Inside the 2018 Super Bowl's 'Luxified' Venue

Describing it as "the latest escalation in the luxification of stadium design," Inga Saffron covers Minneapolis' U.S. Bank Stadium, where Super Bowl LII will be held. Forgoing a retractable roof, the venue relies on a partially transparent design. "Fans who have been to U.S. Bank Stadium say they never feel as though they are locked inside a 70,000-seat room. On the southwest side, a soaring glass wall perfectly frames the Minneapolis skyline."

Saffron notes that the venue generates more revenue from business meetings, concerts, and restaurants than from the actual games. "With its sculpted glass carapace, U.S. Bank Stadium has turned the arena into an architectural bauble, a brandable object that aspires to more than football."

The stadium is meant to take advantage of alternative transport modes like light rail, which has been controversially reserved for ticket holders on Super Bowl Sunday. "[Its] design is far more environmentally sound than its predecessors, which were surrounded by acres of parking. Minneapolis' stadium is served by light rail and the city’s 6.5-mile skyway system, which links all the downtown high-rises."

"That network, along with the furnished lounges, carpeted corridors, and fireplaces inside the stadium, increases the sense that the building is a blend of modern building types — airport, hotel, convention center all rolled into one."