The Minnesota Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium will undergo a partial roof replacement following hail damage from a 2023 storm.
According to the KSTP, the replacement has called into question the materials used on parts of the building.
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority originally defended the material's longevity but is now accepting proposals to replace the clear side of the roof with another material.
The bubble-like material, which was made by Germany-based Vector Foiltec, can occasionally be susceptible to hail, according to comment CEO Stefan Lehnert made to KSTP.
“There is hail that can damage a roof. Throughout our whole career, which is about 1,000 buildings, we’ve had two cases of hail damage,” Lehnert said.
During a trip to Vector Foiltec’s manufacturing facility in Germany, the company insisted 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS anchor Chris Egert jump on the ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) to test its strength. That test failed.
University of Minnesota Associate Professor of Architecture, Blaine Brownell, told KSTP that there wasn’t a great deal of research on the material at the time.
“The current estimates that I’ve heard are that ETFE is a 50+ year material. The plus is a big question mark. And certainly, that doesn’t account for extreme climates or disasters or events that we might experience,” he said.
