CHAPTER 1 A SIGHT TO BEHOLD Fans Fans could not believe their eyes After two years of construction US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Minnesota opened to the public Now it was time to watch a Minnesota Vikings football game At 270 feet 82 m tall the stadium towered over fans A huge glass wall greeted visitors at the main entrance US Bank Stadium opened in the summer of (cid:12)(cid:11)(cid:10)(cid:9) 5
A roof kept fans protected from rain snow wind and cold But the roof still allowed light into the stadium Fans felt like they were outdoors Today’s stadiums are more than just places to watch sports and concerts They are state-of-the-art structures It hasn’t always been this way though Humans have built stadiums for centuries For example the ancient Romans built the Colosseum nearly 2,000 years ago But its design is not outdated Stadiums today have the same basic footprint The Colosseum is made of stone and concrete Modern stadiums use concrete 6
The Roman Colosseum hosted gladiatorial combats many years ago Many use steel too Steel is a strong but relatively lightweight metal It allows engineers to span much longer distances such as the US Bank Stadium roof 7
