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The contractors were Huber, Hunt & Nichols. A domed structure is not a new
idea — the concrete dome of the Pantheon in Rome has provided shelter for the
gods since the second century. The 1975 Louisiana Superdome was not even the
first large-domed sports arena to be built in the U.S. — the 1965 Houston
Astrodome in Texas provided nearly a decade's worth of experience for the NOLA
architectts. The design mistakes of the Astrodome would not be repeated — the
new NOLA dome would not include skylight glare to impede the vision of the
players below it. The Superdome would not even try to grow grass inside.
Many sports stadia have playing fields below ground level, which allows the
building's height to be modest on the outside. A good example is the 2010
Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, whose exterior facade disguises the lower
location of the field below ground level. This type of stadium design would not
work in the flood-prone Mississippi River Delta.
Because of a high water table, the 1975 Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans was
built on a platform atop a three-story underground parking garage.
Thousands of concrete pilings hold the steel frame exterior, with an additional
"tension ring" to hold the weight of the enormous domed roof. The diamond-
shaped steel framework of the dome was placed onto the ring support all in one
piece.
"This ring, capable of withstanding the massive thrusts of the dome structure, is made
of 1-1/2-inch thick steel and prefabricated in twenty-four sections that were welded
together 469 feet in the air. Because the strength of the welds is critical to the strength
of the tension ring, they were performed by a specially trained and qualified welder in
the semi-controlled atmosphere of a tent house which was moved around the rim of the
building from one weld to another. Each individual weld was x-rayed to insure the
perfection of the vital joints. On 12 June 1973, the entire roof, weighing 5,000 tons, was
jacked down onto the tension ring in one of the most delicate and critical operations of
the whole construction process." — Curtis, 2002
The Superdome roof is nearly 10 acres in area. It has been described as the
world's largest domed structure in the world (measuring the interior floor area).
Fixed dome construction fell from popularity in the 1990s, and several other
domed stadiums have closed. The 1975 Superdome has survived its
engineering. "The Superdome's roof system consists of 18-gauge sheet-steel
panels laid down over the structural steel," writes architect Curtis.
"On top of this is polyurethane foam one inch thick, and finally, a sprayed-on
layer of hypalon plastic."
The Louisiana Superdome was designed to resist wind gusts up to 200 miles per
hour. However, in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina's 145 mph winds blew away
two metal sections of the Superdome roof while more than 10,000 people sought
shelter inside. Although many hurricane victims were very scared, the
architecture remained structurally sound in part because of a 75-ton media center
hanging from the roof's interior. This gondola of televisions is designed to act as a
counterweight, and it kept the entire roof in place during the storm — it did not
collapse or blow away.
Although people got wet and the roof needed repair, the Superdome remained
structurally sound. Many victims of the hurricane were transported to Reliant
Park in Houston, Texas for temporary shelter in the Astrodome.
Soon after the hurricane survivors left the shelter of the Louisiana Superdome,
the roof damage was assessed and repaired. Thousands of tons of debris were
removed and several upgrades were made. Ten thousand pieces of metal decking
were examined or installed, coated with inches of polyurethane foam, and then
several layers of urethane coating. In 13 short months, the Louisiana Superdome
reopened to remain one of the most advanced sports facilities in the nation. The
Superdome roof has become an icon of the City of New Orleans, and, like any
structure, is the source of continual care and maintenance.
Cómo el Superdome de Louisiana salvó vidas
Un huracán 2005 frente al techo Superdome 1975
Construyendo el Superdome
Muchos estadios deportivos tienen campos de juego bajo el nivel del suelo, lo que
permite que la altura del edificio sea modesta en el exterior. Un buen ejemplo es
el Estadio Meadowlands 2010 en Nueva Jersey , cuya fachada exterior disimula
la ubicación inferior del campo bajo el nivel del suelo. Este tipo de diseño de
estadio no funcionaría en el Delta del Río Mississippi propenso a las
inundaciones.
"Este anillo, capaz de resistir los enormes empujes de la estructura del domo, está
hecho de acero de 1-1 / 2 pulgadas de espesor y prefabricado en veinticuatro secciones
que se soldaron juntas 469 pies en el aire. Porque la solidez de las soldaduras es crítico
para la resistencia del anillo de tensión, fueron realizados por un soldador
especialmente entrenado y calificado en la atmósfera semicontrolada de una casa de
campaña que se movió alrededor del borde del edificio de una soldadura a otra. Cada
soldadura individual era x -rayado para asegurar la perfección de las articulaciones
vitales. El 12 de junio de 1973, todo el techo, con un peso de 5.000 toneladas, fue
clavado en el anillo de tensión en una de las operaciones más delicadas y críticas de
todo el proceso de construcción ". - Curtis, 2002
El techo Superdome
El Louisiana Superdome fue diseñado para resistir ráfagas de viento de hasta 200
millas por hora. Sin embargo, en agosto de 2005, los vientos de 145 mph del
huracán Katrina volaron dos secciones de metal del techo del Superdome,
mientras que más de 10,000 personas buscaron refugio en el interior. Aunque
muchas víctimas de los huracanes estaban muy asustados, la arquitectura se
mantuvo estructuralmente sólida en parte debido a un centro de medios de 75
toneladas que colgaba del interior del techo. Esta góndola de televisores está
diseñada para actuar como un contrapeso, y mantuvo todo el techo en su lugar
durante la tormenta, no colapsó ni desapareció.
El Superdome Reborn
Poco después de que los sobrevivientes del huracán abandonaron el refugio del
Superdome de Louisiana, se evaluaron y repararon los daños en el techo. Se
eliminaron miles de toneladas de escombros y se realizaron varias mejoras. Se
examinaron o instalaron diez mil piezas de cubierta de metal, recubiertas con
pulgadas de espuma de poliuretano y luego varias capas de revestimiento de
uretano. En 13 cortos meses, el Superdome de Louisiana volvió a abrir para seguir
siendo una de las instalaciones deportivas más avanzadas de la nación. El techo
de Superdome se ha convertido en un ícono de la ciudad de Nueva Orleans y,
como cualquier estructura, es la fuente de cuidado y mantenimiento continuo.