An Immersive Entertainment and Engineering Spectacle

Severud Associates designed and engineered the structural marvel that is Sphere. Located just off the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, this groundbreaking entertainment venue sets the standard for cutting edge immersive experiences. It is the largest spherical structure in the world.

Engineering a Multi-Sensory Entertainment Venue

Sphere is enclosed within a latticed grid shell covered with 580,000 sq ft of programmable LED lighting, which presents stunning visual displays. Inside the venue, a massive 160,000-square-foot high resolution LED screen and haptic seats envelop audiences in a multi-sensory spectacle. The Severud team was challenged with designing the interconnected structural systems required to bring this ambitious vision to life.

Innovative Structural Design for Unparalleled Experiences

Severud engineered distinct yet interconnected structural systems that form a cohesive, balanced, efficient, and elegant superstructure for the 516-foot diameter, 366-foot high Sphere, including:

• •  Exosphere, composed of steel pipe sections and cast steel connecting nodes
• •  Concrete and structural steel floors, columns, and walls
• •  Concrete and structural steel raker beams and precast concrete stadia
• •  A 400-foot diameter steel-framed dome with concrete topping
• •  A media plane and supporting multi-level grillage system
• •  Auger cast in place concrete piles; pile caps; and mats
• •  A 1,200-foot structural steel bridge to an adjacent convention center

This intricate superstructure seamlessly supports the venue’s cutting-edge technology, enabling Sphere to deliver unparalleled entertainment experiences. The layering of the various structural systems enabled complete control of systems with tolerances in the fractions of an inch.

Sphere showcases Severud Associates’ ability to deliver groundbreaking structural engineering solutions for the most ambitious and innovative projects, implementing computational parametric design from the beginning of the project and throughout design. Severud contributed to a venue that redefines the possibilities of entertainment and fully immerses audiences in a world of captivating experiences.