Case Study: T-Mobile Arena achieves a rock-solid, LEED Gold-certified event venue with Thornton Tomasetti

T-Mobile Arena cuts balcony steel by 50% with Thornton Tomasetti

T-Mobile Arena, a major indoor venue in Las Vegas owned by AEG and MGM Resorts International, required a complex structural design to support its multipurpose use for large events. The challenge for Thornton Tomasetti was to engineer the arena with long roof spans for rigging, foundations for 20,000 spectators, and a large cantilevered VIP balcony, all on an aggressive construction schedule.

Thornton Tomasetti implemented a hybrid foundation system and a long-span roof truss system. For the VIP balcony, they collaborated with Swallow Acoustic Consultants Ltd. to design a tuned mass damper solution that reduced vibrations and cut the required steel by 50 percent. The successful, LEED Gold-certified project led to over 150 annual events and resulted in Thornton Tomasetti acquiring SACL to integrate their expertise.

T-Mobile Arena