Reliant Stadium
First NFL retractable roof stadium, home of the Houston Texans.
Reliant Stadium, originally named NRG Stadium, is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Opened in 2002 at a cost of $352 million, it was the first NFL facility to feature a retractable roof. The stadium serves as the home of the Houston Texans and has hosted Super Bowls XXXVIII and LI, among other major events.
Quick Facts
- Address
- 1 Reliant Parkway
- Location
- Houston, Texas, U.S.
- Public transit
- houston
- metro houston
- red Stadium Park/Astrodome
- Groundbreaking
- 9 March 2000
- Opened
- 24 August 2002
- Owner
- Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation (HCSCC)
- Operator
- ASM Global st
- Surface
- Hellas Matrix Helix
Facts from the source article.
History
In 1997, the Houston NFL Holdings group engaged HOK Sport (now Populous) to begin schematic design for the first NFL retractable roof football stadium, intended to replace the Astrodome. The design aimed to function like an open-air facility while providing the intimacy of an indoor arena, with a building size around 1.9 million square feet to accommodate both football and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Groundbreaking occurred on March 9, 2000, and the structure was topped off in October 2001, with construction completed in 30 months. The stadium opened on August 24, 2002, with a preseason game between the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans, won by the Dolphins 24–3. The first regular season game on September 8, 2002, saw the Texans defeat the Dallas Cowboys 19–10. The first rodeo was held in February 2003. On August 30, 2012, an intoxicated fan fell to his death from an escalator during a preseason game. The stadium was renamed NRG Stadium on March 19, 2014, after NRG Energy, parent company of Reliant Energy. In 2015, a permanent artificial surface was installed after complaints about field conditions; the surface brand is UBU Speed by Act Global. In 2017, Hellas Construction was selected to install Matrix Turf with Helix Technology under a three-year contract for annual turf replacement. After Super Bowl LI, upgrades modernized office and team facilities. On April 19, 2023, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo temporarily renamed the venue NRG Stadium (Taylor's Version) for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. On December 25, 2024, the first halftime show for the NFL's Christmas Gameday was headlined by Houston native Beyoncé.
Design and technology
The stadium was designed by Houston Stadium Consultants, a team of Hermes Reed Architects and Lockwood, Andrews and Newnam, working with Populous (then HOK Sport) and engineers from Walter P Moore and Uni-Systems, applying kinetic architecture principles. The building features a fabric roof and extensive glazing, giving it a transparent appearance that glows at night. Concourses are open to the field, providing an open-air feel. The stadium includes over 7,000 club seats, 186 luxury suites, and multiple lounges and bars, with a 125,000-square-foot space configurable for meetings, exhibits, and concerts. The retractable fabric roof consists of two large panels that split at the 50-yard line and rest over each end zone when open. Ten parallel tri-chord trusses ride on two rails supported by a 675-foot-long super-truss. Roof operation is controlled from the press box via computer, with live images and feedback; panels open or close in as little as seven minutes at up to 35 feet per minute. Behind the north end zone, the "Bull Pen" bleacher section is the designated home-team fan area, where fans stand, sing, and cheer to support the team. In 2011, Reliant updated its logo, requiring new signage throughout the stadium.
Stadium usage
The Houston Texans have played home games at the stadium since their inception in 2002, hosting 8 or 9 regular season games, 1–2 preseason games, and any playoff games. The first game was a preseason matchup on August 24, 2002, attended by 69,432, with the Texans losing to the Miami Dolphins. The first regular season game on September 8, 2002, drew 69,604 as the expansion Texans beat the Dallas Cowboys 19–10. The first Monday Night Football game at the stadium occurred on December 1, 2008, with a then-franchise-record crowd of 70,809 watching the Texans defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 30–17. Subsequent home games that season set new records: 70,831 on December 7 against the Tennessee Titans, and 70,838 on December 28 against the Chicago Bears. On November 23, 2009, a record 71,153 attended a Monday Night Football game versus the Titans. The 2009 home finale against the New England Patriots drew 71,029. The stadium hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1, 2004, where the New England Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers 32–29 before 71,525. The Texans' first playoff game, an AFC wild card on January 7, 2012, saw a franchise-record crowd of 71,725 as Houston beat the Cincinnati Bengals 31–10. Super Bowl LI in 2017 featured the Patriots' 34–28 overtime comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons, the largest comeback in Super Bowl history and the first overtime game in the event.
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