Las Vegas Raiders Practice Facility
A world-class football training facility redefines indoor practice with engineered clearspan space, precision roofing and structural performance that supports every play, every drill and every season.
Project
Overview
When the Las Vegas Raiders committed to a world-class practice environment, they set a new benchmark in professional sports facilities.
Since opening, the indoor practice facility stands as the largest built indoor football training space in the United States, rooted in a structural solution engineered for unmatched clearspan and performance.
With no existing professional stadium infrastructure in the area at the time, a comprehensive plan was required for both game venue and dedicated training environment. The indoor practice facility answered the team’s need for a controlled environment where athletes can train without constraints, supporting year-round preparation and development.
Thanks to Butler Manufacturing® and the work of Pullman Power LLC, a talented Butler Builder®, the facility encompasses 142,000 square feet of uninterrupted interior space, or roughly one-and-a-half full football fields with geometry and height engineered specifically for elite football practice.
The scale and structural precision of this building reflect a purpose-built solution where every element supports performance outcomes.
“It’s a magnificent building,” said John Mayock, the Las Vegas Raiders then-general manager. “It’s hard to put into words, and honestly, I have to still get used to it because it’s so big and so different from what we’re used to. But it’s amazing.”
His reflection captures the facility’s presence and the clarity of its design intent: a space engineered without compromise.
The Raiders selected this site while the team’s new stadium was rising from the ground nearby. Their vision was to build a facility with both functional depth and a signature architectural identity. To achieve that vision within project budget and schedule targets, the design and construction team turned to the Heavy Structures team at Butler for a tailored solution for projects where large clear spans and structural performance are essential.
The enormous size of the practice area was driven by a key requirement: a clear height of more than 100 feet across the entire width of the playing field. The structure needed to be tall enough to support every aspect of elite football, from touchdown drills to full punt trajectories, while also respecting local airport height restrictions. These constraints demanded a roof with a low slope profile that could still span the massive footprint with enduring performance.
It’s a magnificent building. It’s hard to put into words, and honestly, I have to still get used to it because it’s so big and so different from what we’re used to. But it’s amazing.
The Butler MR-24® roof system proved ideal for this monolithic application, covering approximately 130,000 square feet with a robust, weather-tight surface engineered for long-term durability. The result is a facility that supports the Raiders’ training regimen with structural and operational precision while delivering a visual presence consistent with a world-class athletic organization.
Mark Baldwin, team president, reinforced the project’s performance focus. “Most teams that have an indoor facility may have one field or a little bit longer for some drills,” he said. “We went 150 yards, and we’re also 108 feet high so that you can simulate every single play. A punt can’t hit the ceiling at 108 feet. There are some facilities where you can’t simulate a full special teams play because the ball will hit the roof. We wanted to make sure if we were going to build it, we were going to build it right.”
Since opening, the Raiders have operated within a facility designed to meet the demands of elite performance, support athlete development and set a new standard in indoor practice environments across professional sports.
One of the major challenges for the Heavy Structures team was designing a clearspan system that provided the height required (108 feet) while meeting local height ordinance requirements since the main Las Vegas airport is very close to the Raiders facility.
