Set to host Super Bowl 60, Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara was designed to reflect the iconic bridges of the area. We talk to one of its principal architects, HNTB professional sports practice leader Lanson Nichols, ahead of this weekend's big game.

With a base capacity of 68,500, Levi's Stadium was completed in 2014 by HNTB as a home for the San Francisco 49ers NFL team, and has also played host to other sports and music events, with the capacity stretching to upwards of 80,000.

The natural-grass stadium is open to the temperate weather of the San Francisco Bay Area, with a large suite building on one side and a wide amphitheatre bowl that radiates out.

It has an exposed structure that was designed to reference the engineering of the Bay Area's iconic Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge, according to Nichols, who was the principal in charge of the project and has worked on multiple NFL stadiums.

"The exterior structure is very exposed, very robust," he told Dezeen.

"Its exposed structure was intended to be a reflection of all the bridges in San Francisco – very significant, beautiful, elegant, structurally expressive bridges."

The stadium features cutting-edge technology to reduce the need for shear walls, such as the "pin-shaped" buckling restraint braces, a fairly new technology at the time that helps the building maintain a high seismic rating.

Red and white were used throughout to reference the San Francisco 49ers colours.

Inside, many of the concourses are semi-enclosed, with a white sculptural hallway featuring a gallery of San Francisco 49ers paraphernalia.

While many NFL stadiums at the time were going for verticality – massive enclosed structures such as AT&T Stadium in Texas – Levis Stadium was designed more to reflect collegiate football stadiums.

Nichols said that this decision came from the ownership, the York family, who wanted to avoid the "two-class system" of stadiums that have three-storey circling suites that push some of the "nose-bleed" seats way up into the rafters.

On one side, it has a massive entrance staircase that ushers guests in from two solar-panel-covered bridges connected to the parking.

Given its proximity to the tech industry in Silicon Valley, the stadium aimed to be top-of-the-class in terms of technological integration, at the time.

"There was a heavy, heavy emphasis on technology," said Nichols, referencing the massive array of fibre optic cables and tracking technology that projected occupancy in certain zones based on admission ticket scans.

This "outstanding connectivity" allows for the easy integration of larger, off-programme events.

According to Nichols, after the last time a Super Bowl was held there in 2016, the NFL remarked on its "plug-and-play" – as few technical updates were required in terms of the added energy and televisual requirements in broadcast and in the famed half-time performance.

Levi's Stadium was also ahead of its time in terms of sustainability, being the first professional football stadium to achieve LEED Gold designation.

In line with the eco-forward attitude of northern California, the designation was achieved by "energy-efficient building systems, integrated green design strategies, and reduced operational demand over the life of the facility" according to the HNTB.

Famously, the stadium features a green roof with a one-foot soil profile. This enables the growing of certain herbs and vegetables used in the concessions of the building. Viewing platforms on the green roof allow visitors to watch the game from the greenery.

This, on top of a recycling system and the aforementioned photovoltaics, added up to one of the most sustainable stadiums of its time.

Overall, Nichols said that the stadium "set the bar" for others to come.

Levi's Stadium is currently undergoing an overhaul by Populous.

Stadium design has become a highly sought-after commission in recent years, with much fanfare around the recent release of the design for the Washington Commanders' NFL stadium in DC by HKS.

Super Bowl 60 will take place on 8 February, with the New England Patriots facing the Seattle Seahawks.

The photography is by Jim Simmons.

Project credits:

Architect: HNTB

Interiors: HNTBPrincipal-in-charge: Lanson Nichols, HNTBGeneral contractor: Turner/Devcon Joint VentureStructural engineer: Magnusson Klemencic AssociatesElectrical engineering: Cupertino ElectricMechanical: M–E EngineersCivil engineering: Winzler&Kelly (GHD Group)