Fanfare (Available only in Special Structural Issue)

Wells, Catherine; Mann, Surinder; Roberts, John; ,

Fanfare (Available only in Special Structural Issue)

by Catherine Wells, Sr. Assoc.; Ove Arup & Partners, Los Angeles, CA,
Surinder Mann, P.E., Assoc.; Ove Arup & Partners, Los Angeles, CA,
John Roberts, Assoc.; Ove Arup & Partners, Los Angeles, CA,

Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 2000, Vol. 70, Issue 12, Pg. A2-A4,A6-A7

Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

The owners of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team decided in the late 1980s that their current home, the 50-year-old County Stadium, could no longer offer the facilities that attract crowds to baseball games; a new stadium had to be built. Key to the new ballpark design is a retractable roof that will allow play in the open on natural grass whenever possible but also provide protection from the rain and, early and late in the season, snow. From the beginning, the designers looked for a way to integrate the baseball diamond shape into the design of the stadium and its roof. Other baseball parks with retractable roofs have either a rectangular or a circular geometry. The designers came up with a unique fan configuration that would rotate about a pivot base at home plate. The retractable roof would be combined with an 80 ft (24 m) high wall around the outfield that could be opened for ventilation. Unlike other retractable roofs, Miller Park's roof can expand and contract with movement joints above its mechanism, so it does not need to rely on the design of the seating structure to accommodate the movements of the roof. The stadium's completion is set for April 2001, when the Brewers will play the opening game of the season in their new home.

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