Structural Roof Systems for Athletic Stadia By Bartley J. Miller Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Marquette University, 2000 Submitted to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ENGINEERING MASSACUSEINSTITU E OF TECHNOLOGY In Civil and Environmental Engineering at the JUN 0 4 2001 MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY LIBRARJES June 2001 © 2001 Bartley J. Miller. All rights reserved The author hereby grants permission to MIT to reproduce and to distribute publicly the paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole and in part Signature of Author: Bartley J. Miller Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering May 11, 2001 Certified by: Jer e Joseph Connor, Jr., Sc. D. Professor of Civil and Environ ntal Engineering Thesis Supervisor Accepted by: ral Buyukozturk, Ph. D. Chairman, Departmental Committee on Graduate Studies Structural Roof Systems for Athletic Stadia By Bartley J. Miller Submitted to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering on May 11, 2001 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering ABSTRACT Stadiums are the great stages upon which legends are made, and from which spectators receive excitement and inspiration. As such interesting and important structures, stadiums not only facilitate grand spectacles, but also enhance them through powerful architecture and innovative engineering. In recent years, structural designers have been pressed to develop the most functional, structurally inventive and architecturally celebrated sporting venues. The technological evolution of modem stadiums during this period may be most effectively traced through advances in the design of their structural roof systems. This study investigates the major design concepts, issues and implementations of various stadium roof configurations through structural descriptions, an assessment of advantages and disadvantages of each system, and individual case studies. Because of their distinctive characteristics that transcend conventional materials and design techniques, air-supported, cable-supported and retractable roof systems will be discussed. A number of recently developed design innovations that pose unique solutions but have not yet become common practice in the construction of athletic stadiums will also be included. Collectively, they symbolize progress in stadium design and the speed with which roof systems have evolved. Thesis Supervisor: Jerome J. Connor, Jr. Title: Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Jerome J. Connor for his continued guidance and support over the past year and for the opportunity to gain insights from his wealth of knowledge, experience and advice. I also want to thank Lisa Grebner of Modem Continental for her time and assistance in both our design projects and the completion of this study. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my family for their continued support during my stay at MIT and throughout my academic career. Special thanks to my mother, Joyce, and my father, Larry, for their encouragement and love. I have met and become very close to several fellow classmates during my time at MIT, and would like to thank Nick, Kenny, Matt, Tom, Seattle John, Tai and Allison, Ryan, Jean-Pierre, Yasmine, Greg, Ricardo, Irish John, Peggy, Jesse, Leonardo, Sergio, Corey, Ike, Noelle, Tatiana, Aris and Nadine for their cooperation, camaraderie and friendship. I would like to express my appreciation to Erika for all she has meant to me for as long as I have known her, and especially for her inspiration when I have needed it most. And, finally, special thanks to Kasey, for her friendship, encouragement and understanding. This year would not have been the same without her. 3 Stadia Structural Roof Systems forfor Athletic Stadia 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Stadiums-An Overview.............................................................8 1.1 Stadium Design History.............................................................9 1.2 Stadium Design Advances..........................................................11 1.3 Stadium Design Challenges.........................................................14 1.4 Thesis O bjective................................................................... 18 2. Air-supported Structures...........................................................19 2.1 Structural System .................................................................. 19 2.2 Fabric Membrane Covering......................................................21 2.3 Design Advantages................................................................21 2.4 Design Disadvantages................................................................22 2.5 Construction Issues................................................................23 2 .6 C ase S tudies...........................................................................23 The Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan............................................23 The RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana........................................25 3. Cable-supported Structures...........................................................27 3.1 Structural System..................................................................27 3.2 Design Advantages................................................................29 3.3 Design Disadvantages ............................................................ 30 3.4 Construction Issues................................................................30 3.5 C ase Studies......................................................................... 31 The Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia.......................................31 The Florida Suncoast Dome, St. Petersburg, Florida......................33 Structural Roof Systems for Athletic Stadia 4 4. Retractable Roof Structures............................................................36 4.1 Structural Systems..................................................................37 4.2 Design Challenges..................................................................38 4 .3 D esign K eys.............................................................................39 4.4 C onstruction Issues....................................................................40 4.4 C ase Studies...........................................................................4 1 Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, Arizona.......................................41 Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington...........................................43 Enron Field, Houston, Texas.....................................................45 5. Innovations in Stadium Design.........................................................49 5.1 Deployable Structures..............................................................49 5.2 Reciprocal Frame Structures.......................................................51 5.3 Tensegrity-Retractable Roof Option...........................................54 6. Stadiums for the Future..............................................................58 References.................................................................................. .. 60 5 Stadia Structural Roof Systems for Athletic Stadia 5 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 A capacity crowd of spectators enjoys the experience of a live sporting ev en t.......................................................................... ... 8 Figure 1.2 The Coliseum, Rome, Italy.......................................................9 Figure 1.3 The Astrodome-"The Eighth Wonder of the World".......................10 Figure 1.4 The Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana..........................11 Figure 1.5 Montreal Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Canada...................................12 Figure 1.6 The Saddledome, Calgary, Canada...............................................13 Figure 1.7 The Millennium Dome, Greenwich, UK.........................................14 Figure 1.8 Aero-elastic model and wind tunnel testing of Miller Park, Milwaukee, W isconsin ....................................................................... 16 Figure 1.9 Snow loads and distribution on Miller Park retractable roof.................17 Figure 2.1 The United States Pavilion, Osaka, Japan......................................19 Figure 2.2 Some geometric plans for air-supported structures............................20 Figure 2.3 The Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan.............................................24 Figure 2.4 A guard checks the fabric roof of the Silverdome.................................25 Figure 2.5 The Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana......................................26 Figure 3.1 Olympic Gymnastic Stadium, Seoul, South Korea............................27 Figure 3.2 Some geometric configurations for cable-supported roofs......................28 Figure 3.3 Cable system of the Georgia Dome awaits single assembly lift................31 Figure 3.4 The Suncoast Dome, St. Petersburg, Florida...................................32 Figure 3.5 The structural system and components of the Suncoast Dome ................. 33 6 Stadia Structural Roof Systems forfor Athletic Stadia 6 Figure 3.6 The Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia ............................................. 34 Figure 3.7 Compression ring and cable connections for cable-supported roof ...... 35 Figure 4.1 The Toronto Skydome, Toronto, Canada......................................37 Figure 4.2 Side view of the fan-shaped