Yes, Levi’s Stadium – the home of this week’s big football game — is considered an open-air stadium without a roof. As such, it may not be worthy of adding to the other Super Bowl venues we’ve featured recently for their famous rooftops. However, after a little research, we learned that, like most great stadiums we’ve featured around the country, there are indeed some spectacular roofs that are either part of the stadium in Santa Clara or the team’s athletic complex nearby.

As usual, we took a closer look — and here’s what we wanted to share before the big game.

It’s Alive!

High above the field of play for this year’s big game sits a fully functional green roof covering roughly 27,000 square feet, crafted by American Hydrotech, a Sika company. The designers purposely placed this area on the west side of the suite tower rather than using a traditional, closed roof.

Courtesy of Sika Corp.

High Energy

The action on the field and the crowd won’t be the only energy producers at Levi’s Stadium. NRG Energy partnered with the 49ers to install solar panels that serve as a roof for the suite tower and pedestrian bridges. In all, there are nearly 1,200 photovoltaic panels installed on the rooftop.

Monolithic Mastery

While earning a reputation as the NFL’s most eco-friendly stadium for the reasons mentioned above, the structure itself has performed very well since opening in 2014, and remains watertight with various applications of Hydrotech’s Monolithic Membrane 6125.

More than 350,000 square feet of the hot fluid-applied rubberized asphalt membrane is used in concourse waterproofing, officials said. Another 60,000 square feet is used in below-grade vertical applications, and there’s more underneath the 38,000 square-foot amenity deck that holds the garden roof assembly with ultimate assembly pavers that create an inviting space for fans.

Pricey, Pricey

The overall construction cost of Levi’s Stadium is estimated at about $1.3 billion. Though barely a decade old, it’s already undergone significant upgrades. Recent renovations completed in 2025 totaled $200 million, which was focused on upgrading video boards, suites, and technology. Not on adding a roof.

Throwing Shade

Fans sitting on the stadium’s east side have long complained of unbearable heat and sunshine on typical Sunday afternoons in the Bay Area. The 49ers actually looked into adding shade for its fans but determined that due to its non-symmetrical design, fully covering the 68,500-seat building would require significant new structural support, and would be too costly. The team instead focused on mitigating heat through measures such as scheduling evening games when possible, providing free, filtered water stations, and lowering the price of bottled water.