Schindler Equips Cowboys Stadium

With a total capacity of 110,000 people, this Texas stadium is equipped with sustainable elevators provided by Schindler.

Cowboys Stadium, home to the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys, is one of the largest domed stadiums in the world, with a total capacity of 110,000 people and seating for 80,000. HKS Architects and the City of Arlington, Texas, which owns the stadium, built the immense structure and Schindler Elevator partnered on the project. Schindler contributed 18 elevators equipped with Variodyn® Variable Frequency AC Drives and 22 Schindler 9300® Advanced Edition escalators to the project, in addition to its LobbyVision™ management tool.

During the early phases of installation, it became clear that hoisting escalator equipment from tower cranes would not be feasible. Buddy Eischen, foreman and 40-year Schindler veteran and Jay Bitner, field superintendent, developed a complex hoisting strategy to safely and efficiently set in place two sets of eight escalators in the northeast and southwest quadrants of the stadium without compromising the construction schedule.

The stadium also required reliable technology that could streamline traffic throughout the building. The 6000 lb.-capacity, 350-fpm elevators provide access to all floors. The 22 escalators move the bulk of the stadium’s visitors and are set in specific patterns that allow people to travel through the building without having to move between escalator banks to reach their destination.

Variodyn Variable Frequency AC Drives

The elevators’ Variodyn drives improve the system’s energy efficiency. Saving up to 50% more energy than alternate drive types, Variodyn drives convert the AC electric supply to variable-frequency AC with virtually no loss of power. The drives also operate more cleanly than traditional DC elevator drive systems.

LobbyVision

The LobbyVision management tool provides a comprehensive PC-based command station, which al-lows single-point supervision of all 18 elevators in real time. Through the integration of information and control functions, elevator availability and performance can be monitored from one central location. The ability for building operations management to switch services or access privileges for specific elevators is crucial for special events and VIP attendance.

Mobility as Art

The vertical-transportation layout developed by Dallas-based HKS Architects incorporated efficient access for all stadium attendees and personnel and enhanced the owner’s long-term vision of the stadium as a contemporary work of art. The elevators and escalators extensively feature team colors, along with customized elevator cab interiors with star-shaped destination buttons that light up in Cowboys blue. Each elevator also features a custom interior, with panels paying homage to Cowboys players of the past through photos.

Sustainability

Schindler worked to ensure that its processes were in keeping with the stadium’s commitment to a low carbon footprint. Recycled materials such as steel, iron and copper alloys were used whenever possible. Schindler also utilizes a global sourcing strategy to ensure that its products and components are sourced as closely as possible to major markets.

The elevators installed in the facility boast a range of green features, including:

• Standard high-efficiency motors and variable-frequency drives, reducing the project’s overall car-bon footprint.
• Efficient microprocessors minimize the elevators’ energy usage when the stadium is empty.
• Packaging material used was recyclable.
• The optional intermittent operation features of the escalators can save over half of the total energy usage of the machine by operating at crawl speed when no passengers are on board.