# Minneapolis Metrodome roof collapses **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 12, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887 "2010-12-12T14:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/21 "2010-12-12T18:54:29Z")
I can see Miami season ticket holders paying $500/ticket to sit outside in subzero temperature. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/22 "2010-12-12T19:08:57Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Here, here (or is it hear, hear? I don’t care)! I have been advocating for YEARS that the Super Bowl needs to be played in Lambeau Field. Green Bay doesn’t have the capacity for something that big. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/23 "2010-12-12T19:27:51Z")
Ooh. Should I go to the game and boo both teams lustily? ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/24 "2010-12-12T19:36:36Z")
Has anyone not seen this yet? [Interior view of Metrodome collapsing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxuxNLf87_Y) Today’s game has been rescheduled for tomorrow…in Detroit. This might, just might, lend impetus to the proponents of a new stadium for the Vikings. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/25 "2010-12-12T19:52:18Z")
I saw the news report on Yahoo but that footage is dramatic. Is there a backstory though? I mean, it generally snows a lot in Minnesota, am I wrong? And its a severe storm but not a 100-year blizzard going on right now. How is it the roof wasn’t up to the job? Just old & busted? ---
**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:** [December 12, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/26 "2010-12-12T20:06:47Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Green Bay doesn’t have the capacity for something that big. Just to be clear: by “capacity”, the biggest issue for Green Bay isn’t the stadium capacity (at around 70,000 seats, it’s at the low end of what’d be considered acceptable for a Super Bowl), but all the other “capacity” issues. Super Bowl host cities must have tens of thousands of quality hotel rooms available within a certain radius of the stadium (there aren’t enough rooms in all of Northeastern Wisconsin for that), as well as exhibition capacity for the various other events surrounding the Super Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/27 "2010-12-12T20:14:19Z")
Aren’t those roofs designed to deflate? Sort of like a camping tent that falls down? I had the impression they could be pulled back up after the snow is removed with little permanent damage. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/28 "2010-12-12T20:17:41Z")
That footage was chilling. My boss called last night to say she was snowed in in Minneapolis. I laughed and asked where she really was. She said she’s really in Minneapolis, and the airport’s closed due to snow. How the fuck does MINNESOTA get too much snow for them to handle? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/29 "2010-12-12T20:20:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Aren’t those roofs designed to deflate? Sort of like a camping tent that falls down? no. they’re supported by air pressure, but they’re not supposed to come down. The Pontiac Silverdome had a roof cave-in in 1985, pretty much the same situation. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/30 "2010-12-12T20:22:34Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > Has anyone not seen this yet? > > [Interior view of Metrodome collapsing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxuxNLf87_Y) > > Today’s game has been rescheduled for tomorrow…in Detroit. > > This might, just might, lend impetus to the proponents of a new stadium for the Vikings. Holy crap. That’s a cart driving by on the opposite side of the field just before it happens, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/31 "2010-12-12T20:23:52Z")
The story said there have been 3 other roof collapses prior to this one. Maybe it’s time for, I don’t know, a new roof design? Is it a surprise that it snows heavily in Minnesota? ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/32 "2010-12-12T20:24:14Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Green Bay doesn’t have the capacity for something that big. Don’t care. I’m more interested in having professional athletes play in -50 wind chill 😃 (I, of course, am aware that the Super Bowl is not a sporting event, but a lavish spectacle). ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/33 "2010-12-12T20:26:27Z")
I used to live next to the Pontiac Silverdome (since demolished) which had at least one similar collapse that I know about, which prompted me to do a little research. You see, one of the advantages of the inflatable dome roof approach to construction is that you can cover a really, really large area without needing a lot of support structure under the roof. And they can be more attractive than a crapload of steel girders (not that steel girders can’t be beautiful - I submit the Eiffel Tower as evidence, but let’s face it, most steel structures aren’t quite _that_ elegant) What holds up the roof? Air pressure. If something abruptly decreases the air pressure the roof collapses. In fact, such roofs can be safely deflated in a controlled manner that causes no damage, but it’s an _abrupt_ change that brings the roof down unexpectedly. Or, conversely, if the load of stuff on top of the roof imposes greater pressure than the air holding the panels up the roof also comes down. Now, that fabric they use is very tough stuff, but it’s not invulnerable. You get a little rip (for whatever reason) and one panel rips and deflates, then that imposes stresses on adjacent panels, which may or may not fail, and next thing you know sufficient panels have failed to bring the roof down. Some of the problem was snow load, which added stress to the roof, but there were also high winds which _also_ impose a load on the structure. So… _just_ the load of snow or _just_ the wind load might have been OK, but the two _combined_ might have been more than the roof could withstand. Winds can impose tons of force on a structure - think of the multi-ton sailing ships of the 19th Century, propelled solely by wind. Air can be a very strong force when it is in motion. Anyhow, from reports at least a few panels ripped clean through on the Metrodome. In addition to needing to inspect that damage and plan repairs, the upper walls where the roof is anchored also need to be inspected both for damage and for safety as a collapsing roof of that sort can tug pretty strongly on attached structures, even causing damage to masonry or steel structures. They also have to made sure that the fabric isn’t going to be caught by the wind and act as a sail or kite, imposing enormous loads on the structure and causing further damage. Hence the need to relocate the football game for safety reasons. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/34 "2010-12-12T20:26:33Z")
Merged MPSIMS thread into existing Game Room thread. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/35 "2010-12-12T20:29:21Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Holy crap. That’s a cart driving by on the opposite side of the field just before it happens, isn’t it? Apparently there are no motorized vehicles in the Metrodome. That’s a guy **running**. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/36 "2010-12-12T20:31:03Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Don’t care. I’m more interested in having professional athletes play in -50 wind chill 😃 > > (I, of course, am aware that the Super Bowl is not a sporting event, but a lavish spectacle). Pompous Overstuffed Corporate Ass:“But I paid for a luxury box” Usher: “This is a luxury box. It has heat”. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/37 "2010-12-12T20:32:34Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Apparently there are no motorized vehicles in the Metrodome. That’s a guy **running**. Nah, it’s not. It’s a vehicle of some kind. See [here](http://msn.foxsports.com/video/shows/nfl-on-fox?vid=ca15cffb-3b66-49a0-84ca-20ed0a175567) for a clearer version of the same vid. I can’t tell what kind of vehicle it is, but it’s definitely not a guy running. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/38 "2010-12-12T20:36:04Z")
That’s the video I was looking at. It looks like a guy running to me. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/39 "2010-12-12T20:39:37Z")
I agree it’s a vehicle; it’s too large and too fast to be a person running. Vehicle or person, it was definitely getting the hell out of Dodge. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887/40 "2010-12-12T20:42:03Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I used to live next to the Pontiac Silverdome (since demolished) [there’s a wrestling tournament next week at a demolished arena?](http://www.silverdomeevents.com/events.html?events_view=details&eid=4) 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-metrodome-roof-collapses/563887.md?page=3)