Engineering Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Trailblazing lighting design for the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to boost flexibility, performance and fun.

Location

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Client

Arthur M Blank Group Sports and Entertainment Group

Architect

HOK

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a multipurpose stadium with an eight-panel retractable roof, resembling a camera oculus, responding to the Atlanta Falcons’ desire to play outdoors except in the most extreme weather. The stadium, built with an eye to hosting a future Super Bowl, seats around 70,000 people, with 180 luxury suites and 7,500 club seats.

Efficient Building Aiming for LEED Platinum

Our team provided building services, specialist lighting design and sustainability consultancy. We are committed to creating a reliable and efficient building, maximizing the fan experience and highlighting the unique architecture of a signature building for Atlanta. We also supported the client’s target of a LEED Platinum rating, with sustainable features including high-efficiency water fixtures that cut sanitary water consumption by 40%.

Water consumption reduction

40%

Seating capacity

70,000

Luxury suites

180

Trailblazing Lighting Design to Boost Flexibility, Performance and Fun

The stadium mostly uses LED lighting, including for sports lighting, an unusual step for a facility of this size. This gives the owners ultimate flexibility, while significantly cutting energy and maintenance costs. Other innovations include the use of light fittings as wayfinding devices for fans and colour-changing LEDs to illuminate the building’s façade. We also explored the use of different light qualities for locker rooms, to help players achieve peak performance for the game and enjoy a relaxing post-match atmosphere.