LA Clipper’s Intuit Dome

The new Intuit Dome stadium is an exclusive project at the center of a high-profile 28-acre development site in Inglewood, California. The construction of the18,000 seat stadium and investment in the surrounding campus is estimated at $1.8 billion, bringing new pride and attention to the City’s sports team and new opportunities for economic growth to the area.

The Challenge: A Multifaceted, Complex Construction Project

The innovative and intricate design of Intuit Dome’s roof features a complex geometrical bracket paneling structure with unique tubular elements. Ensuring the proper arrangement and assembly of the highest quality materials that can sustain the unconventional shape is critical to the efficient construction and safe operation of the stadium. Approximately 10,500 tons of structural steel in the bowl was erected in eight months. This includes seven roof trusses that each weigh 200 tons. The stadium’s design, location and viewer experience were thoroughly discussed and purposefully decided to create a premium fan experience. This includes a 44,000 square foot LED halo video screen that will hover over the court. To make the halo a reality, the roofing system was designed specifically to accommodate it, and does so in a visually dynamic way.

The structurally efficient roof design features a steel frame with a diagrid geometry meant to mimic the movement of a basketball passing through a net. Atop the geometric steel frame is a striking “skin” of interwoven metal panels affixed to the structure.

The Intuit Dome’s roofing design and interwoven metal panels were designed to help the stadium adapt to its environment. The indoor-outdoor venue’s design allows for efficient ventilation in the entrances and upper concourse and the metal panels are solar optimized to help balance the Southern California climate and solar heat gain.

The Solution: Premier Source Inspection and Testing of Steel Components

Construction of the roof required approximately 10,500 tons of structural steel including seven steel roof trusses each weighing 200 tons. With multiple groundbreaking features worked into the stadium’s design, it was vital that the steel frame’s diagrid be fabricated to exacting specifications including detailed evaluation and inspection of the steel throughout the fabrication, coating, painting, shipping and installation phases. The smallest errors could result in major project delays and incurred costs.

As a leader in source inspection, TRC supported the Dome’s construction Quality Assurance with a team based in China, working directly with steel Fabricator to ensure the roof elements fit together and perform as intended when assembled.

Our internationally certified inspectors worked on location in the manufacturing facilities in Shijiazhaung City, Hebei, China, to provide Inspection and Testing, on Fabrication, Test Fitting, Coatings and Shipment Rigging, for the steel grid structures. We also completed Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) including Magnetic Particle, Ultrasonic Testing and Liquid Penetrant Testing for coatings to ensure there were no defects in the steel or with the gloss and smoothness of the coatings.

Our team led test fits in the fabrication facilities before rigging the structure pieces for shipment from China to Southern California. These test fits were a final visual inspection of the welds and the critical geometry of the diagrid design.

Results: Quality Components to Create an Enhanced Experience

The steel framing of the Intuit Dome’s roof was completed in 2023. When the arena opens for the 2024-2025 NBA season the stadium will be one of the most technologically and environmentally advanced facilities in operation.