Polyurethane spray foam exhibits remarkable resilience in its use in stadium roofing.
As the Philadelphia Eagles celebrate a historic victory over the Kansas City Chiefs following their American National Football league (NFL) championship match on 9 February 2025, the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans – Louisiana, where the game took place, celebrates a remarkable legacy of its own thanks to spray polyurethane foam (SPF).
Since opening in 1975, the stadium is considered the biggest fixed-dome facility in the world and has continuously showcased polyurethane’s durability throughout its lifetime. Originally constructed with an SPF roof, it withstood a massive hailstorm in the late 1970s without leaking, despite some foam exposure. A protective recoating was applied 12 years later to guard against sun damage.
In 2003, the SPF roof was replaced with EPDM rubber, believed to resist winds up to 130 mph. However, Hurricane Katrina’s 100 mph winds devastated the EPDM membrane just two years later. The result was a re-roofing of the whole stadium, this time again with SPF.
SPF proved superior, enduring wind tunnel tests up to 200 mph. Nearly 2 million litres of foam, were used to re-roof the stadium. Its self-adhering, water-resistant, and insulating properties made it the ideal choice, capable of withstanding extreme weather for decades to come.
Read more about SPF’s remarkable use in the Caesars Superdome here!
