Allegiant Stadium

As the lead lighting designer for this $1.9 billion, 65,000-capacity venue, WSP USA created a bold and elegant design that utilizes lighting as a visible, graphic element in high-contrast spaces while maintaining visual comfort for its occupants throughout the facility.

The challenge for lighting this stadium was twofold: first, to provide lighting as visible, graphic elements in high contrast spaces while maintaining visual comfort; and second, to create a branded VIP fan experience and design aesthetic throughout the facility, while keeping budget in mind.

Lines of light wrap the stadium’s striking façade and frame views of the illuminated 93-foot-tall 3D-printed sculptural torch, concourse and VIP clubs that are visible from outside. The concourse-level bar wraps around the torch, while bar-front lighting mimics the stadium façade and its illuminated curved lines.

Linear luminaires curve and slice through the clubs and concourses, serving as design elements to help conceptually connect complex multilevel spaces. The black and white material palette serves as a high contrast backdrop for directed illumination, aimed to reveal the depth, texture and specularity of the materials. While luminaires are often specific visual elements, additional concealed sources fill in light levels for visual tasks, where dark finishes obscure any perception of brightness. This balance maintains the dramatic experience within the space.

The concourse creates a language of linear pendants radial to the field, with integrated lighting at display walls. Seating-integrated lighting and a backlit ceiling element provide ambient light for VIP suites, while lines of light in a black ceiling reference the gridiron. The consistent language of linear bar-integrated lighting carries throughout the VIP clubs, where each application still allows for individual architectural expression.

PHOTOS ©JASON O'REAR

Keeping thousands of linear feet of luminaires within budget required creative detailing and numerous mockups to achieve the desired effect. While some appear as continuously lensed fixtures, they are recessed slot details with indirect sources, allowing for complex shapes without custom fabrication. Given the quantities and their impact on budget for a project this size, the luminaire specifications went through a rigorous pricing review as a collaborative effort between the design team and contractor, resulting in lighting costs well within budget.

The WSP team ensured that energy efficiency was an intrinsic part of the stadium’s lighting. Allegiant Stadium’s energy-efficient LED lighting and event-specific controls consume 49 percent below the energy code allowance of 0.40 watts per square feet. VIP areas employs preset architectural dimming controls tied to the building-wide management system. This allows the stadium to remotely transition lighting scenes as needed. Scenes programmed for various event types, as well as timing within an event – pregame/game/post-game – create an immersive experience for fans.

This award-winning project was a fantastic opportunity for the WSP team to successfully amplify the dramatic experience for fans visiting the stadium and to enhance the brand and identity of the Las Vegas Raiders.

To learn more about this project, read this Insights article.

HNTB, Architect of Record | MANICA Architecture, Design Architect