It's an arena like no other; a $1.5billion, multi-purpose, state-of-the-art venue complete with a roof that opens and closes like a flower in bloom, blending 21st-century technology with Roman architecture.

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is a thing of monstrous beauty and extraordinary design - an LED-clad coliseum that will house 71,000 fans of both the city's MLS and NFL franchises.

On Sunday, soccer will be the order of the day as Atlanta United play their first match inside the their new home.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qoGP1NNJwY


MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM FACTS 

Opened: 2017

Cost: $1.5billion

Construction time: 39 months

Parking spaces: 21,000

Height: 305 feet

Square footage: 2,000,000

Capacity: 71,000 

Supporters will be stunned. Inspired by the Pantheon, six near-triangular panels form a 14.5-acre roof which rotates to close inside 11 minutes, leaving a small circular gap similar to the oculus at the top of the famous Roman church.

Inside, a 360-degree TV screen - 58 feet tall and a quite frankly ridiculous 1,100 feet long - wraps around the inside perimeter. At one end, a giant, 16-story window opens the stadium up to a breathtaking view of downtown Atlanta.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4853488/Atlanta-United-ready-new-1-5b-Mercedes-Benz-Stadium.html

The Falcons have played an exhibition match against Jacksonville at their new base and their first regular-season game there is on September 18 against the Green Bay Packers.

Video screens are everywhere - during NFL games they will show RedZone action (the league's highlights-as-they-happen service) - and seats have been widened by two inches to give more comfort to fans. 

Queues for drinks shouldn't be long, with 1,264 beer taps serving 40 different brews at $5 a pop - almost 50 per cent cheaper than the league average - from 673 outlets and 24 bars or restaurants.

In fact, the stadium management claim on their website that fans will 'never have to wait in line for another round of Coca-Cola'.

With that in mind, it's just as well that constructors have added 22 per cent more toilet facilities for men and 30 per cent for women, when compared to the existing Georgia Dome. 

It's an impressive feat of engineering and construction, made possible by 27,000 tons of steel and 150,000 cubic feet of concrete. 

But there's something in it for friends of the environment, too.

The Mercedes-Benz will gather rainwater for reuse in its 600,000-gallon cistern, while 4,000 solar panels will generate electricity.

The venue has been eagerly awaited over its 39-month construction period, with sports lovers in Atlanta seeing its development first-hand given the new stadium has been built slap bang alongside the Georgia Dome, but it remains to be seen whether the city's MLS team can pack it out.

Not that it matters if they're a few thousand short... panels drop down to cover the upper tier in the event of smaller crowds.

Out front, a 61,000-square foot plaza will play host to tailgate parties pre-match and a giant metallic statue of a bird by prominent Hungarian artist Gabor Miklos Szoke will certainly grab the

On their way into the ground, supporters will be scanned by high-tech magnetometers as they enter the stadium, a change which the venue's management says will increase turnstile capacity by 40 per cent. 

The stadium wants to be 'the finest sports and entertainment facility in the world'.

'We are changing the game for everyone,' shouts its promotional literature. The evidence is widely available to support the claims.

No wonder, then, that is has already been booked for two of the USA's premier sporting events - the 2019 Super Bowl and the 2020 NCCA Final Fours.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4853488/Atlanta-United-ready-new-1-5b-Mercedes-Benz-Stadium.html

One word. .F*CK

This is absolutely. ..

O bboi

Anyways, it's a Benz.

What else did you expect?

beautiful........ these things just can't be built in Nigeria, cos one day the exit doors will malfunction, and everybody will suffocate.

Beauty