan Experience

Fan experience encompasses all aspects of a spectator's interaction with a venue, including comfort, accessibility, and engagement with the event. The video emphasizes the design team's focus on creating an ultimate fan experience at the stadium, from the comfort provided by the roof canopy system to the stadium's unique architectural features that make it a world-class venue.

💡Architectural Wonder

An architectural wonder refers to a building or structure that is remarkable for its design, innovation, or cultural significance. The script describes the stadium as a unique architectural wonder of the world, highlighting the innovative solutions to challenges like seismicity and proximity to LAX, as well as the stadium's distinctive design features.

💡LED Lighting

LED lighting is used in the stadium's canopy to create a dynamic and变色 lighting effect that can pulse with the energy of events happening inside. The script mentions color-changing LEDs that allow the stadium to transform at night, with the holes in the metal panels that let in light during the day emitting light at night, enhancing the stadium's visual appeal.

Highlights

The stadium is designed to be the greatest built to date, with innovative architecture.

The design process took over two years, involving complex drawings.

The stadium is unique in its ability to accommodate 70,000 people in a short time frame.

The design team focused on creating an experience that makes people want to be part of the building.

The stadium's design is a deep dive into the region's culture and lifestyle.

Two major challenges faced during design were seismicity and proximity to LAX.

The stadium is built 100 feet into the ground due to FAA elevation requirements.

The roof structure is designed with seismic isolators to withstand ground movement.

The stadium's unique design includes a roof canopy system for fan comfort.

The stadium is not just for football but also an entertainment destination.

The metal panels on the roof are a new exploration in architecture.

The roof's fretted pattern allows for light and airflow while providing shade.

The stadium's appearance changes with the time of day, reflecting sunlight and sunset hues.

At night, the stadium's roof transforms with color-changing LEDs.

The stadium aims to provide the ultimate fan experience.

The design team's approach was to create a building that couldn't happen anywhere else in the world.

Transcripts

this will be the greatest stadium built

to date the architecture you look left

right up down so if I stadium has

everything I've been fortunate to be out

here the entire time of the construction

of this project I can still remember

when I flew out here fall of 2016 and

it's been a real treat for all of us

here on the team to be out here every

day and see this thing evolved from its

original site to the 100 foot deep hole

to here today we're getting an up-close

look at sofa Stadium as it enters the

final stages of construction the first

part is really the design you know the

design process usually is over a

two-year period I mean we have drawings

that we've issued for construction that

if they were on the floor they would

come up to here and they're complicated

buildings like 70,000 people in a three

four-hour window all coming in same time

that doesn't really happen to that scale

to that degree on any other building

type since the Roman Colosseum 2,000

years people want to be in the building

they want to be part of the building

they want to experience the building

they want to watch the teams there the

architecture in the buildings have been

not flatlined but they've been sort of

this common type look and feel and all

the focus has been on the green grass

and on the playing surface

so what we do is we do a very deep dive

into the region what does it mean to be

an Angelina what kind of lifestyle how

that can all become embodied into an NFL

venue I think there's two big challenges

right off the bat that we as a design

team you know gave a little positive but

how are we gonna tackle these issues the

seismicity of the of the job and the

proximity to LAX and those two kind of

problems became a driving force and how

the building ultimately looks the way it

does we worked with HKS from the very

early stages of design being here in LA

and it's obviously very high seismic

zone we've got a fault running right

behind the stadium but that also coupled

with the site you might see some

airplanes behind me flying over the

stadium we're really close to LAX and we

had to be below an elevation for the FAA

to let these planes come by on this site

that meant we had to push the stadium

about a hundred feet into the ground

which is extremely unusual to do that

right next to a fault was a challenge on

a scale that no one has ever tackled

before so the seismic demands quite

large we had to plan for that from the

start we're designing for a major event

either on the San Andreas Fault or

Newport Inglewood fault that runs right

past the stadium the roof structure sits

on columns that that have Isolators so

that essentially the ground can move

underneath the roof structure and not

impart large accelerations in a major

seismic event we expect that isolator to

move about 50 inches it's important to

note that the the roof structure and the

seating bowl structure are completely

independent they don't touch the Newport

Englewood fault is just that way a

little bit and it runs kind of

north-south so in the event of an

earthquake the motion is going to be

stronger if

if the earthquake happens on that fall

it's gonna be stronger east-west so this

way right here back and forth this can

be stronger than this way and the

Isolators will tend to move a little bit

more in that direction as there's more

energy from the fault moving back and

forth this way

I think what's it amazing about the

design team that we've brought no one

ever said no I don't think this is

possible

everyone kind of tackled was like okay

this is a challenge how are we gonna do

it this is a unique architectural wonder

of the world and recently the final

piece of the canopy show was lifted and

set in place forming the outline for the

iconic roof that will be seen by tens of

millions of people annually as they fly

into LAX sofa stadiums very unique with

this roof canopy system that they have

it's not like your typical structure

that's enclosed the idea behind sofa

stadium is for the comfort of the fans

to be one-click better than sitting in

an outdoor stadium so you're still

getting all of the outdoor breeze on all

four sides of the stadium but you're

shaded by the fretted pattern et fe

panels above you a lot of people ask us

why do we have a roof in a stadium why

are we covering for us it became a

guarantee you know these buildings now

aren't just for football all right they

have to be entertainment destinations

and so the roof for us was a guarantee

it all starts out at a high level and

then starts to just you know get deeper

and deeper into the details the metal

panel on the on the CEO is a fascinating

kind of exploration for us and and what

we're seeing here is a series of

mock-ups that we utilize testing

different geometries of perforation

different sizes and scales of holes and

ultimately a full-scale sized mock-up of

what an actual panel would be at the

stadium and we did this to make sure

that we are getting the correct amount

of light transparency

the airflow this stadium is going to

appear as a solid object from a distance

and we knew we wanted to change that

perception as you get closer and closer

to the building so as you get from say

the macroscale the air until you

transition to the site you start to

notice that you know can I see through

this building you know can I am I

looking at them through the bowl the

metal which if you can kind of see here

there's actually the first time that

it's been utilized it's called white

anodization or the group out at Kansas

City zainer metals to create this this

this metal it's a beautiful thing that

looks almost white in direct sunlight

but transitions throughout the day so

sunsets sunrises it's going to capture

the the pinks and the oranges the hues

of the beautiful sunsets here so it's

gonna change and evolve throughout the

day and then at night it transitions and

transforms so that holes which we're

letting light into the building actually

in a reverse at night and they emit

light so we have a series of color

changing LEDs throughout the the canopy

of this building that really allow lit

pulse with the energy of the events that

are happening in my career I've been to

several stadiums worked on several

stadiums and the scale of sofa Stadium

really is you know beyond what I've seen

before how do we create the ultimate fan

experience I hope when people would go

to the stadium for the first time yet

they feel like that this building

couldn't happen anywhere else in the

world