The Washington Commanders’ new 70,000-plus seat stadium that will sit on the site of the old RFK Stadium will be both an homage to and an extension of the team’s storied past, complete with a wavy roof line, a transparent top that will resemble an open-air venue, a colonnade exterior and even foundations that will be fused with those of the old stadium.
The roof of the Commanders’ new stadium will be “anticlastic,” or shaped like a Pringle. So, unlike U.S. Bank Stadium, which has a lattice of steel trestles that support its clear roof but ultimately impede the view, the Commanders’ will have a cable net system to create “the most transparent roof that will enclose a large stadium anywhere on the planet,” according to one person directly involved in the stadium design and planning.
The goal is two-fold: one, to make fans feel like they’re outdoors, as they were at the old RFK Stadium. At the request of D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), the Commanders opted to enclose their new stadium so they can host some 200 events a year, potentially including future Super Bowls. The NFL requires a Super Bowl host city to have an average annual temperature of at least 50 degrees in the month leading up to the game, so colder cities need closed stadiums to be eligible.
The second aim: to create one of, if not the, loudest stadium in the NFL, much like RFK Stadium used to be. The transparent roof is intended to amplify the sound from the crowd back down to the field.
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