These aren't your grandfather’s stadiums.
Thousands of TVs, exterior video walls, suspended gondola seating and a moat for and surfing and ice skating: These are not your grandfather’s stadiums.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Georgia
This $1.5 billion stadium will be the new home of the Atlanta Falcons just in time for the start of the 2017-2018 NFL season. The venue will boast 2,000 TVs placed throughout the stadium so fans won't miss a second of the game and the largest video board in professional sports. The standout design feature, however, is a retractable roof with petal-like steel blades that open and close like a camera lens aperture.
![mercedes stadium](https://www.unitedrentals.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Mercedes_0.png)
Little Caesars Arena - Detroit, Michigan
The Ilitch family, founders of Little Caesars Pizza, has more in store for downtown Detroit than just a new hockey arena for the Red Wings. That venue, which will be completed in 2017, has suspended gondola seating and a larger-than-life video wall on the exterior for people on the public plaza outside. But pucks and sticks are just the start of it. An adjacent under-glass concourse will house administrative and ticket offices as well as retail outlets and is intended to be a year-round event center. The $1.2 billion, 50-block District Detroit development will see office, entertainment and residential construction that the Ilitch family hopes will kick-start five new neighborhoods, with the arena at their heart.
Rams Stadium - Los Angeles, California
When Rams owner Stan Kroenke petitioned the NFL to be able to move the team from St. Louis back to Los Angeles, he already had plans for a $2.6 billion stadium-centered sports and entertainment district. When complete in 2019, the indoor-outdoor stadium complex will have more than 70,000 seats and include a 6,000-seat performance venue next door. It’s part of the planned 298 acres of residential, entertainment, hotel and office space that would take up an area three times that of Disneyland.
![hks stadium](https://www.unitedrentals.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/HKS%20stadium.png)
Redskins Stadium - Washington, DC
The Washington Redskins are looking for a new site to occupy when their lease expires. When they find one, fans can look forward to a semi-transparent, paraboloid-like stadium bowl (to increase the number of premium seats) with a golden chain-link mesh façade and a sundeck on the upper floor, situated in a park-like setting that can be used for concerts and events. Architect Bjarke Ingels envisions a moat surrounding the stadium that would function as a wave pool in warm weather and turn into an ice skating rink in winter. While there is no price tag as of yet, this one-of-a-kind design is sure to cost the Redskins big.
![redskins stadium](https://www.unitedrentals.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/redskins%20stadium.png)
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Photo Credits: Mercedes-Benz Stadium; District Detroit; HKS; Bjarke Ingels Group
Kim Slowey is a writer who has been active in the construction industry for 25 years and is licensed as a certified general contractor in Florida. She received her BA in Mass Communications/Journalism from the University of South Florida and has experience in both commercial and residential construction.