Los Angeles might be the capital of movies, but its new building is about to turn this Californian city into a cutting-edge tech state when it comes to entertainment, sports and arenas thanks to the SoFi stadium.
This now iconic building will be home of the next Super Bowl and its one of a kind thantks to its technology and caring for the environment. This is all you need to know about the new Rams and Chargers home.
Who is the owner of SoFi stadium?
SoFi stadium means the return of NFL teams to Los Angeles, with the Rams and the Chargers returning to the city. This was made possible because of Stanley Kroenke, owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which is the holding company of Arsenal F.C. of the Premier League and Arsenal W.F.C. of the WSL, the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, Denver Nuggets of the NBA, Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League, the Los Angeles Gladiators of the Overwatch League, and the newly formed Los Angeles Guerrillas of the Call of Duty League.
In 2014, Kroenke decided to buy a significant amount of land of an old Hollywood Park horse racing track. Along with other investors, a plan was created for a 120-hectare (or 298-acre) mixed-use complex centered around a new stadium: SoFi.
Nevertheless, the plan was more than just the stadium and parking spots, it also has the YouTube Theater and the American Airlines Plaza. Making it so that three different events could happen simultaneously in the Hollywood Park area.
SoFi stadium’s location and capacity
Located three miles (approximately 4.83 kilometers) from the Los Angeles International Airport, and it’s directly under the flight path of most planes, providing passengers with a fantastic view as they approach landing. Because of this, the stadium is 100 feet (30 to 35 meters) below ground to adhere to the Federal Aviation Administration’s strict height restrictions.
For NFL games, the stadium can hold around 70,000 seats, but for other events it has enough space for 100,000 guests. It also has club spaces, suites and concourse areas that allow different ways to engage with the game or different events that will be held in the stadium.
HKS, the design team in charge of the stadium, has stated that they took inspiration for the Californian “indoor-outdoor lifestyle”, so the stadium has enough open-air to let the wind flow from the ocean, but the canopy roof provides relief from direct sunlight and rain while allowing guests to see the sky.
This is because it doesn’t have exterior walls, it counts with a long-span cable roof structure anchored to the ground in four locations. It was designed to feel like an outdoor venue, while providing the flexibility of a traditional domed stadium. The design also considers sound to compete with Centurylink Field (home of the Seattle Seahawks) for the loudest stadium in the NFL.
The roof
Its roof consists of more than 300 panels, where 46 can be opened to take advantage of the winds in the area and eliminate the need for air conditioning. It also reduces solar heat gain while allowing natural light to come into the stadium and nearby plaza.
This system considers the flight’s passengers traveling in and out of LAX, so the panels have an LED system embedded to project video without sacrificing transparency inside the stadium. This view is also available in the TV transmissions of the NFL games.
The Infinity Screen by Samsung
This is the first dual-sided 4K LED display system, called Infinity Screen and provided by Samsung. It’s suspended above the playing field and visible from every seat, it’s also possible to see it during television transmissions.
It’s the largest video board in sports with 70,000 square feet (around 6,500 square meters) and displaying 80 million pixels while weighing 2.2 million pounds (almost 1,000 tons).
Breaking records
SoFi stadium is the most expensive stadium ever built, with a price tag of $3.4 billion.
It also has the largest floor surface (with 3.1 million square feet or 288,500 m2), roof (with 808,000 square feet or 75,000 m2), and giant screen.
Future events
Part of the reason the stadium got built is that it got the hosting rights for the 2022 Super Bowl, the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship along the Opening and Closing ceremonies for the 2028 Olympics.
Many fans have described it as one of the best stadiums they have ever been, where “there’s no bad seat”. Keep an eye out to see if you can go to any of these major events in this beautiful stadium!
