Levi’s Stadium

Sport stadium design is something that has always interested me because they are civic landmarks where a huge variety of people from all walks of life come together to support a unified cause.  For my Master’s thesis project at Virginia Tech, I designed a new urban soccer stadium for Washington, D.C.  Stadiums become landmarks within a city (think Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and AT&T Stadium), so newly built stadiums should be designed with the idea of representing the city and region as a whole.

Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California was the first professional football stadium built in California in over forty years. Capable of hosting a range of events from Wrestlemania, to Motocross, to A Grateful Dead reunion concert, the 68,500 seat, $1.2 billion venue is home to the San Francisco 49ers. In February 2016 it will host the biggest Super Bowl in NFL history, Super Bowl 50.

Designed by HNTB and built by Turner/Devcon for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority, the stadium opened to much fanfare in the fall of 2014. Shortly after the stadium opened, Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh was quoted saying that Levi’s Stadium was “the most amazing stadium on the face of the planet,” and in terms of sustainability and technology, he may be correct.

Sustainability:

Levi’s Stadium is the first professional football stadium to earn LEED Certification. As of February 2014, 44 LEED points had been earned surpassing the 39 points required for Gold certification.  The stadium boasts of numerous sustainable features: 1,162 photovoltaic panels (located on the three NRG Energy Bridges and on the 27,000 S.F. NRG Solar Terrace), 100% reclaimed wood in the Owner’s Suites, a 27,000 S.F. green roof, 85% usage of recycled water, and, perhaps the most important, easy access to public transportation.  The stadium is located close to Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail and ACE heavy rail.

Technology:

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the 49ers organization wanted to give fans the most high-tech sports stadium ever built to create a truly unique fan experience.According to Mr. Guido, the 49ers COO, “The 49ers wanted to transform the in-stadium fan experience and make it possible to see the action live but still have the similar features that a fan has at home while watching the game on TV.”

To accommodate this experience, over 400 miles of cable has been laid throughout Levi’s Stadium to provide fans with the most available bandwidth (40 gigabits/second) of any U.S. sports stadium. There are enough Wi-Fi routers located throughout the stadium to serve every 100 seats.  In addition to this, the stadium uses Bluetooth technology to provide fans with directions or alerts about upcoming promotions.

It comes as a surprise to no one that in an effort to further connect fans to the stadium, a Levi’s Stadium app has been created. Get lost in the parking lot? Don’t worry, your app can tell you the most efficient parking lot to use to get to your seat. Need to find the closest bathroom with the shortest line? Your Levi’s Stadium app can do that! Want to see a replay of the touchdown you just missed because you were busy using your phone during the game? Don’t worry, your app can show you up to four replays at a time to give you that watching from home experience.

Architecture:

Architecturally, the stadium isn’t as creative as the technology that it houses.  It’s not impressive, but it’s not ugly. It lacks a ‘wow’ factor and is very vanilla. In the heart of Silicon Valley building the first professional football stadium in California in over 40 years, the 49ers had the opportunity to make an innovative architectural statement.  Despite the lack of innovation, there are some positives to the design.  The open airiness of the structure is great for the Northern California climate.  The lack of an exterior skin also allows the stadium to glow during night games. The concourses are wide and provide an easy flow of pedestrian traffic, unlike the cramped walkways of AT&T Park. Finally the best part of the design could be the seating bowl configuration.  The suites are clustered on one side of the stadium to allow the seating decks to be closer to the field than the average NFL stadium.

While not architecturally innovative, the attention to the fan experience will keep Levi’s Stadium on the forefront of technological innovation.  And the effort to incorporate sustainable design practices is something that all future stadium designs should emulate. Even with a bland design, Levi’s Stadium is poised to become a civic landmark in the Bay Area.

(Disclaimer: I have not actually been to a football game at Levi’s Stadium as the 49ers had the highest average ticket prices in the league.)