TechTalk
Raising the Roof
A look inside the
technology used to bring
Globe Life Field’s 5.5-acre
roof to life
By Madison Pelletier, Texas Rangers
When 40,000 Rangers fans enter the gates of
Globe Life Field next March, they will experience
a new state-of-the-art facility that will make the
baseball experience comfortable, even when the
Texas summer heat is beating down at 100-degree
temperatures.
Bringing an unparalleled experience to Rangers'
games is possible with the creation of the
268,000-square-foot retractable roof. The retractable
roof at the Rangers' future home will be unlike any
other facility, as it is one of the heaviest and largest
retractable roofs in the country.
"The roof is different in its sheer size. It's the biggest
we've done. It's the longest span that we've done,
and it's certainly the heaviest roof that we've done,"
Andrew Agosto, Principal Project Lead for Uni-
Systems, said.
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Once complete, the operable roof at Globe Life
Field will weigh 24 million pounds, nearly two
times the weight of the roof at Miami's Marlins Park,
another Uni-Systems project. The Minnesota-based
engineering firm is responsible for the mechanization
of the retractable roof at Globe Life Field, its fourth
retractable roof facility in Texas and eighth in the
United States.
For comparison, the operable roof at neighboring
AT&T Stadium spans 104,960 square feet, making the
retractable portion of the roof at Globe Life Field 150
percent larger than that of the Cowboys’ home.
Aside from the weight, another unique aspect of
the roof at Globe Life Field is that all 12,000 tons will
operate as one single panel. Other facilities generally
have multiple functional pieces operating at the same
time.
"First and foremost, it's a more efficient design from a
mechanization standpoint because you only have to
control one panel versus three," Agosto said.
The simpler single panel design also helps prevent any
leakage through the roof, as there are less openings
between the permanent and operable roof structure.
The roof will seal using a rubber EPM material, similar
to the seal on certain garage doors. The compression
will be strong enough to prevent water from coming
inside and withhold strong wind hitting the structure.
The roof operates through a traction drive system,
using friction and its weight to create traction with the
wheels, similar to how a locomotive operates.