SNA Displays provided the displays when Aldine Independent School District (ISD) recently unveiled major video technology at the newly renovated W.W. Thorne Stadium in north Houston. The highlights include a 76ft endzone videoboard and 332 linear ft of LED ribbons.
The 10,000-seat artificial turf stadium is is home to the American football and soccer programmes for five area high schools, including the Aldine Mustangs, Davis Falcons, Eisenhower Eagles, MacArthur Eagles, and Nimitz Cougars. The venue is also a frequent neutral site for Texas high school playoff matchups. WJHW provided consulting and design services for Aldine ISD, which comprises 82 schools, and chose SNA Displays.
The south end zone LED scoreboard is mounted above the entrance to the M.O. Campbell Educational Center. Boasting a pixel pitch of 10mm, the EMPIRE Exterior video screen measures 26ft tall and 75ft-7in wide (792 x 2,304 pixels) for a surface area of just under 2,000sqft. SNA Displays oversaw the foundation, steel installation, and catwalks while Phoenix Signs fabricated headers, a mesh backing, and channel lettering for the videoboard.
Fascia ribbons run 166ft along the visitor and home sides of the field. Mounted between the stadium’s two levels, each LED ribbon employs a 10mm pixel pitch at a resolution of 72 x 5,056 pixels.
Aldine ISD’s newly built community centre on the north side of the stadium also benefited from the technology upgrade with a 2.5mm BOLD Interior LED display. Measuring 8ft 10in x 15ft 9in (1,080 x 1,920 pixels), the new community centre LED display is wall-mounted inside one of the centre’s gathering spaces.
David Vieira, principal at WJHW, said: “We were thrilled to see this transformational project come to life. Video displays are a critical part of the student and fan experience in any stadium, and SNA provided a fantastic product to meet our world-class expectations for execution of the design. We appreciate the ongoing collaboration with SNA on this project to achieve our exact design. This stadium is a critical gathering space for the community, and the video systems speak volumes about the quality that Aldine ISD expects to see to support their students, faculty, and staff.”
Barbara Barry, director of sports and live events, SNA Displays, added: “By using high-end video to transform W.W. Thorne Stadium, Aldine ISD is demonstrating a commitment to enhancing the game day atmosphere for these schools and their fanbases. These technology improvements will certainly be met with increased engagement and enthusiasm for Friday night lights.”
Comet Signs provided LED installation services as well as locker room game clocks and other scoring and timing equipment. Durotech provided general contracting services.
