Photo by Ben Tanner Photography
The baseball park received LEED Gold certification.

Designers of the nation's first retractable-roof stadium engineered to withstand 146-mph winds achieved the feat with an innovative strategy: The roof was kept partially open. This move would minimize internal pressures in the event of a storm-induced breach of the structure. It also eliminated the need for an estimated 1,000 tons of steel, cutting project costs by $4 million.

The first Major League Baseball park to be designed in a modern architectural style was also one of the first to achieve LEED Gold certification. One of this year's judges called it "a modern and exciting architectural expression."

Project Team

Owner Miami Marlins, Miami

Architect Populous, Kansas City, Mo.

General Contractor Hunt/Moss, a joint venture of Hunt Construction Group, Tampa, and Moss & Associates, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Structural Engineer, Roof Bliss & Nyitray, Coral Gables; Walter P Moore, Tampa, Fla.; Structal-Heavy Steel Construction, a div. of Canam Group Inc., Point of Rocks, Md.

Civil Engineer Fortin, Leavy, Skiles Inc., North Miami Beach, Fla.

MEP Engineer M-E Engineers, Kansas City, Mo.

Steel Erector LPR Construction, Loveland, Colo.