Ever walk into one of those super-massive sized, sculptural, 30 centuries ahead, more contemporary than contemporary, the most popped of pop art, the most deco of art deco, and you were just speechless? The Dallas Cowboys Stadium is not your typical cookie-cutter stadium like the stadiums of the Big Ten Schools or the Big 12….

First of all, their owner, their king, the one and only Jerry Jones, who starred in HBO’s Entourage and other top box-rated shows, has turned the meaning of the word “supersize” around 360 degrees, clockwise and counterclockwise.  He is the mastermind and a tycoon behind all sports franchises, and the "Stadium".  Every game played, whether it be the Superbowl XLV or a Cowboys game, every coin toss, every commercial, every scoreboard, every halftime show, and everything else in between, self-produces more business, revenue and even mega-supersized real estate opportunities.

The design concept is like a self-functioning metamorphosis.  A paradigm shift in sports culture.  The elements are retractable, everything is 5-star when you walk through the massive space.

This domed structure has a retractable roof, has the world’s largest high-def video screen, and has earned the title as the world’s largest structure with no column. It was all done strategically, scientifically and detailed under the eyes and minds of HKS Architects, Inc.  (I worked for this firm a few years ago!) No other “stadium” could top this, not even Ohio State University’s “Horseshoe” - shaped stadium which is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Although the Buckeyes stadium is very intimidating but…

Since the Superbowl XLV is approaching faster than the minutes and seconds around the clock, major challenges are at stake in trying to temporarily squeeze in an additional 20,000 more seats.  While the stadium holds for 80,000, the programmatic requirements only allow for temporary configurations in seating expansion.

The “smart planned” program has famously created a paradigm shift in traditional, old-school style of seats built-in into the grounds.  The “Stadium” seats were fastened onto aluminum rails bolted into the concrete which allows for flexibility in squeezing the seats closer for more capacity.

This “smart planning” approach calls for a quick, short version of Integrated Project Delivery.  It is the scientific method where architects, engineers and builders become one team and brainstorm to create better solutions using technology when reached at roadblocks during construction, build-out or other phases.

While February 6, 2011 is accelerating faster than the speed of light, plans for removing armrests of seats and adding temporary seating in the end-zone plazas are taking effect now.  Since the end-zones are fire hazards, the quantity of building code assessments exceeds more than the number of billions of dollars the super-size structure is worth.

A major challenge right before the "Big Game".  After all the last-minute construction work, everyone, just about 99.99% of everyone will end up paying so much just to stand the entire time, because this “Stadium” is just so surreal.

It is amazing to see such intensity and phenomenal immensity of a sports venue add onto a cultural shift in today’s society, as fast as the speed of iPhones and iPads adding more versions and more apps constantly.

This is why today’s architects and builders are using IPD and building information modeling tools as if their lives depended on it. All this helps us push our standards forward and into the realization that any sports event can be enjoyable, influential, and comfortable to anyone of different demographics, by this cool, hi-tech experience.