# How quickly can surfaces be changed in mixed-use arenas? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 6, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999 "2022-02-06T14:50:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/1 "2022-02-06T14:50:55Z")
Apparently there’s some Nascar race today in the LA Memorial Colosseum, which, according to the Wikipedia page, normally has Bermuda grass when USC plays football there. It’s very paved today. I’ve been to both rodeos and ice hockey games in the El Paso County Colosseum. Obviously football season is a long way off, and hockey and rodeos were probably in different seasons. But I’m wondering how quickly these sorts of facilities can be changed to accommodate different events. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/2 "2022-02-06T15:03:53Z")
Not typical but the [University of Phoenix Stadium](https://scottsdalerealestate.com/the-retractable-field-at-university-of-phoenix-stadium-home-of-super-bowl-2015countdown-to-superbowl-xlix-near-scottsdale-unique-grass-on-football-field/) has a retractable field so real grass can be used for football and rolled out into the parking lot for other events. > In addition to football games, the stadium hosts a variety of events in our area like concerts, car shows, recreational vehicle (RV) shows, conventions, job fairs and volleyball tournaments to name a few. The planners of the stadium wanted real grass, not astroturf, but realized these additional events would damage the grass. As a result, they designed a stadium with a football field that rolls outside when it’s not in use. > > The nearly 19 million pound tray with grass rolls out of the stadium to natural sunlight when football or soccer events are not being played, eliminating humidity problems in the stadium. The cement sub-floor gives easy access for other events and staging. > > When the grass tray rolls out at 11.5 feet per minute (1/8 mph), it is perfectly positioned on a northwest to southeast axis to get full benefit of the sun. **It takes 75 minutes for the field (234 ft wide x 403 ft long and 39 inches tall) to travel the 740 feet.** ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/3 "2022-02-06T16:01:07Z")
Allegiant Stadium (home of the Raiders) has the same system. AT&T Stadium (aka Jerry World - the Cowboys’ home stadium) uses artificial turf built in large sections that can be quickly removed/replaced. There are videos of them converting it for the Cotton Bowl overnight. The end zones and center pieces are replaced. It looks like they could fairly easily pull the whole field if necessary. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/4 "2022-02-06T16:10:53Z")
The race track at the LA Coliseum took about 4 weeks to build. The original grass field is now under many sheets of plywood, a couple feet of topsoil and 3 inches of asphalt. After the race is over, the track will be removed and the asphalt used to fix roads in the area. The dirt will go back to where ever they got it. The next scheduled event at the stadium is a USC football game on September 3rd. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/5 "2022-02-06T16:17:15Z")
Interesting. Wonder how the track races with it being designed as temporary. I’ve liked the promo shots (but not enough to actually tune in against the Olympics) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/6 "2022-02-06T16:20:16Z")
The new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London was purpose-built to host both soccer matches and NFL games, using two different playing surfaces. It has a hybrid natural grass surface for soccer, which can be retracted in three sections (as with the Arizona stadium, the grass surface is then moved outside the stadium); when the grass surface is removed, it reveals an artificial turf surface underneath, which is used for NFL games (so the soccer surface wouldn’t be chewed up by gridiron football play). Wikipedia indicates that they can do the changeover in an hour or less, but this, of course, is a case in which the stadium was designed that way from the start. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/7 "2022-02-06T16:25:59Z")
Staples Center gets plenty of practice at this, hosting the Lakers, Clippers and Kings. [On January 8, 2017, the Clippers played at 12:30 Pacific, the Lakers played at 6:30 Pacific. So probably 2 hours to change over in between so that game 2 can warm up as scheduled.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW7N9jNOmS0&ab_channel=CryptocomArena) [My favorite of these videos might be the 2012 Kings\>Lakers\>Clippers\>Lakers\>Kings\>Clippers across 4 days.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4rZjGNYxuo&ab_channel=CryptocomArena) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/8 "2022-02-06T17:07:10Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Not typical but the [University of Phoenix Stadium](https://scottsdalerealestate.com/the-retractable-field-at-university-of-phoenix-stadium-home-of-super-bowl-2015countdown-to-superbowl-xlix-near-scottsdale-unique-grass-on-football-field/) has a retractable field so real grass can be used for football and rolled out into the parking lot for other events. Although your cite is correct, it is no longer University of Phoenix Stadium, which is the name it had in 2014. It became State Farm Stadium in 2018. Yes, I know I’m being nit-picky. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/9 "2022-02-06T21:43:57Z")
I saw a news story about the American Airlines center as well- when they switch from hockey to basketball, they literally lay down some sort of underlayment on top of the ice, and then put the court on top of that. According to a Dallas Morning News article (paywalled, so I didn’t link it), the normal crew of 40 people can turn it around in about 3 hours, but if they use a crew of 60, they can do it as fast as 2 hours. Typically they do this about 2-3 times a year. The article also says that basically once they get the ice rink done, everything else for the rest of the season goes over the top of it- concerts, basketball, etc… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/G4mx1w-m49s/maxresdefault.jpg "Hockey to Basketball Conversion | American Airlines Center") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4mx1w-m49s) ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/10 "2022-02-07T01:46:29Z")
We used to do exactly this in little dink-ass Tallahassee. We had an ECHL (minor league hockey) franchise that played in the same venue as the 'Nole basketball program. Once the ice was laid initially, it was never melted, the b-ball court went over top of it. I do remember that the early change-overs caused issues with condensation on the court and they had to move to thicker rubber/better insulation between the surfaces. I also had the good fortune to visit the center during one of these transitions and the ice looked HORRIBLE. They told me it took multiple Zamboni passes and some patch work to get the ice back to standard. They could make the change from a Friday night hockey game to a Saturday noon b-ball game and back for a Sunday matinee hockey game. Alas, the Tiger Sharks are long gone and they pulled the icemaking gear years ago (too expensive to keep up just for weekend free-skate/hockey leagues). ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/11 "2022-02-07T14:37:54Z")
Thanks everyone. Sounds like covering ice is pretty straightforward. These moving grass platforms are wild. It sounds like something I’d propose after one too many at a happy hour and I’m pleased that it’s a thing. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-can-surfaces-be-changed-in-mixed-use-arenas/958999/12 "2022-02-07T15:43:51Z")
Talk about wild, the old Mile High Stadium in Denver had a pretty innovative way of changing its seating between football and baseball. > [@](#): > > An ingenious expansion that took place from 1975–1977 raised the capacity to 75,103 by extending the upper deck that was along the north side and building movable, triple-decked stands along the east side. When fully retracted toward the field, the stands would form a horseshoe for football, appropriate considering the team was the Denver Broncos. Yet when fully extended by 145 feet (44 m), the stadium could still fit a normal-sized baseball field with outfield distances of 335 feet (102 m) down the left-field line, 375 feet (114 m) to left-center and 423 to center field. > > The movable structure was 450 feet (137 m) long, 200 feet (61 m) wide, and weighed nearly 9 million pounds (4,500 short tons, 4,000 metric tons). When a game or event required moving the stands the 145 feet (44 m) in or out, engineers pumped water into 163 water bearings spaced out beneath the stands, lifting the structure off its foundation. A sheet of water ⅓-inch thick formed under the structure. Hydraulic rams then pushed the stands forward at the rate of two feet per minute, taking stadium engineers about six hours from start to finish to move the stands. > **[Mile High Stadium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_High_Stadium?wprov=sfla1)** > > Mile High Stadium (originally Bears Stadium until 1968) was an outdoor multi-purpose stadium located in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 to 2001. > The stadium was built in 1948 to accommodate the Denver Bears baseball team, which was a member of the Western League during its construction. Originally designed as a baseball venue, the stadium was expanded in later years to accommodate the addition of a professional football team to the city, the Denver Broncos, as well as to improve Denver's hopes of ...