Architecture

Costing $1.15 billion, the new Cowboys Stadium has the world's longest single-span roof structure. Find facts below.

Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX

Photo © Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

ARCHITECT'S FACT SHEET FOR COWBOYS STADIUM

Stadium Size:

• The Cowboys Stadium site covers 73 total acres; the overall site encompasses 140 total acres
• Cowboys Stadium is 3 million square feet containing 104 cubic feet of volume
• Stadium length â€" 900 feet from one end zone retractable wall to the opposite end zone retractable wall

Exterior Façade:

• The Canted 800-foot glass wall exterior slopes at 14-degree angle
• The clerestory lens is 33 feet at highest point, with overall length of 904 feet
• Arches soar 292 feet above playing field
• Each boxed arch is 17 feet wide and 35 feet deep
• Each arch weighs 3,255 tons
• Each arch spans quarter-mile in length
• Top of steel at the highpoint of the main arched trusses is 292 feet above the playing field

Retractable End Zone Doors:

• The 180-foot-wide by 120-foot-high operable glass doors, located at each end of the stadium, are the largest operable glass doors in the world
• Five 38-foot panels take 18 minutes to open or close

Roof and Roof Structure:

• At 660,800 square feet, the stadium’s roof is one of the largest domed sports structures in the world
• Soaring 292 feet above the playing field, the two monumental arches support the retractable roof â€" the world’s longest single-span roof structure
• The roof encompasses 104 million cubic feet of volume
• Opening 410 feet long by 256 feet wide encompassing 105,000 square feet
• Each roof panel weighs 1.68 million pounds
• The travel distance of each panel is 215 feet
• Consists of 14,100 tons of structural steel (which is equivalent to the weight of 92 Boeing 777s)
• The retractable roof opens or closes in 12 minutes

Materials:

• Non-operable pieces - steel with PVC membrane
• Operable pieces â€" Teflon coated fiberglass fabric

The Arch Truss:

• The arch truss is fabricated from special high-strength grade 65 steel imported from Luxembourg
• The structural steel’s wide flange sizes are up to W14x730 (14 inches in depth and 730 lbs. per foot)- the heaviest shape rolled in the world
• Number of bolts in arch spans: 50,000
• Total length of welding in arch spans: 165,000 feet
• Gallons of primer paint: 2,000
• Gallons of finish paint: 2,000
• The final keystone piece of the arch truss planar section is 56 feet long and weighs 110,000 pounds

More About Cowboys Stadium:

• Cowboys Stadium Official Site
• A New Stadium for the Dallas Cowboys (NY Times)
• Inside the Cowboys Stadium (Time)