Uni-Systems, LLC is a design, construction, and manufacturing firm located in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

specializing in kinetic architecture, or movable, mechanized structures. Uni-Systems has been involved in the construction of five of the seven sports stadiums incorporating retractable roofs in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

since 1999. The company was founded in 1968 by Cyril Silberman, CEO, and began extensive work within the

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and ast ...

industry including the design and installation of hangar doors,

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Mart ...

elevator platforms,

empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third e ...

stands, and the firm’s patented Uni-Dock. Clients of Uni-Systems in the aerospace industry include

American Airlines American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...

, SkyVenture,

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...

, Canadian Air, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

, and

El Al El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (, he, אל על נתיבי אויר לישראל בע״מ), trading as El Al (Hebrew: , "Upwards", "To the Skies" or "Skywards", stylized as ELAL; ar, إل-عال), is the flag carrier of Israel. Since its inaugura ...

Israel Airlines. In 2014 Cyril Silberman sold the engineering department to Bart Riberich, President of Uni-Systems, LLC, who then created the new company Uni-Systems Engineering. Uni-Systems, LLC continues to serve the kinetic architecture market with the patented En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy product and small custom kinetic building elements.

Retractable roofs

The firm's work with stadiums began with

Minute Maid Park Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...

(formerly Enron Field), when they were contracted to work on the stadium's retractable roof with the architectural company Populous (then called HOK Sport). Uni-Systems also designed and installed the Squeeze Play feature, as well as the custom ornamental train that runs along an outfield wall at the stadium.An open-and-shut case for good drives
/ref> Along with the design and installation of retractable roofs, Uni-Systems helps develop custom control systems for operating mechanized components. At

Reliant Stadium NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...

, Uni-Systems worked with

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable ene ...

to control the bi-parting stadium roof. The retractable skylight over the 470-ft-long retail concourse of Salt Lake City's City Creek Mall consists of two independent sections, one 230 ft and the other 240 ft long and each 58 ft wide. The retractable motion was achieved through three opposing glass-covered arched panels that cantilever across the 55.5-ft-wide concourse. Each panel has three plate box "ribs" with a 12.5-ft upturned back-span. The 80-ton skylight opens or closes in five minutes. City Creek Mall expects to have the roof open 70% of the time.

Projects

The company is now focused on the sale and manufacture of the En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy system. In the past it has also designed several other mechanized components in sports stadiums, such as the retractable end zone window-walls at

Lucas Oil Stadium Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the National Football League (NFL)'s Indianapolis Colts and opened on August 16, 2008. The stadium wa ...

and

Cowboys Stadium AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the hom ...

. It also designed the movable playing field at the

University of Phoenix Stadium A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

and the retractable pitcher’s mound at

RFK Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the ...

. In addition to large scale projects, Uni-Systems has completed several smaller projects ranging from the

Bengt Sjostrom Theatre The Bengt Sjostrom Theatre (usually referred to as Starlight Theatre by local residents) is an outdoor community theater located on the Rock Valley College campus in Rockford, Illinois. It houses the Rock Valley College Starlight Theatre, one of ...

(Starlight Theatre) to numerous En-Fold retractable fabric canopy applications. Project list * Soho Beach House - Miami beach, FL (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2018) *

Merriweather Post Pavilion Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located within Symphony Woods, a lot of preserved land in the heart of the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the Uni ...

- Columbia, MD (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2018) (Winner of the 2018 IFAI IAA Outstanding Achievement Award) *Private Residence - Chicago, IL (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2017) *Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel, Charlotte, NC (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2017) (Winner of the 2018 IFAI IAA Award of Excellence) *Chotto Matte - Miami Beach, FL (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2017) (Winner of the 2018 IFAI IAA Award of Excellence) *

The Setai Miami Beach The Setai Hotel and Residences, also known as The Setai Miami Beach and The Setai South Beach, is a high rise luxury hotel and condominium located in South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern regio ...

Pond Courtyard - Miami Beach, FL (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2016) *Quinto, la Huella - Miami, FL (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2016) * Four Seasons Lanai - Lanai, Hi (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2016) *Beer Park - Las Vegas, NV (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2015) *The Beach Club - Hallandale, FL (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2015) *Radisson Blu Edwardian - Guildford, UK (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2015) (Winner of the 2015 IFAI IAA Award of Excellence)) *Louie Bossi's - Fort Lauderdale, FL (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2015) *Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa - Cartegena, CO, (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2014) *

Bal Harbour Shops Bal Harbour Shops is an open-air shopping mall in Bal Harbour, a suburb of Miami Beach, Florida. With sales of $3,400 per square foot in 2022, it is one of the highest grossing shopping centers in the world. Notable retailers and restaurants inclu ...

- Bal Harbour, FL (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2013) *Andaz Hotel - San Diego, CA (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2013) *444 North Capitol Rooftop Terrace - Washington, DC (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2012) *Juvia Restaurant Miami Beach, FL (En-Fold® retractable fabric canopy, 2012) (Winner of the 2012 IFAI IAA Award of Excellence) *Salt Lake City's City Creek Mall (retractable skylight over the 470-ft-long retail concourse, 2012) *

(Uni-Dock 000 and 2003 landing gear elevator platform) *

(retractable roof, 2003) *

(landing gear elevator platforms 993 material lift

006 Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...

paint gantry

997 Year 997 ( CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first child of the ...

*Canadian Air (

stands, 1995) *

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the statio ...

(vertical lift door, 1991) *

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

(New Mets Home run apple, 2009) *

(retractable roof, operable end zone window walls, to be completed summer 2009) * El Al Airlines (Uni-Dock, 1999) *

Ellsworth Air Force Base Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Global Str ...

(aperture door, 1985) *

(retractable roof, operable end zone window walls, to be completed August 2008) * Miller Park (operable outfield window walls, retrofit roof seals, 2001) *

(retractable roof, ornamental train, Squeeze Play, 2000) *

Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest. MPR ha ...

(retractable in-studio seating, 2006) *

(retractable roof, 2002) *

(retractable pitcher’s mound, retrofit adjustable seating, 2005) *Skyventure

Vertical wind tunnel A vertical wind tunnel (VWT) is a wind tunnel that moves air up in a vertical column. Unlike standard wind tunnels, which have test sections that are oriented horizontally, as experienced in level flight, a vertical orientation enables gravi ...

(2005) *

(retractable roof, moveable playing field, 2006) *Wall Street Ferry Terminal (1999)

Products

In addition to large projects, Uni-Systems has also launched an effort in the form of their Modular Mechanization Components (MMC) to bring pre-engineered components to any client – large corporations, small businesses, and even residences. These components were designed to fit the needs of a client with simple modifications to an already-existing design, allowing virtually any client to have kinetic architecture without a lengthy design process. The MMC line started with the 10-inch drive, 24-inch drive and Torque Tube and is currently focused on the En-Fold retractable fabric canopy system:{{Cite web, url=https://www.uni-systems.com/overview, title=The En-Fold® stadium-grade retractable awning, date=27 February 2018 *En-Fold retractable fabric canopy (Winner of the Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF) 2012 Innovation Award) *10-inch drive *24-inch drive *Torque Tube

External links

https://www.en-fold.com
Uni-Systems page dedicated to the En-Fold product
https://www.uni-systems.com
Uni-Systems home page * http://designguide.com Uni-Systems, LLC

References

Architecture firms based in Minnesota Companies based in Minnesota