Cowboys new stadium

But that hole is one of the few design elements making the trip from Irving to Arlington, as fans will learn tonight when team officials formally unveil the design at a gala in Arlington.

The new $1 billion stadium, the largest and most expensive in the NFL, will be the Cowboys' home, but it will be built with a bigger world in mind.

It will feature more than twice the square footage of Texas Stadium and cost nearly 30 times more. The stadium will also seat 80,000 fans on an average day and accommodate up to 100,000 for special events, such as the Super Bowl.

The skin will consist of fritted glass panels, mostly 4 by 6 feet, that become increasingly transparent as they rise, giving this 80,000-seat structure a surprising lightness and sleekness, as well as a subtle blue and silver glow at night when the roof seems to float on a bed of light like, well, a spaceship. The side walls curve 14 degrees in response to the shape of the seating bowl, while at the two ends massive glass doors open onto plazas for pregame festivities.