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Lights go up on Dallas Cowboys Stadium this weekend:
George Strait kicks off new era for Arlington, area
BY ROBERT FRANCIS
June 05, 2009
When George Strait boot scoots across the stage June 6 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, he will be kicking off a new era for the Dallas Cowboys, the city of Arlington and North Texas. The new 3 million-square-foot stadium, named simply Cowboys Stadium, is regarded as the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world.
An array of businesses – local, national and international – contributed to the design, construction and operation of the new stadium. The $1.2 billion stadium was originally estimated to cost $650 million. To pay for the stadium, Arlington voters approved an increase in the city’s sales tax of a half percent, an increase in the hotel occupancy tax of 2 percent and the car rental tax by 5 percent. The city of Arlington provided $325 million in funding and Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones covered any cost overruns.
The stadium was designed by HKS Inc.’s HKS Sports and Entertainment Group of Dallas and built by Manhattan Construction, also of Dallas; the $1.2 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world’s largest HDTV video board, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world. Features of the stadium include seating for 80,000 (expandable to 100,000), 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame and Pro Shop.
Key design features include:
· A retractable roof measuring 660,800 square feet, the largest of its kind in the world, according to HKS.
· Two arches 292 feet above the playing field.
· Retractable end zone doors
· Canted glass exterior wall
“In recognition of the time-honored traditions and timeless dynamic nature of the Dallas Cowboys, we chose a modern palette of simple forms and materials that creates a fittingly progressive architectural expression for the new stadium,” said Bryan Trubey, AIA, principal designer, HKS Sports, in a release.
In addition to being the new home of the Dallas Cowboys, the stadium will host the 2011 Super Bowl, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four as well as high school and college football, concerts and special events.
The new stadium includes the world’s largest high-definition LED video displays mounted above the field. The four-sided, center-hung structure, a first for an NFL stadium, consists of four Diamond Vision video displays, with the two main sideline displays measuring 72 feet high by 160 feet wide, and two Diamond Vision end-zone displays measuring 29 feet high by 51 feet wide. Weighing 600 tons, the screens will be suspended 90 feet directly over the center of the playing surface and stretch from nearly one 20-yard line to the other.
Additional displays include four, 280-square-foot screens on the lower concourse; an upper level fascia (ribbon) display measuring four feet high by nearly 2,000 linear feet; and two Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor displays totaling more than 2,900 square feet
“One of the central design elements of our new stadium is our center-hung video board. This unique feature will be an iconic symbol of our building for years to come,” said Jones, owner and general manager of the Cowboys, in a press release
In addition to the displays, Mitsubishi Electric is also providing a scoring system, content management and playback system, game timers, delay of game clocks, locker room clocks and ticket window displays.
While fans can see the large screens and the stadium’s massive size for themselves, there are other innovations taking place that fans won’t see.
CommScope of Hickory, N.C., for instance, is providing the network infrastructure and cellular coverage for the new stadium to support core operations and communications requirements for fans, the staff and public safety officials.
“The CommScope network will play a major role in providing all who enter the stadium with a unique interactive experience, while supporting the operations needs of the Dallas Cowboys organization,” said Randy Crenshaw, executive vice president and general manager, CommScope Enterprise Solutions, in a press release.
CommScope’s Andrew Solutions group furnished and installed a complete multi-carrier, multi-service wireless solution that supports commercial cellular services for general fan and employee usage; public safety services for police, fire, ambulance and federal agencies; and private, internal services for coaching staff and game officials’ communications.
Stadiums present unique challenges in providing wireless services, with game days requiring a cellular network that supports the equivalent of a small city in a massive structure notorious for difficult signal penetration, according to CommScope officials. .
The Andrew Solutions group worked to solve the technical challenges posed in providing coverage and capacity solutions in the stadium. The group also provides similar coverage in other challenging areas, such as subways, airports, and skyscrapers. With its size and elaborate design, the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium required one of the largest and most complex indoor cellular systems of any stadium in the world, according to CommScope officials.
“In addition to being a football showcase, the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium will feature the world’s leading technology solutions,” said Matt Melester, vice president and general manager for wireless innovations at Andrew, in a press release.
The stadium also will change how the city of Arlington markets itself, according to Jay Burress, president and CEO of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau. On May 18, the bureau unveiled the new slogan for the city: “and the crowd goes wild!”
The previous slogan, “Fun Central,” was directed at consumers and attracting people to family entertainment venues such as Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor, said Burress, when the new slogan was announced. The new stadium will help the city attract a more diverse crowd, he said.
“The new brand, while still aimed at consumers, appeals to a broader range of visitors, meeting planners and convention attendees,” he said.
rfrancis@bizpress.net
Dallas Cowboys Stadium video displays:
* Center-hung sideline displays (2) Width: 160 feet Height: 72 feet Total LEDs: 10,584,064 Screen area: 11,393 square feet Screen weight: 1.2 million pounds Resolution: 2,176 X 4,864 * Center-hung end zone displays (2) Width: 51 feet Height: 29 feet Total LEDs: 2,088.960 Screen area: 1,439 square feet Screen weight: 25,000 pounds Resolution: 1,080 X 1,920 Source: Mitsubishi Electric US Dallas Cowboys Stadium network infrastructure:
· The new stadium’s infrastructure required more than five million feet of CommScope SYSTIMAX copper and fiber cabling, roughly the walking distance from Dallas to Chicago. Of that amount, the stadium will use approximately 2.7 million feet of cabling. That entire cable length would stretch approximately from Dallas to Houston to Austin and back to Dallas.
· With its 600-ton scoreboard and the roughly 2,800 monitors positioned throughout the stadium, the stadium will be the world’s largest IPTV installation.
· The new data center at the stadium will serve as the Cowboys’ enterprise data center, supporting the stadium and the Cowboy’s facilities at Valley Ranch.
· The CommScope network installations, which started in September 2008, took nine months to complete.
· The Cowboys’ SYSTIMAX iPatch System installation will be a first for NFL stadiums. The system will help Dallas Cowboys IT staff document and manage activity from more than 40,000 copper and fiber ports.
· The stadium will have 69 intermediate distribution frames (IDFs) and a single data center.
Source: CommScope
George Strait kicks off new era for Arlington, area
BY ROBERT FRANCIS
June 05, 2009
When George Strait boot scoots across the stage June 6 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, he will be kicking off a new era for the Dallas Cowboys, the city of Arlington and North Texas. The new 3 million-square-foot stadium, named simply Cowboys Stadium, is regarded as the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world.
An array of businesses – local, national and international – contributed to the design, construction and operation of the new stadium. The $1.2 billion stadium was originally estimated to cost $650 million. To pay for the stadium, Arlington voters approved an increase in the city’s sales tax of a half percent, an increase in the hotel occupancy tax of 2 percent and the car rental tax by 5 percent. The city of Arlington provided $325 million in funding and Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones covered any cost overruns.
The stadium was designed by HKS Inc.’s HKS Sports and Entertainment Group of Dallas and built by Manhattan Construction, also of Dallas; the $1.2 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world’s largest HDTV video board, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world. Features of the stadium include seating for 80,000 (expandable to 100,000), 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame and Pro Shop.
Key design features include:
· A retractable roof measuring 660,800 square feet, the largest of its kind in the world, according to HKS.
· Two arches 292 feet above the playing field.
· Retractable end zone doors
· Canted glass exterior wall
“In recognition of the time-honored traditions and timeless dynamic nature of the Dallas Cowboys, we chose a modern palette of simple forms and materials that creates a fittingly progressive architectural expression for the new stadium,” said Bryan Trubey, AIA, principal designer, HKS Sports, in a release.
In addition to being the new home of the Dallas Cowboys, the stadium will host the 2011 Super Bowl, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four as well as high school and college football, concerts and special events.
The new stadium includes the world’s largest high-definition LED video displays mounted above the field. The four-sided, center-hung structure, a first for an NFL stadium, consists of four Diamond Vision video displays, with the two main sideline displays measuring 72 feet high by 160 feet wide, and two Diamond Vision end-zone displays measuring 29 feet high by 51 feet wide. Weighing 600 tons, the screens will be suspended 90 feet directly over the center of the playing surface and stretch from nearly one 20-yard line to the other.
Additional displays include four, 280-square-foot screens on the lower concourse; an upper level fascia (ribbon) display measuring four feet high by nearly 2,000 linear feet; and two Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor displays totaling more than 2,900 square feet
“One of the central design elements of our new stadium is our center-hung video board. This unique feature will be an iconic symbol of our building for years to come,” said Jones, owner and general manager of the Cowboys, in a press release
In addition to the displays, Mitsubishi Electric is also providing a scoring system, content management and playback system, game timers, delay of game clocks, locker room clocks and ticket window displays.
While fans can see the large screens and the stadium’s massive size for themselves, there are other innovations taking place that fans won’t see.
CommScope of Hickory, N.C., for instance, is providing the network infrastructure and cellular coverage for the new stadium to support core operations and communications requirements for fans, the staff and public safety officials.
“The CommScope network will play a major role in providing all who enter the stadium with a unique interactive experience, while supporting the operations needs of the Dallas Cowboys organization,” said Randy Crenshaw, executive vice president and general manager, CommScope Enterprise Solutions, in a press release.
CommScope’s Andrew Solutions group furnished and installed a complete multi-carrier, multi-service wireless solution that supports commercial cellular services for general fan and employee usage; public safety services for police, fire, ambulance and federal agencies; and private, internal services for coaching staff and game officials’ communications.
Stadiums present unique challenges in providing wireless services, with game days requiring a cellular network that supports the equivalent of a small city in a massive structure notorious for difficult signal penetration, according to CommScope officials. .
The Andrew Solutions group worked to solve the technical challenges posed in providing coverage and capacity solutions in the stadium. The group also provides similar coverage in other challenging areas, such as subways, airports, and skyscrapers. With its size and elaborate design, the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium required one of the largest and most complex indoor cellular systems of any stadium in the world, according to CommScope officials.
“In addition to being a football showcase, the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium will feature the world’s leading technology solutions,” said Matt Melester, vice president and general manager for wireless innovations at Andrew, in a press release.
The stadium also will change how the city of Arlington markets itself, according to Jay Burress, president and CEO of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau. On May 18, the bureau unveiled the new slogan for the city: “and the crowd goes wild!”
The previous slogan, “Fun Central,” was directed at consumers and attracting people to family entertainment venues such as Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor, said Burress, when the new slogan was announced. The new stadium will help the city attract a more diverse crowd, he said.
“The new brand, while still aimed at consumers, appeals to a broader range of visitors, meeting planners and convention attendees,” he said.
rfrancis@bizpress.net
Dallas Cowboys Stadium video displays:
* Center-hung sideline displays (2) Width: 160 feet Height: 72 feet Total LEDs: 10,584,064 Screen area: 11,393 square feet Screen weight: 1.2 million pounds Resolution: 2,176 X 4,864 * Center-hung end zone displays (2) Width: 51 feet Height: 29 feet Total LEDs: 2,088.960 Screen area: 1,439 square feet Screen weight: 25,000 pounds Resolution: 1,080 X 1,920 Source: Mitsubishi Electric US Dallas Cowboys Stadium network infrastructure:
· The new stadium’s infrastructure required more than five million feet of CommScope SYSTIMAX copper and fiber cabling, roughly the walking distance from Dallas to Chicago. Of that amount, the stadium will use approximately 2.7 million feet of cabling. That entire cable length would stretch approximately from Dallas to Houston to Austin and back to Dallas.
· With its 600-ton scoreboard and the roughly 2,800 monitors positioned throughout the stadium, the stadium will be the world’s largest IPTV installation.
· The new data center at the stadium will serve as the Cowboys’ enterprise data center, supporting the stadium and the Cowboy’s facilities at Valley Ranch.
· The CommScope network installations, which started in September 2008, took nine months to complete.
· The Cowboys’ SYSTIMAX iPatch System installation will be a first for NFL stadiums. The system will help Dallas Cowboys IT staff document and manage activity from more than 40,000 copper and fiber ports.
· The stadium will have 69 intermediate distribution frames (IDFs) and a single data center.
Source: CommScope
