New Atlanta Falcons Stadium Roof Mimics Camera Lens

Renderings Courtesy of 360 Architecture

The oculus design by 360 Architecture, with engineer Buro Happold, for the convertible roof of a $1.2-billion multipurpose stadium in Atlanta represents a radical departure from kinetic roofs of other sports facilities.

The stadium design also calls for a novel 58-ft-tall "halo" scoreboard hung from the rim of the opening. Construction of the 1.8-million-sq-ft facility for football's Atlanta Falcons began last month, by the Holder Hunt Russell Moody Joint Venture. After the 71,000-seat stadium opens in 2017, the nearby Georgia Dome will be razed.

Nadine M. Post, ENR's former editor-at-large for buildings, is an award-winning journalist with 45 years of experience covering trends, issues, innovations, controversies and challenging projects. Post has written about many industry giants, including 10 ENR Award of Excellence winners. And she has covered disasters, failures and attacks, including the 1993 bombing and the 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center. Project stories include the redevelopment of the World Trade Center; the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa; Los Angeles’ Disney Concert Hall; and Seattle's Bullitt Center and Rainier Square Tower. In 1985, Post wrote McGraw-Hill's book Restoring the Statue of Liberty (1986) for the restoration’s architects—Richard S. Hayden and Thierry W. Despont.

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