The San Francisco 49ers have begun the process of moving into Levi's Stadium, with the first event scheduled for ealy August. As the MLS match, and subsequent 49ers games approach, we're seeing some great publicity about the 49ers new facility and all it has to offer.
Above you can watch a video from the Wall Street Journal breaking down the environmental impact of the stadium. This came shortly after a great article at ThePostgame.com. Both do a solid job detailing the ways this stadium is reducing its environmental impact.
Among other things, the parking lot will include plug-ins for electric cars. The suite tower will include 49 solar panels on the roof, as well as a "green roof" that will provide insulation, limit water run-off, and help reduce the heat foot print. The solar panels will collect enough energy during the year to offset the 10 home games during the preseason and regular season.
The stadium will feature a variety of recycled materials. For example, the walls of the club suites are made from recycled wood brought over from the retired giant zeppelin hangar at nearby Moffett Field. The grass being utilized is 50 percent more efficient, and it will be irrigated by recycled toilet water.
Beyond just the environmental factors, the technological factors will be rather impressive. The wifi strength is expected to be greatly improved compared to existing stadiums. The 49ers were able to build up the network as they were building the stadium. Current stadiums are forced to add it on after the fact, and it's just not nearly as good.
There will be people who would prefer something that contains the noise a bit better, or otherwise creates some greater home field advantage. If the 49ers continue to put a quality product on the field, the fans will be able to help build that home field advantage, even without necessarily having the architectural benefit we see at CenturyLink Field up in Seattle. Of course, what will be interesting is what kind of crowd the team gets given the higher price points. It sounds like a lot of current season ticket holders will make the move with the team, but we'll see what kind of crowd noise we hear come Week 2. I'm hopeful for high quality crowds, but it is still something I plan on keeping an eye on when the season starts.