Vikings Pay $1.2 Million to Add LED Sports Lighting to New Stadium

The Vikings have committed more than $1.2 million to convert lighting throughout the stadium bowl from metal halide to LED. The change has numerous benefits for the team and the public. The product is sustainable and cost effective. Additionally the lights will not only provide a better in-game fan experience, but it will also enhance the quality of the television broadcasts for viewers at home. The product is warrantied for 10 years and has an excellent return on investment as it has estimated annual energy and maintenance cost savings of approximately $350,000.

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The Vikings stadium will be the first new NFL stadium built with LED lighting; various stadiums, including Houston and Arizona, have retrofitted to LED since opening.

The decision increases the overall stadium budget to $1.026 billion, $528 million of which is being paid through team/private sources. The public's contribution continues to remain at $498 million.

Mortenson Provides Construction Update; 70% of All Concrete Work Now Complete

At today's MSFA Board meeting, Mortenson Construction representatives offered the latest regarding stadium construction, and the numbers are staggering. Currently 700+ workers are on the site daily completing approximately $10 million of work per week. The concrete work for the entire facility is now 70% complete, with precast concrete now moving from the east end zone along the north and south sidelines. With the primary roof truss moving closer to connecting from the east and west sides, secondary trusses and steel infill are beginning to make up the north side of the stadium's roof, a process that will begin on the south side of the roof in January. In spring 2015, metal decking and roofing will begin to cover the north side, followed by ETFE installation this summer and a fully enclosed stadium by the end of 2015.

New Stadium Webcam Pausing for Relocation; Additional Cameras Coming Soon

The high-tech camera that has offered a 24/7 live stream of the construction site from the southeast corner of the new Vikings stadium will go offline Friday for relocation. The reason for its move? With the project now 31% complete, the south and east sides of the stadium have progressed so quickly the structure is now blocking the sightline into the stadium bowl. As a result, the camera will be moved to a to-be-determined location on the west side of the stadium, allowing fans to once again see into the stadium bowl, as well as watch the future installation of the world's largest pivoting glass doors. 

The two remaining EarthCam cameras located on the Guthrie Theater and U.S. Bank Buildings will stay throughout the project, and additional cameras will be in place soon. A high-resolution camera will be installed on the upper bowl to chronicle the interior progress and will remain through the Vikings first regular season home game in 2016. Additionally, a camera will be added on the east side looking west with the downtown skyline in the backdrop. Perhaps most exciting will be the future live streaming cameras that will capture the build-out of various interior spaces, including suites, club spaces and the Vikings locker room.

Stadium Project Named One of EarthCam's "25 Most Interesting Webcams for 2014"

Speaking of EarthCam, a panel of judges and producers recently named the stadium webcam collaboration as one of EarthCam's "25 Most Interesting Webcams for 2014" out of thousands of nominees. Other winners included cameras on the International Space Station, atop the Washington Monument and the World Trade Center Cams.