Colorado Real Estate Journal - January 21, 2015
Lerch Bates, a Littleton-headquartered consulting firm for vertical transportation, façade access and materials management, was selected by HKS Sports & Entertainment Group to design the façade access systems for the Minnesota Vikings new home. The $1.02 billion stadium for the NFL franchise currently is being built on 33 acres adjacent to downtown Minneapolis and replaces the 32-year-old Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The yet-to-be-named facility will include approximately 1.75 million square feet, 65,000 seats (expanding to 72,000 seats for the 2018 Super Bowl), seven levels and the largest transparent ethylene tetrafluoroethylene roof in the nation. Featuring a soaring prow, the stadium’s dramatic sloped rooftop will be constructed of ETFE, a durable, adaptable plastic like material, on the building’s southern half. It will encompass more than 60 percent of the structure’s roof and span 240,000 sf. “Lerch Bates is honored to join the distinguished team of leaders designing the new Minnesota Vikings stadium,” said Lerch Bates Area Vice President West Jeff Marsh. “This ambitious project combines sustainability, efficient functionality and beautiful geometric architecture. It will instantly become a must-see destination in the Twin Cities and will set a new standard for future indoor stadiums around the world.” The facility’s design also features five 95-foot-high glass doors, the world’s largest, that will open up into a three-acre plaza, 8,000 club seats, 116 suites and a configuration that will put fans closer to the field than any other NFL stadium. Building the stadium is predicted to create 7,500 full-time and part-time jobs and will require nearly 4.3 million work-hours during its three-year construction. In addition to NFL games, the year-round facility will be capable of hosting other sporting events. The new stadium will be publicly owned by Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and is expected to open in time for the Vikings’ 2016 season. Lerch Bates also was recently selected by AECOM to design the façade system access of the temporarily named Sacramento Entertainment and Sports Complex in Sacramento, Calif., future home to the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association.