AT&T stadium in Dallas is generating controversy after a game that was supposed to be open-roofed ended up being closed.
A piece of its retractable roof fell on the field on Monday as facility managers moved to open the roof, a near miss for bystanders preparing for a game between the Cowboys and Texans. Jeff Kolb, a Dallas sports reporter, said the piece of sheet metal almost hit multiple production workers when it fell.
Per NFL rules, at least one hour prior to kickoff, the roof must be in its set position. They attempted to open the roof three hours before kickoff, and in the process, two sheet metal panels and some debris fell into the stadium. While a panel landed on the field mere feet away from unsuspecting bystanders, another remained resting on top of the rafters until staff removed it.
There are no structural problems with the roof, according to a statement AT&T Stadium provided to Fox 4 Dallas.
“The City of Arlington’s building inspector and deputy fire marshal have consulted with AT&T Stadium today and determined there are no structural issues with the venue or its retractable roof. The metal piece that fell to the field was a covering lid to a cable tray that was moved by wind gusts as the roof was opening. The cable tray was in the high steel area near the top of the stadium,” the statement read, adding that they’ve taken mitigating steps to prevent future debris. “Additional review and work has been performed to further secure the covering lids for the cable trays.”
Dangerous moment just now inside @ATTStadium where a big piece of sheet metal fell from the roof and almost hit multiple production people@FOX4 #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/Z6VzzMn75T
The stadium’s retractable roof hadn’t been opened for a Cowboys home game since October 2022. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones cited 20 mph wind gusts hitting the area as the roof was retracting as the problem.
“I’ll tell you right now what you had: You had heavy winds in this area during the day and apparently right about the time when we opened it, the winds had compromised part of the roof,” Jones explained. “Well then it had that piece, the wind took it and got under it. Rest assured, all of that kind of stuff is done out of the way of any fan or customer or anybody like that.”
Football teams across the country continue to invest in larger, retractable roof stadiums to become better all-season venues to super bowls, fan events, concerts and more, bringing substantial new business to sheet metal shops.
Of the 10 domed football stadiums in the U.S., five and counting have retractable roofs. Sheet metal shops not only fabricate the large diameter spiral duct necessary to convey the high volumes of air stadiums require, but also architectural sheet metal elements like metal wall panels, roof curbs and more.
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