For all of its outlandish casinos, bright lights and attractions — Las Vegas has always been missing a stadium.
But with the Raiders boldly relocating to the city in 2020, a vast new venue has now been constructed.
Rising 10 storeys from the desert, with opening walls, a sliding-pitch, controlled climate and bright lights of its own, the shimmering black glass building is one of the most expensive venues ever conceived.
This is Sin City's $1.8BN mega stadium.
Seeking a move to a larger stadium since the 1980s, when the Raiders' plan to relocate from Oakland to Los Angeles (LA) fell-through, they focused their attention on America's playground.
The bold idea of a 65,000-seat stadium in the centre of Las Vegas was quickly supported by the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee — and USD $1.1BN from the Raiders and the NFL was topped-up with USD $750M of public funding, generated by a new tax on Las Vegas hotel rooms.
With a vacant site behind Mandalay Bay secured in mid-2017, Raiders owner Mark Davis asked MANICA Architecture to adapt their earlier proposals for the team's Carson Stadium that would have been constructed in LA.
While an ETFE domed roof and reflective black glass skin were added to combat the intense desert heat, two major elements of the original design were retained.
The north end zone — set to offer sweeping views of LA — was adapted to include a vast retractable wall that can open up to reveal the Las Vegas strip or close to help regulate the venue's temperature.
Framed within that space, the largest 3D-printed object in the world to date — the 26-metre torch dedicated to former Raiders owner Al Davis — was retained.
