Design and construction of U.S. Bank Stadium required innovative strategies to fulfill the aggressive project schedule and contain costs, while sequentially demolishing, excavating, remediating and constructing a new, larger stadium across the former Metrodome site. Our geotechnical and environmental teams worked closely with our partners to create a stadium which patrons and fans alike can enjoy for years to come.

Two geotechnical challenges confronting the facility design were the extremely large axial and thrust loads from the single roof truss system and lateral loads on deep retaining walls. Based upon their past experience and knowledge of the site conditions, the geotechnical team developed cost effective and unique approaches for both situations. Capitalizing on the site bedrock conditions, our team analyzed and provided innovative buttress foundation recommendations to support the roof truss thrust loads. Clean granular site materials were incorporated into the AET recommended self-retained backfill systems of geotextile wrapped sand layers to reduce the costs associated with deep retaining walls.

A number of challenges faced our environmental team during excavation activities. Given the critical nature of the construction schedule, our team utilized an on-site analytical laboratory to quickly characterize soil disposition. The environmental team strived to maximize beneficial reuse of minimally impacted soils, reduce landfill disposal and keep the earthwork schedule on track; all while encountering significant challenges presented by petroleum-impacted soils, the 24/6 excavation schedule, and the record-breaking cold weather experienced during construction.

In 2017, AET and our client Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) received a Grand Award from ACEC/MN and a National Recognition Award from ACEC National for our work on U.S. Bank Stadium.

For more information about AET’s services for this project, visit our Geotechnical, Construction Materials and Environmental Services pages