NCAA Regulation Requires U.S. Bank Stadium to Get Black Out Curtains Before 2019 Final Four
U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will need to install curtains to black out the light that comes in through the transparent roof before it hosts the 2019 Final Four, according to Rochelle Olson and Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.
According to the Star Tribune, the NCAA requires that the lighting during shootarounds and games must be the same for all four teams, so some sort of curtain or drapery must be installed to block outside light.
The roof of U.S. Bank Stadium is 60 percent transparent, according to the stadium's website, and there is more than 245,000 square feet of the clear ethylene-tetraflouroethylene material that makes up the roof, according to the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which is the body charge of the stadium.
The cost of stadium construction was $1.129 billion and there is a $7.25 million budget for building improvements in 2018, according to the Star Tribune. Money from that $7.25 million will be used for the black out curtains, according to the Star Tribune.
Mike Vekich, the MSFA chairman, told the Star Tribune he is not sure how much the installation of the curtains will cost, but he does not expect to need taxpayer money to help pay for it. In a request sent out on Feb. 6 for proposals on how to add the black out curtains, it said the primary use will be for the 2019 Final Four, but the curtains will be used for other events, such as concerts.
U.S. Bank Stadium opened in July 2016 and has already hosted a Super Bowl.
