Cowboys go “green” with Weathermatic

 The Blue and Silver Dallas Cowboys are going green? That’s right. The Cowboys won’t be changing the color of the uniforms, but the Dallas Cowboys NFL football team is going green with water efficient irrigation from Weathermatic at their incredible new stadium.


Cowboys Stadium owners and the City of Arlington wanted a system that would ensure maximum water conservation while keeping the landscape green and healthy during the hot Texas summers. The Weathermatic SmartLine system is designed to do just that.


According to Brodie Bruner, Weathermatic vice president of sales and marketing, the Weathermatic SmartLine system was the perfect answer. “The system utilizes SmartLine SL4800 controllers with SLW20 weather stations to monitor evapotranspiration and set correct zone watering times 365 days per year,” he said. “Additionally, the system utilizes B Series brass nozzle for maximum precipitation uniformity, T3 and CT70 rotors in the larger open areas, and 11000 series valves for long-life dependability.”


The Cowboys Stadium landscape was designed by Newman, Jackson, Beiberstein, Inc. (NJB), landscape architects. The Weathermatic SmartLine irrigation system was designed by Irri-Tech, irrigation design consultants. ValleyCrest Landscape Development was responsible for the landscape and irrigation installation and landscape and irrigation materials were supplied by John Deere Landscapes.


The irrigation system is just as massive as the much publicized hi-def video screen that stretches from one 20-yard line to the other 20-yard line. There are nearly 9,000 LX series sprayheads and B Series brass nozzles, and over 1,400 T3 and CT70 commecial rotors at the stadium. They are being operated by a dozen SmartLine SL4800 controllers and SLW20 weather stations precisely controlling the 400 zones of 11000 series valves.


“We studied the greatest stadiums, arenas, museums, and buildings around the world to see what people really wanted. This represents the best of the best. I believe it will be the epicenter of great events for decades,” said Jerry Jones, owner and president, Dallas Cowboys.


 


Architectural Facts

The Cowboys Stadium site covers 73 total acres; the overall site encompasses 140 total acres
The stadium is 3 million square feet containing 104 cubic feet of volume.
Stadium length – 900 feet from one end zone retractable wall to the opposite end zone retractable wall.
Exterior Façade: Canted 800-foot glass wall exterior, slopes at 14-degree angle.
Arches soar 292 feet above playing field. Each boxed arch is 17 feet wide and 35 feet deep, and weighs 3,255 tons. Each arch spans quarter-mile in length
Retractable end zone doors. The 180-foot-wide by 120-foot-high operable glass doors, located at each end of the stadium, are the largest operable glass doors in the world. Five 38-foot panels take 18 minutes to open or close.
At 660,800 square feet, the stadium’s roof is one of the largest domed sports structures in the world. Soaring 292 feet above the playing field, the two monumental arches support the retractable roof – the world’s longest single-span roof structure.
Features of the stadium include seating for 80,000 and expandable to 100,000, 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fameand Pro Shop, open to the public year round. In addition to being the new home of the Dallas Cowboys, the stadium will host the 2011 Super Bowl, the 2010 NBA All-StarGame and the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four as well as high school and college football, concerts and special events.