NRG Stadium is 22 years old and getting a bit frayed. That’s not surprising given the facility’s hectic 12-month schedule. The good news is that go-aheads have been granted for stadium upgrades, albeit slowly. Just under $3 million for various projects were approved in December 2024, following an earlier approval in November for $35 million that includes the purchase of new end zone video boards.
The 72,000-seat multi-purpose NRG Stadium, originally known as Reliant Stadium, was the first NFL stadium to have a retractable roof and is home to the Houston Texans of the NFL.
It’s been a busy place since it opened. NRG Stadium has hosted two Super Bowls, several NCAA college football championship games, and recently the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. The stadium also hosts the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the world’s largest exhibition of its type.
Going forward, the stadium will host the 2025 Gold Cup final of the CONCACAF soccer championship. Next year, it will host seven 2026 FIFA World Cup matches. The facility employs as many as 400 workers year-round and several thousand on actual event days.
Present plans call for the stadium videoboards to be replaced between April 2025 and July 2025. Other renovations include painting in the upper-level suites, hallways and in the East and West VIP lobbies, new flooring, new sliding ramp doors and replacement of the facility’s hot water tank. Structural repairs to joist members, diagonal bracing members and gaps in the catwalk and floor spalls have not yet been addressed.
Beyond the video boards, and among the $39.1 million in stadium upgrades approved in November and December, are repairs to the retractable roof and updates to the sound system. In fact, new roof fabric installation began this past October, with the intention of having the retractable roof fully operational before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, these upgrades are dwarfed by the overall assessment presented by Tennessee consultants Venue Solutions LLC for a 30-year, $1.9 billion facelift and maintenance masterplan for the entire 350-acre NRG Park. The plan was broken down into five-year segments, with almost $105 million of maintenance earmarked during the first five years. It also calls for the stadium roof to be replaced entirely during the last five years of the plan, at an estimated cost of $81.8 million.
NRG Park is one of the busiest facilities of its type in the United States. It also includes the 8,000-seat NRG Arena which co-hosts the livestock show and rodeo and the NRG Center convention facility. Each year, approximately 5.5 million visitors attend one of the park’s 500 events.
Separately, a 20-year energy efficiency saving contract signed with Johnson Controls in May 2024 includes upgraded stadium equipment and controls, water conservation and life-safety systems, as well as LED lighting retrofits and the installation of new chillers and air handlers. Most of these improvements are expected within two years and are projected to save Harris County up to $54 million in energy costs.
Stadium complexes like the NRG do not have an infinite life and require either a significant overhaul or complete replacement every few decades. Keeping appearances attractive and the visitor experience up to date technologically is critical for attracting major events that are planned years in advance.
“A big part of what these groups look for, whether it is a political convention or a major sporting event, are the facilities,” said Ryan Walsh, former CEO and executive director of Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation and NRG Park. “What do they like? Are they updated when attendees walk in? Do you feel modern?”
Alongside the 30-year Park masterplan are three design studies for the upgraded NRG Stadium submitted by Dallas-based HKS, and two Kansas City-based firms, Populous and Manica Architecture. Each are striking in outward appearance and address various aspects of the visitor experience such the shortage of loge seating, club boxes and luxury suites relative to other major U.S. stadiums, and the shortage of vertical transportation required to reach almost all seating levels.
Two of the design studies also suggest moving NRG Arena to new location within the park at costs between $538 million to $1.32 billion. Meanwhile Venue Solutions’ overall park assessment suggests the NRG Center will require over $400 million in maintenance over the next 30 years.
The future of the famous Houston Astrodome which opened in 1965 but closed 15 years ago is also part of discussions. The non-profit Astrodome Conservancy unveiled a separate $1 billion plan in November 2024 called Vision: Astrodome. It hopes to attract $750 million in private funding to develop 450,000 square feet of revenue-generating space, a 10,000-seat arena and a mixed-use district under the Astrodome’s roof.
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