sopranopilot Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Wouldn't the additional revenue from the expanded Super Premium sections more than pay for the expense? Or, have everyone throw a couple dollars in a can on the way in the door until there's enough $ to open it that night (25,000 fans x $2=$50,000). I know I'd pitch in to help the sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PioneerWebmaster Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Here is a bunch of information about the roof... some relevant and some not... It is to feature the only retractable roof in the country with two moving panels that will meet in a peak above the center of the stadium. Those same panels will rest above seating on the east and west sides of the stadium when the roof is open. The roof on Lucas Oil Stadium will boast a larger opening -- a 4.5-acre hole to the sky -- than the three other current or future NFL stadiums with retractable roofs, and it will work so efficiently it'll generate power when moving down slope. Controlled by cables wrapped around drums and run by electric motors, the entire roof will open in six minutes on a third less horsepower than an Indy race car packs. Operating parameters NFL rules require teams to decide three hours before game time whether a roof will be open or shut. During the game, referees control any decision to change the position of the roof. Some other considerations: * Wind speeds: The roof and glass wall will be closed if winds exceed 40 mph. They can operate in speeds up to 55 mph. * Weather: Operating temperatures are between 40 and 110 degrees. Neither the roof nor the wall will be open if snow or ice is present. * Speed: It'll take nine minutes to open or close the roof, six minutes for the wall. Also distinct to Lucas Oil will be the large window on the north side of the stadium that will open to provide a view of the Downtown skyline. Facts about the Retractable Roof * First of its kind SuperFrame Structural System * It's the first NFL stadium to have a roof split lengthwise, requiring five rails instead of the typical two to move the panels. * The roof's two segments, weighing 5.9 million pounds each, are guided by 16 cables up a 13-degree slope about 300 feet above the ground. * Gabled roof with peak running north/south down center of field * 176,400 square feet opening area - that is an opening of 4.1 acres. The stadium has the largest retractable roof, even bigger than the stadium under construction in Dallas. * Its slope is the steepest of any retractable roof in the NFL. * Long narrow panels "stack" over building and do not overhang or shadow the building facade * Operates on cable drum drives mounted to transporters * Approximate 9-11 minute opening and closing time NFL rules for roof opening -- home team determines if roof is to be opened or closed 90 minutes before kickoff (except if precipitation is within the vicinity of LOS, temperature is below 40 degrees, or wind gusts are greater than 40 mph, then roof is automatically closed). It remains open unless there are hazardous conditions (lightning, severe winds, precipitation, low temperatures, etc.) Once closed, the roof may not be reopened. For events other than Colts games, operation of the roof and window will be solely at the discretion of Lucas Oil Stadium management. Due to the fact that the football field does not have a drainage system, and plumbing and piping are not insulated in Lucas Oil Stadium like many other outdoor stadiums, the roof should be closed during any inclement weather. If the outdoor temperature is below 42 degrees Fahrenheit, the roof will be closed. For Colts games, the team and the NFL must determine long before kickoff whether the roof will be open. If the game begins under open skies, the roof must remain open for the entire game, according to NFL rules. "Yet, the field does not have a drainage system . . . " For other events, the decision usually will fall to Fox and his crew. He envisions having the roof open for band performances and concerts. Promoters for a rock show, for example, could choose to keep the roof closed until the headliner comes on stage, Fox said. "Most of it really will depend on the weather, though," he said. "You can open the roof when it's 95 degrees if you want, but it's probably not in the best interest of the fan when air conditioning is available." One thing is certain, Fox said: Opening the roof will be reserved for important occasions. "If someone is having a 20-person wedding reception and they want the roof open, it's not going to happen," he said. "It's not a toy." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lucas Oil Stadium's retractable roof was open for the first regular season game, but closed on the second because of the possibility of thunderstorms, said Pete Ward, Colts senior executive vice president. The new stadium is not waterproof, he said. The field has no drainage and speakers, scoreboards and other electronic equipment are exposed, so the Capital Improvement Board closely monitors pregame weather. Because there was a 30 percent possibility of "pop-up" storms and the roof requires 12 minutes to close, the decision was made at 2:30 to close the door. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lucas Oil Stadium and Colts officials view the team's $720M stadium "more as an indoor venue with the roof to be opened only when conditions allow it," according to Steve Ballard of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Indiana Stadium & Convention Building Authority Exec Dir John Klipsch said that fans "should think of it like they would a sunroof on their car." Klipsch: "Ninety percent of the time, you're going to have it closed. When it's a nice day, you open it. But when it rains or snows or you're running the air conditioner, you close it." But Phoenix-based CMX Sports Engineers engineer Mike Lloyd, whose company designed the field and drainage system for Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, said, "If in fact everybody is genuine in saying they want an indoor stadium where every once in a while they open up the roof, that's one way of looking at it. The other way to look at it, and the way we looked at it here, was let's make it as flexible as possible." Lucas Oil Stadium's roof was open for last Sunday's Ravens-Colts game, making it the first regular-season outdoor game since the team moved to Indianapolis in '84 (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 10/16). OPEN POLICY: Ballard noted "questions arose about the policy regarding the $15.7[M] retractable roof after it was closed" for the September 21 Jaguars-Colts game on "what turned out to be a pleasant afternoon." But Colts Senior Exec VP Pete Ward said, "Whenever there is an imminent threat of rain, we're going to close the roof." The stadium "is not waterproof," and unlike Reliant Stadium and Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, the field "has no drainage." Additionally, "speakers, scoreboards and other electronic equipment are exposed." Colts season-ticket holder Charlie Koehler said that "many fans were caught unaware" of the roof being open Sunday. Koehler: "People who were underneath the windows were in the sun all day and I don't think they knew they would be." But Ward noted that the roof "has been open for four of the five games, including preseason, the Colts have played in their new stadium." Ward would not "speculate on the rest of the season, especially with the next afternoon home game not scheduled" until November 2. Ward: "We're going to have to do it for a while until we get to know the stadium. We don't know what it'll be like if it's 45 (degrees) and sunny or 45 and cloudy. That's why we're not going to put ourselves in a box. We're still getting a feel for it ourselves, and until we do, we're going to have to play it by ear" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 10/16). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some Fan Thoughts From When The Roof Was Open for a Colts Game Lucas Oil Stadium yesterday afternoon was too hot to handle for some Indianapolis Colts fansand even players. And Im not talking about the action on the field. While the Colts were getting their first victory yesterday at their new home, many fans were sweating it out, especially those who were baking in a stream of sunlight that came through the opened roof. Hundreds of fans vacated their seats on the north end of the stadium during the games second half, complaining about the heat and lack of circulation. Some watched the game from the shaded consourse, while others headed home early. One fan said the temperature was barely tolerable. Not even opening the roof the night before the game and opening the large window on the north end helped bring the temps in the retractable roof facility below 90 degrees in many spectator seating areas. Some of the Colts coaches complained about the heat on the field and sidelines. Players used misters to cool themselves down. Colts Coach Tony Dungy reportedly told CBS commentators calling the game that he would like more input on when the roof is opened or closed. Granted, the temperatures this weekend were unseasonably warm, but Colts and stadium officials seem to have a pretty serious issue with respect to the temperature to address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PioneerWebmaster Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 The point behind my post.... It sounds as if stadium officials have complete control over the opening/closing of the roof. They too envisioned having the roof open for 'band performances', but I think the fact that the stadium is not waterproof will take precedent over any promoter's desires. DCI may desire to have the roof open... but the stadium district will ultimately have the final say. Any chance of precipitation will cause them to close the roof... whether DCI wants them to or not. On the flip side, if the roof were to be open, it sounds as if conditions inside the stadium during the afternoon can become almost unbearable with the roof open on a hot sunny day. Having the roof open may make it very unpleasant for anyone attending afternoon performances. The stadium wasn't designed to have enough ventilation to be used during the middle of August with temperatures in the upper 80's or higher. So open may not be better in that respect... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NakedEye Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Thanks for posting all that - interesting. It doesn't exactly sound like a best of both worlds facility. Quite a few compromises when it's open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Weird that this topic was started now of all times. I was sitting down for dinner with a friend about the same time the original post was authored, and one of the topics that came up was the closed roof for DCI. She told me that there was a fee for opening the roof as well, though she gave me a five-figure number. I trust my friend implicitly, but since DCP doesn't know her I'll add that she works for an organization much maligned on DCP that also holds prominent championships in Lucas Oil Stadium. BOA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VKMello84 Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 For all of the inquiring minds out there...The roof was closed because it would have cost thousands of dollars to open it up (I've been told an amount in the six figure range)... A private firm does the opening and closing and DCI would have to pay for several employees from that company to remain on-site, for the entire event, each day... Apparently, DCI didn't know about the high price when they signed the stadium deal. On the surface it sounds really unlikely that DCI would have known nothing of the cost to open and close the roof. I have seen a number of reports about other stadiums and it was report to cost as much as $20 thousand to open and close the thing. The information posted right above this by PioneerWebmaster really makes it sound like the retractable roof was entirely illconcieved. Having read that, I don't know that I would expect the roof to be open ever for DCI events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Thanks for posting all that - interesting. It doesn't exactly sound like a best of both worlds facility. Quite a few compromises when it's open. so, IMO, it sounds like it sucks either way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickhaltsforlife Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 so basically LOS is a horrible place for DCI.... yup... that what I thought marching and sitting in the place.. the place seems like it would be awkward with the roof open. I could imagine the field being really hot since the stands TOWER above the field... no air would get in or out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawk Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 (edited) For all of the inquiring minds out there...The roof was closed because it would have cost thousands of dollars to open it up (I've been told an amount in the six figure range)... A private firm does the opening and closing and DCI would have to pay for several employees from that company to remain on-site, for the entire event, each day... Apparently, DCI didn't know about the high price when they signed the stadium deal. An interesting theory for the DCI conspirators. However, it has extremely little, if anything at all, to do with the cost. And I won't go there because I don't have any idea how much it costs to open it. IMHO your figures are way off. Can you back it up with some hard facts? And contrary to what you may want to believe, DCI is not run by a bunch of idiots. I'm sure all aspects of the cost to operate the stadium were considered before the contract was signed. DCI staff were informed of the stadium manager's decision to keep roof closed either Monday or Tuesday. There were several reasons stated. First and most important was the uncertainty of the weather. If you were in Indy Tuesday morning you know that the city experienced a hellacious thunderstorm. Apparently storms like this are not that unusual. Unlike most turf fields, LOS is totally flat, which does not allow for drainage if it gets wet. The weather forecast for both Friday and Saturday included the possibility of rain or thunderstorms. And rain did indeed threaten early Saturday evening but passed to the north of the city. Second, the stadium officials simply invoked rules similar to those applied to the NFL and other events. For a band or drum corps event, consideration was given to the change in acoustics when the roof is open. We were told there is less echo. Having the roof open would make some corps sound different, possibly giving them an unfair advantage. Also, the forecast for Saturday was a high temperature of about 94 or 95 degrees. There is not a stadium air conditioning system anywhere that could keep an open stadium cool in weather like that. All things considered, it simply made more sense to leave it closed for this event. Will it be open for future DCI events? I would say likely yes.... if the conditions are right. Edited August 13, 2009 by Seahawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedihunter80 Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 well if cost is the real issue here, perhaps they could arrange for it to be open only on finals day. of course, that would bring up the issue of the corps/fans of corps who got knocked out in semis and quarters complaining that they didn't have the roof open, and therefore the corps who made it to finals had an unfair advantage. this is indeed a troubling situation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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