The Metrodome Roof Is 80% Replaced

by Christopher Gates on Jun 15, 2011 6:32 PM CDT in Minnesota Vikings Stadium

According to the folks at KSTP, anyway, as you can see in the video here.

Well, this is certainly a positive. There's still 2 1/2 months until the Vikings' first pre-season game, and the roof has made some serious progress.

According to the video, the roof is made of stronger fabric and won't sit quite as high, thereby making it less susceptible to snow accumulation and better able to handle winter weather.

The one thing I'm sort of curious about, not being any sort of acoustics expert or anything, is how the new roof will fare in terms of the noise generated in the Metrodome compared to the roof that was on there previously. Is it going to make any difference at all? It would be kind of cool if it somehow managed to make the Metrodome an even louder place than it had been previously. . .does anyone have any insight into that sort of thing?

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My best guess?

and I’m not an acousticists or anything. I would assume it’d be louder due to the smaller area the sound would be filling.

I don’t understand how it’s better against snow. I would think it would be worse the flatter it is because the snow would not slide off it as well. We need some smart people on this thread asap.

Skol!

by DM_Purp on Jun 15, 2011 6:41 PM CDT reply actions

Acoustics...

Is a tricky thing. The materials and the specific geometry of the roof will probably affect how well the roof reflects the sound of the crowd more than anything.

All things being equal (it won’t be, but just for the sake of argument) a lower roof should mean that the sound is reflected earlier and the reflected sound should then be louder than it would otherwise be (as sound pressure decreases with distance).

by PurpleX on Jun 15, 2011 6:55 PM CDT reply actions

Eh...

Poor choice of words. I meant to say “the reflected sound should then be louder than it would with the old roof”.

by PurpleX on Jun 15, 2011 6:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Acoustics....

are based primarily on space and the rate of absorption vs. reflection of the sound waves off of the materials enclosing said space. The type of materials used is a primary determinant of the acoustic effect that results.

by Mel Allen on Jun 15, 2011 7:14 PM CDT reply actions

The "loudness"

is a result of the echoing effect that takes place as a result of an increase in the increased reflection of the sound waves. The people in the stadium are no louder individually from one venue to the next, obviously, but what happens to the sound waves determines whether or not Tony Romo gets rattled, resulting in a backside splat from JA. Gratuitous, I know, but it was the Vikes last great game, Philly last season notwithstanding.

by Mel Allen on Jun 15, 2011 7:21 PM CDT up reply actions