NRG Stadium

Reliant Stadium

One Reliant Park
File:RelStaLogo.gif
Former names	N/A
Location	One Reliant Park Houston, Texas 77054
Owner	Harris County, Texas
Operator	SMG World
Capacity	69,500
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	March 2000
Opened	August 24, 2002
Construction cost	$352 million
Architect	HOK Sport
Tenants
Houston Texans (NFL) (2002-present) Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (a.k.a, HLSR) (2002-present) Texas Bowl (NCAA) (2006-present) Houston Bowl (NCAA) (2002-2005) East-West Shrine Game (NCAA) (2007-present) 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

Reliant Stadium is a football stadium in Houston, Texas. It is the home of the NFL's Houston Texans ,host to many international soccer matches for the USA National Soccer Team, and home to College Football's Texas Bowl. The stadium also served as the host facility for Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1, 2004. In addition to football, the stadium hosts the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for three weeks in February and March each year.

The seating capacity of the stadium is 71,500. It was the first stadium in the NFL to have a retractable roof, one of two (as of the 2007 NFL season) with a retractable roof. The other is University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, home of the Arizona Cardinals. Two stadiums currently under construction will have retractable roofs: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in 2008, and the Dallas Cowboys New Stadium in Arlington, Texas in 2009. HOK Sports Architects and Uni-Systems (Mechanization Consultants) worked to establish this design and mechanization of Reliant Stadium, employing the fundamentals of Kinetic Architecture.

Technology

The retractable roof mechanization consists of two bi-parting large panels that part at the 50 yard line, laying over each end zone when in the resting position. Ten parallel tri-chord trusses ride on two parallel rails, each supported by a large supertruss 675 feet long. Roof operation is controlled in the stadium press box from a personal computer, containing live images of the travel path of each roof panel, as well as live feedback from all roof components throughout the operation. The roof panels are able to open or close in as little as 7 minutes, moving up to 35 feet per minute.

Specifications:

-Brake System: Three-phase AC electrical variable frequency drives are equipped with dynamic regenerative service and fail-safe magnetic holding brakes. The reliable, spring-set brakes automatically engage in the event of a power outage.

-Precision alignment: The triple redundant system and a programmable logic controller ensure track alignment on either side of the roof. They constantly monitor each transporter’s position and adjust the speed of the variable speed drive AC motors.

-Lateral Release Linkage: A “Four-bar linkage” maintains lateral stability of the roof transporter system, accommodating a high degree of roof movement. The lateral release linkage helps the system accommodate up to 21 inches of differential horizontal movements, a feature that makes Reliant Stadium one of a kind.

-Clamping System: Anticipating the worst possible weather conditions, a unique clamping system was designed to endure hurricane-force winds. If the roof panels are not in motion, the operable rail clamps automatically clamp down on the rail, securing the roof in place.

Professional Football

The Texans have played their home games at Reliant Stadium since their inception in 2002. The annual calendar consists of 8 regular season and 2 pre-season games, plus any playoff games the Texans might host. It also hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1, 2004. The game saw the New England Patriots defeat the Carolina Panthers, 32-29, and site of the controversial Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.

The first game played was on August 24, 2002, as the Texans played the Miami Dolphins in their first preseason game. The first regular season game was played on September 8 of that year, where the expansion Texans defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19-10 in an upset.

College Football

College Football's Texas Bowl and East-West Shrine Game are annually hosted at the stadium. The stadium hosted the Houston Bowl prior to the Texas Bowl's inception and also hosted the 2002 and 2005 Big 12 Conference Championship games. The University of Houston, Rice University, and Texas Southern University each have played selected home games at Reliant Stadium.

The first-ever Texas Bowl in December 2006 featured a game between Rutgers University and Kansas State University. The final score, 37-10 (Rutgers).

Association Football (Soccer)

Reliant Stadium hosts several international friendly and club matches each year. They are generally held in the Spring and Summer before the NFL season starts. The stadium hosted CONCACAF Gold Cup matches in 2005, and in 2007. The Gold Cup matches in 2007 included Round 1 matches, and a Quarterfinal doubleheader match. The venue's attendance record was set during a preparation match between the Mexican National Team and The U.S. Men's Soccer Team as a crowd of 70,103 witnessed a tie between these two border rivals (2 - 2).

College Basketball

The stadium is scheduled to host the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament several times in the future, including the 2008 South Regional Finals, the 2010 South Regional Finals, and the 2011 Final Four.

Reliant Park

Reliant Stadium is part a collection of venues (including the Astrodome), which are collectively called, Reliant Park. The stadium was designed and built for two major tenants, the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The entire complex is named for Reliant Energy under a 32-year, $300 million naming rights deal in 2000.

Other special events

• On August 2 2003, Metallica along with Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and Deftones played a concert in Reliant Stadium during Metallica's Summer Sanitarium '03 tour. It was at this concert that Linkin Park shot some footage for their DVD Live in Texas.
• On April 7, 2005, it hosted a historic tribute concert to the late pop star Selena. Among the celebrities to perform that night were Gloria Estefan, Thalía, Paulina Rubio, and Ana Gabriel.
• Also, Miley Cyrus as herself and her alter ego, Hannah Montana are set to perform there on March 9, 2008.

• Reliant Stadium played host to the Rolling Stones on January 25, 2003 during the band's 2002-2003 Licks Tour.

External links

• Reliant Stadium Website

29°41′5.21″N 95°24′39.44″W