A NEW ERA FOR SOCCER IN MINNESOTA PHOTOS: MNUFC APRIL 15-21, 2019 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I STREET & SMITH’S SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL 1A ALLIANZ FIELD MNUFC PHOTO: Allianz Field is ready for its home Minnesota United opener on April 13. Pays Tribute to Its Northern Heritage Allianz Field Dazzles as field regulations. Additionally, it serves the functional pur- “Allianz Field is an iconic, landmark Minnesota’s First World-Class “We were looking for an exciting, pose of blocking the wind and rain, facility,” said Dave St. Peter, CEO and Soccer Facility modern, forward-looking stadium that protecting fans from the elements. The president of the Minnesota Twins. innesota is frequently associ- was aesthetically very pleasing and PTFE membrane mimics the qualities of Matt Majka, president of the ated with two things: The Aurora reflective of the state and our commu- the water in Minnesota’s lakes — spar- Minnesota Wild, agrees. “There’s some- Borealis (aka, the Northern nity,” said Bill McGuire, owner of kling bright in the sun, but transparent thing really attractive about the Lights) and its “Land of 10,000 Minnesota United FC and the former and refractive in the shade. simplicity and lines of the architecture.” Lakes” moniker. So when CEO of UnitedHealth Group. “A tensile membrane doesn’t weigh Minnesota United FC (MNUFC) “We wanted to create something very much, so we didn’t need a lot of Being Mindful of the Birds set out to build a new stadium, that was uniquely Minnesota,” said structural steel to support it,” said Greg For a team with a bird as its nick- they wanted to incorporate Bruce Miller, principal in charge/senior Huber, Allianz Field’s construction exec- name and mascot — the Loons — bird both elements into the design. They did principal at Populous. “The design utive for Mortenson Construction. “It’s safety was an important consideration just that, and then some. developed around using the inspiration also very flexible, so it takes on a form in the design of Allianz Field. After becoming the 22nd club in of the Aurora Borealis and the waters of that’s unlike a lot of other materials we Every year, hundreds of thousands of Major League Soccer in 2017 and Minnesota, both the Mississippi River use. Architecturally, we could be more migratory birds, representing more than playing at the University of Minnesota’s and all of the lakes that represent the creative with the material.” 300 species, fly through the Twin Cities. TCF Bank Stadium for its first two sea- state.” With LED lighting on the PTFE skin, the To ensure the stadium was as safe as sons, Minnesota United took the home exterior of the stadium can change col- possible for the birds, specialists from pitch for the season opener on April A Gleaming New Exterior ors in response to different events and the Audubon Society and the American 13 against New York City FC in their The unique exterior of the stadium, activities. It’s similar to Allianz Arena in Bird Conservancy were consulted. They new home, the $250 million Allianz which gives Allianz Field its signature Munich, home to FC Bayern Munich, determined that, based on its lack of Field. Designed by Populous and built look, is made from a cutting-edge ten- which plays in the Bundesliga. reflectivity and transparency, the PTFE by Mortenson Construction, the sta- sile fabric that had never been used “As the skin is lit with the LED lighting fabric is safe for the birds. dium is being hailed as one of the before — PTFE laminate. While PTFE is at night, it takes on the ethereal quality most modern, beautiful facilities of its not new, the process of taking two of the Aurora Borealis,” Miller explained. Developing a kind. pieces of PTFE sheeting and laminating “During the day, the building takes on Soccer Atmosphere the quality of the sky because of its Unlike the other stadiums in the Twin them to a colored fiberglass mesh is Allianz Field is an open-air stadium. reflectivity and transparency.” Cities — U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota groundbreaking. For Allianz Field, the But to keep fans protected from the “One of the great collaborations of Vikings), Target Field (Minnesota Twins), fiberglass mesh has a liquid silver color. elements and to reduce the crowd the project was how well the design TCF Bank Stadium (University of PTFE laminate has a superior struc- noise coming from the stadium, a team, engineers and architects worked Minnesota football) — which weren’t tural durability and is tear resistant, and 360-degree translucent rain screen with the manufacturer, installer and the intended to be world-class soccer facili- because it’s both strong and could be canopy covers fan sections. construction manager to make this par- ties, Allianz Field is designed specifically stretched a great distance, it was a “We wanted a stadium that was built for the world’s game and meets FIFA cost-effective choice as well. ticular element successful,” continued Miller. SEE ALLIANZ FIELD, PAGE 4A 2A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I STREET & SMITH’S SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL APRIL 15-21, 2019 ALLIANZ FIELD: A NEW ERA FOR SOCCER IN MINNESOTA MNUFC The design of the seats on Allianz Field’s north side proudly displays the team’s name ALLIANZ FIELD, FROM PAGE 2A north-south bus line. Bike pathways and years, I think the community will be very and what it’s like to approach it. So we parking for 400 bikes complete the different, much better.” wanted a material that was far more for the game of soccer and the fans of transportation options for fans and 23 tactile, far more approachable and the game,” McGuire said. “That means percent of the fans are expected to Rising Up from the Ground had more definition and refinement in natural grass and an open stadium. walk, bike, park-and-ride or use taxies or terms of scale to the human experi- Although we have a roof, the stadium Mortenson Construction and its sub- ride-sharing services. contractors employed about 2,050 ence. We also wanted to create a remains open.” “We were interested in having some- contrast to the very slick material on The 19,400 fans in attendance at workers onsite who worked 663,000 thing that was located centrally within hours to bring Allianz Field to life. top. We wanted the material to ground Loons games are right on top of the the community,” said McGuire. “We the building, be a little bit rough and action. The closest seat is 17 feet from Additionally, 33 percent of the subcon- wanted to be in a neighborhood or tractors were minority-owned have more contrast to the light ethereal the pitch, while the furthest is 125 feet area where the stadium would help skin. That led us to the board form wall.” away. To create this intimate atmo- businesses, while 11 percent were enhance and advance the community women-owned businesses. The concrete on the interior of the sphere, the seats are at a steep rake and, hopefully, result in significant rede- concourse, including the corridors, con- — 33.4 degrees. velopment and other construction cession areas, bathrooms and the Brew The popularity of the team and the within the community. We also wanted Hall, was decorated with block patterns. desire for fans to be able to watch a location that had access to all forms “It’s our version of the The block is called the “Loon” and was them in their new stadium has led to of transportation.” Yellow Wall in Dortmund specifically designed for the stadium. the team selling out its self-imposed “It’s aesthetically beautiful and fits in (Bundesliga).” The blocks were burnished in different cap of 14,500 season tickets. And the neighborhood,” said Lester Bagley, colors and contained black speckles in there’s a waiting list, titled “The Preserve”, executive vice president of public reference to the loon on the team’s CHRIS WRIGHT which consists of more than 5,000 affairs for the Minnesota Vikings. “I’m crest. This provided a lot of color variety hopeful fans. excited to be there for the home CEO I MNUFC within the stadium, giving it more of an opener and support Minnesota United.” artistic look. Uniting the Fan Base — Allianz The siting of Allianz Field has a “The block patterning is about creat- Field Accommodates All regional feel. The south side of the sta- To add character to the physical ing visual movement throughout the Fans enter Allianz Field at mid-level, dium, which faces the highway, has a structure, the base of Allianz Field was building rather than just having a very making the stadium easy to navigate. larger façade and makes a bigger made with board formed wall. This is a plain or monolithic wall on the inside of The seating level is half above the entry architectural statement. The north side, process that patterns the concrete with the concourse,” said Miller. point, and half below. where the majority of fans will enter the a wood grain finish. Mortenson used 16 Additionally, the majority of the “We were interested in having a rela- building, dips low to give a more form liners in their molds. Although they materials used in the construction of tively low vertical profile, so the stadium human-scale context to the neighbor- were strategically placed, the result was Allianz Field — 91 percent — were didn’t stick up well beyond anything hoods. an almost random pattern, giving a locally sourced from Minnesota. around it and overpower it, which “Allianz Field is more international on very unique look on the concrete along “We’re excited Allianz Field was built resulted in, among other things, going the south side and more domestic on the perimeter of the stadium.