New Atlanta Stadium’s Roof Opens and Closes Like an 8-Blade Camera Lens Aperture

Here’s something super random that caught our attention: the new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons football team features an innovative roof design that seems to be inspired by the world of photography: it opens and closes like an 8-blade camera lens aperture.

The New Atlanta Stadium is estimated to cost $1.4 billion. Here’s what its website says about the retractable roof:

Inspired by the oculus in the ancient Rome Pantheon, the stadium’s unique roof opening will provide tremendous flexibility in hosting a wide variety of events in the stadium. Eight unique roof petals can open in less than eight minutes, creating a “camera lens-like” effect that exposes the inside of the facility to the open air on game and event days.

Here’s a short digital rendering fly-through that offers a very brief glimpse of this “aperture roof” in action:

(via New Atlanta Stadium via Digital Trends)