Real Cost Of Vikings Stadium Retractable Roof

May 4, 2010 - PRLog -- With the unveiling of the Viking stadium plan Monday, it is clear legislators are carefully watching the bottom line, but the opportunity to give their citizens a truly unique facility may be lost due to inaccurate information being used when informing the public how much a new stadium would cost.

The plan outlines the $791 million cost of the stadium, and details what revenue sources would be used to pay the bill. Multiple sources have stated that adding a retractable roof to the Vikings stadium would come at a cost of an additional $200 million.

Engineers at Uni-Systems, LLC, an engineering firm in Robbinsdale that specializes in kinetic architecture such as retractable stadium roofs and operable window walls, believe that this estimate is accurate when considering adding a retractable roof to an open-air stadium.

“The high cost comes in if you’re talking about adding a roof to a design that never had one to begin with. Putting a fixed roof on an open-air stadium could cost as much as $150 to $180 million depending on design,” said Pete Fervoy, business development manager at Uni-Systems, “Adding retractability to a fixed roof design could increase that total cost to $200 million, and I believe that’s where this misinformation is coming from.”

Though the bill does not state whether the stadium will be open-air or enclosed, Rep. Loren Solberg has stated that this facility will be used for more than professional football games, and he has stressed the need for the stadium to include a roof.

“If the $791 million stadium budget includes a roof, making that roof retractable would add less than $20 million – only 2.5% of the total cost,” said Fervoy. “We just want to set the record straight for Minnesotans. Making a fixed roof a retractable roof would not cost $200 million.”

Uni-Systems has been involved in the design and construction of nearly every professional sports stadium with a retractable roof built in the United States since 1998. The company has long been a proponent for multipurpose stadiums, citing the versatility and profit generation of the facilities.

“We have seen that stadiums that include operable components, such as retractable roofs or moving window walls, become truly multipurpose facilities that can be used for much more than a few football games,” said Justin Waldron, structural engineering manager at Uni-Systems. “The top stadiums in the United States consistently feature moving components that not only make the facility useful every day of the year, they also give the community something to really be proud of.”

“The cost to make the roof retractable is only 2.5% of the total cost,” added Waldron. “This 2.5% is the difference between a functional stadium and a great stadium with world-class attraction and multipurpose capabilities.”

According to a 2010 ranking created by ESPN, four football stadiums within the top seven stadiums in the US feature retractable roofs. Fixed roof stadiums, like the Metrodome, were consistently ranked lowest in the survey. Even newer stadiums like Ford Field, which was built in 2002, was ranked 21 and 23 on the top stadium lists by ESPN and Sports Illustrated respectively.

“We understand that budget is a concern for the team, for the state, and for the taxpayers,” said Waldron. “Minnesotans need to know that they can have a stadium that rivals the best stadiums this country has to offer, and adding mechanization to a roof isn’t going to cost them an extra $200 million.”

“This project has been called “Metrodome Next”, said Fervoy “but do Minnesotans really want a rehash of the Metrodome – a fixed roof facility founded only on the bottom line? Or do they want to see a stadium taken to the next level, putting the Twin Cities on the map with world-class stadiums like Lucas Oil Stadium, Reliant Stadium, and University of Phoenix Stadium?”

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About Uni-Systems: Uni-Systems is internationally known for its innovative designs in kinetic architecture, in which transformative, mechanized structures change with climate, need or purpose. Its engineers work with clients to develop unique systems that suit exactly what their clients require. Uni-Systems has become especially recognized in the professional sports industry for its numerous retractable roof mechanization systems and consultation services. www.uni-systems.com

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Pete Fervoy directly, or call Brian Ganas at 763.404.8850 (direct) or e-mail him at bganas@uni-systems.com.