Since its opening concert, the Continental Airlines Arena has demonstrated its efficiency and flexibility. The arena floor converts quickly from a basketball court to a musical stage, ice rink or circus ring. Each of the 22,000 seats has an unobstructed view of the floor. Capacity audiences circulate easily to and from their seats and through the skylit oval concourse that rings the arena.

The distinctive appearance of the building expresses the importance of the structural solution and the successful integration of the architectural and structural concepts. The eight support towers are prominent at the building perimeter and they also house the elevators and stairs. The faceted roof is the largest post-tensioned folded plate structural steel dome in the world, and an important aspect of the arena's image, as well as a functional element. The 328-ft (100-m) span is achieved by arching box-trusses, post-tensioned around the perimeter. The major accomplishment of the design is the uninterrupted volume of the arena itself. The arched box trusses achieve long spans with relatively short members and as they rise up from their perimeter supports, they open up the interior space and emphasize the lightness of the structure.