(May 17, 2018) Members of the media got a sneak peek to see the progress going on at the new Louis Armstrong Stadium at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing on Thursday. The stadium, which will hold 14,000 people, is set to be completed within the next 10 weeks.
The 2018 US Open takes place Aug. 27-Sept. 9, with the Qualifying Tournament and Fan Week scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Aug. 21.
The numbers behind the new stadium:
3: Number of video display boards: two inside behind each baseline and one on the outside.
13.5: Miles of the terra cotta louvers used on the sides of the stadium to help keep rain out while allowing air to circulate throughout the stadium. Placed end to end, the 14,250 louvers would stretch longer than the length of Manhattan.
25: Maximum travel speed of the roof in feet per minute.
50: The maximum wind speed in miles per hour that the roof can still be opened and closed. The average speed of a severe thunderstorm reaches about 31 mph.
124: Height in feet to the top of the retractable roof from court level. In Arthur Ashe Stadium, the roof is 205 feet above the court surface.
2,380: Aisle steps inside the bowl of Louis Armstrong Stadium. That’s more than to the top of One World Trade Center.
14,000: Seating capacity of Louis Armstrong Stadium.
38,160: The roof opening in square feet. The area is more than 18 singles tennis courts.
94,500: Total area in square feet of the roof. The total size of the roof is the surface area of seven Olympic-sized swimming pools.
284,000: Weight in pounds of each of the two retractable panels. Each panel travels on a 27-inch wheel along a steel track.
286,000: The total footprint of the new stadium in square feet.