THE COOKIE MONSTERS (1961-1975)

May 4, 2013 By in Baseball, Football, Series Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

Postcard of RFK Stadium via Mears Online Auction

To mark the beginning of the 2013 Major League Baseball season, we’re celebrating an era in baseball stadium design that is often maligned by fans, architects and pretty much everyone else. Fifteen new stadiums were built between 1961-1976 and of those only three (Dodger Stadium, Candlestick Park and Anaheim Stadium) were not round. Often called “Cookie Cutters”, for their geometric similarity, they were also similarly situated outside city centers, were designed to host multiple sports, and had a modern, Pompidou Center-esque ’form follows function’ approach to their design, now sadly long forgotten in modern stadia design. In our celebration of the round ballpark, we’ll investigate the unique design features of these often misunderstood buildings. First up, the one that started it all – to the Nation’s Capital, RFK Stadium:

RFK STADIUM
Location: Washington, DC – 2.3 miles due west of the US Capitol, on the banks of the Anacosta River.
Capacity: 43,500
Design Team: George Dahl (Architect) Osborne Engineering
Washington Senators/MLB (1962-1971), Washington Nationals/MLB (2005-2007), Washington Redskins/NFL (1961-1996), DC United/MLS (1996-Present)
Owner: District of Columbia
Operator: Events DC

Baseball (left) Football (right) (Graphic: Stadiafile Information: Andrew Clem)

Baseball (left) Football (right) (Graphic: Stadiafile; Information: Andrew Clem)

One of only two stadiums of this era still standing, RFK Stadium was the first major American stadium designed specifically for both baseball (Senators) and football (Redskins) and started the run on such multipurpose buildings. The general challenge for Dallas-based architect George Dahl and Osborn Engineering was how to design a stadium for two sports – football and baseball – with such contradictory shaped playing fields. The football field’s 100-yard-long rectangle and the baseball diamond are so different that the circle was the shape that offered the most flexibility and best suited the overlay of these two fields.

Aerial view of RFK Stadium c. 1988 via Wikipedia

Located on the Anacosta Flats on the banks of the Anacosta River, the spherical RFK Stadium is on axis with the Washington Monument and US Capitol. The fully enclosed, two-tier seating is kept low, including integrated stadium lights so as not to visually interfere with its more famous axial neighbors.

RFK Stadium exterior via Andrew G. Clem

Because of its low-slung character, RFK is more intimate than many of its cavernous, multipurpose contemporaries and its sombrero-like upper tier gives the cozy RFK a sweeping, identifiable feature. The curved profile of the roof is counterbalanced by the strong horizontal of the exterior ramps and structure to form a very clear, elegant facade.

The exposed RFK structure via DC United

RFK worked better as a football stadium than as a baseball stadium. Temporary seats were installed to fill in behind the end zones and the luxury boxes and suites separating the upper and lower tiers were few compared with current ballparks, keeping the two tiers close and the upper deck close to the playing field. For baseball games, these temporary seats were removed to make way for the baseball diamond and as such there were no lower tier seats beyond the outfield fence. This created a condition where the fans in the upper deck were strangely removed from the action.

RFK Stadium c 1992 via American Hertage

RFK Stadium c. 2005 via Ballpark Pilgrimages

One of the great aspects of these ballparks was that their no-frills, bare-bones character kept construction costs down. RFK Stadium was built for $24 million ($18o today), a cost unheard of in modern stadia design. One reason for this was that these were often public buildings. The city of DC paid for the construction and Events DC – a quasi public organization -  now runs and operates the stadium. The connection between the privately-owned tenants – the Washington Redskins – and the landlord – the US Government – is famously told by Thomas G. Smith in his book, Showdown: JFK and the Integration of the Washington Redskins.  The Redskins were the last major American sports team to sign a black player as in 1961, in order to continue their lease in the publicly-owned RFK Stadium, President John F. Kennedy’s interior secretary, Stewart Udall mandated the Redskins sign a black player. The next season, the Redskins drafted Ernie Davis out of Syracuse University and signed five additional black players and were allowed to keep playing at the new stadium.

Today RFK is primarily home to Major League Soccer’s DC United and seating is normally limited to the lower tier.  The seating, much of which sits on rollers originally intended to give the seating the flexibility to be reconfigured, now bounces along with fans in the raucous Bara Brava supporter’s section.

The future of RFK probably won’t be long. DC United are in talks of moving to a soccer-only facility and though there are rumors of the Redskins moving back to the District, it would no doubt be in a new facility. So enjoy it while it lasts, RFK Stadium is a true living legend.

Pre-game DC United via The Viper’s Nest

Next up: Shea Stadium. Flushing, NY
Special thanks to Andrew Clem for information provided on his truly remarkable site Andrew Clem’s Baseball

COMING SOON

April 25, 2013 By in Articles Leave a comment
Busch Memorial Stadium via Mark 2400 Flickr

Sometimes life as a young architect, dad of one – soon to be two – girls, takes over and life as a stadium blogger takes a back seat.  Now is one of those times.  But don’t worry, we are putting together a series on the fascinating multi-purpose baseball / football stadiums of the 1960s-70s. These are the buildings I grew up in and so many American sport fans consider their sporting homes. The oft-maligned era in stadium design was actually a hotbed of some very creative ideas, inspiring thought about how we watch, build and manage sport facilities in America. So stay tuned for more from Stadiafile – until then, go see a game!

AMERICA’S NATIONAL SOCCER STADIUM: THE TOP 5 CONTENDERS

March 15, 2013 By in Articles, Soccer Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

The Rose Bowl hosted 1984 Summer Olympic soccer matches via KCET

On March 22, the US Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) hosts Costa Rica in the final round of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying at Dick’s Sporting Goods (DSG) Park in Commerce City, CO.  This is a huge game for the USMNT but unfortunately, at just 18,000-seats, DSG Park is undersized and the Colorado Rapids’ home lacks the gravitas needed for the upcoming Qualifier.  In order to match the magnitude of these international fixtures, to intimidate the visiting side and for the US to be taken seriously as a soccer nation, US Soccer needs its own home park – its cauldron, its Azteca, its Maracanã, its National Stadium.

As a young soccer nation without a tradition of big games being played on our soil, such a stadium has yet to emerge in the US … or has it? Great moments, like Brandi Chastain’s famous celebration of the US Women’s 1999 World Cup victory at the Rose Bowl, Bernie Feibaher’s 79-minute strike in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final at Soldier Field and the 1994 World Cup begin to paint a portrait of a nation with a genuine history of big games played at big venues, suggesting a National Stadium might already be somewhere out there.

American Soccer fans are as passionate as the best of them, via US Soccer

 So, here are the top five contenders for the title:

1. The Rose Bowl. Pasadena, CA

Why it works: Already the de facto National Football Stadium, home to the UCLA Bruins and the annual Rose Bowl Game, could the Rose Bowl also fill the bill for soccer? It has hosted many big international matches, including the 1994 World Cup Final and the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final. The Pasadena climate is wonderful year round and the natural grass surface meets US Soccer standards. The lack of a regular tenant would make the Rose Bowl readily available and its location within metropolitan Los Angeles provides a large fan base.

Why it doesn’t work: The Rose Bowl might just be too big. With a capacity of nearly 100,000, filling the Rose Bowl, even for a match as big as USA v Costa Rica might be difficult. While playing such a match before a crowd of 18,000 might not be enough, playing in front of a two-thirds full Rose Bowl could be worse. In addition, although 12.8 million people live in the Greater LA area, the population is so diverse that getting a core group of American soccer fans out to regularly support the US team might be easier said than done.

The Rose Bowl, via guatemalo Flickr

2. Jeld-Wen Field. Portland, OR

Why it works: Jeld-Wen Field, home of the Portland Timbers, is fast becoming the most intimidating home field in the MLS. Although small in comparison with its Pacific Northwest neighbor to the north Century Link Field in Seattle, the former minor league baseball stadium that backs up onto the Multnomah Athletic Club in downtown Portland was converted into a soccer-only venue in 2011 and it is spectacular. The opening game of the 2013 season between the Timbers and the New York Red Bulls was a scintillating 3-3 draw and TV viewers can attest to the energy and passion in the stands. Although it is a new venue for soccer, Jeld-Wen is nearly 85-years-old and this history, along with its rabid fan base, create an atmosphere and patina to the stadium that makes it feel bigger than its 22,000 seat capacity.

Why it doesn’t work: Two words: artificial turf. US Soccer has made it quite clear that their home matches will only be played on the natural stuff and Jeld-Wen is outfitted with Field Turf – admittedly high quality but nevertheless artificial grass. The Northwest’s extended rainy periods keep the Timbers and many of Oregon’s facilities from using natural grass surfaces. One alternative might be the Desso Grassmaster surface, currently used at the Emirates Stadium in London and Lambeau Field in Green Bay, that blends natural with artificial grass to get the best of both worlds.

Jeld-Wen Field, via i’m not giving up

3. Soldier Field. Chicago, IL

Why it works: Along with Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Soldier Field is one of Professional Football’s great shrines. It is home to the Chicago Bears and - until its 2003 renovation - its neo-classical facade and single bowl seating gave it an aura of pure Americana dating to its opening in the 1920s. The Wood + Zapata renovation significantly modernized the building, giving it a kind of rebirth. Like few other US stadiums, Soldier Field is now an aggressively modern, exciting building that could be the perfect home base for the New World’s full embrace of the Old World’s traditional pastime. In addition, at just 61,500-seats and located within the soccer hotbed of the Midwest, loyal American soccer fans could easily fill Soldier Field for the big matches. 

Why it doesn’t work: The aura of Bronco Nagurski, Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka and Walter Payton might just be too much to overcome. This is an American Football stadium and always will be. Additionally, the severe Chicago winters would take Soldier Field out of contention to host matches for nearly half the calendar year, much of it the exact time the National Team plays its qualifying matches.

Soldier Field, via Skyscraper City

4. RFK Stadium. Washington, DC

Why it works: It’s a no brainer - locate the National Soccer Stadium in the Nation’s Capital. Simple. Done. The 40-year-old RFK Stadium has aged and is rough around the edges but we kind of like that – it gives visitors an unsettled feeling. DC United fans regularly fill the lower bowl of its two tiers and the stands literally bounce when the Screaming Eagles are in full force. With a capacity of 45,000, RFK might just be big enough for the grandeur of a qualifying match and small enough to easily fill for a big game in this soccer-rich region.

Why it doesn’t work: RFK’s age means it lacks the modern amenities of luxury suites and club seating to make it a viable competitor with  more modern buildings. Barring a very unlikely renovation, given the Washington Redskins already abandoned it for the 90,000-seat FedEx Field, RFK Stadium is only going to get rougher with age. A new stadium for DC United is likely in the near future, making RFK’s run certain to end. Shame - if only the money was there, it could be the perfect spot for Jurgen Klinsmann & Co to call home.

RFK Stadium, via Screaming-Eagles

5. MetLife Stadium. East Rutherford, NJ

Why it works: MetLife Stadium – home of both the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets – stands just feet from the former Giants Stadium, the site of some of the greatest moments in American Soccer. Home to the New York Cosmos of Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer, five matches from the 1994 World Cup including the famous battle between Ireland and Italy, several of the 1999 Women’s World Cup matches, as well as a long list of other big soccer matches, Giants Stadium was arguably the unofficial American National Soccer Stadium until it was torn down. So, the bigger, glitzier, $1 billion MetLife Stadium took its place in 2011 and is ready to fill its shoes. Although neither building is special architecturally, both feature three tiers of seating – unforgivably enclosed, blocking views to New York City.  However, being located in the New York City Metro area, home to so many Americans with roots in soccer-mad countries, MetLife Stadium could quite easily take over where Giants Stadium left off.

Why it doesn’t work: Like Jeld-Wen Stadium, MetLife Stadium uses FieldTurf and though the USA’s near sell-out game against Brazil in 2010 was played on a temporary grass pitch laid atop the artificial surface, US Soccer prefers a permanent grass pitch for their big matches. Like Chicago, New York is awfully cold in the winter, leaving much of the calendar year unplayable. Also, having been to MetLife Stadium, it is extremely banal and lacks the essential atmosphere the National teams require from their home field.

MetLife Stadium via A Big Juicy Van

All of these buildings have their positives and negatives.  So, as none of them fits the bill perfectly, could the answer be a rotation between all five? Such a solution would give each region of the country access to major matches and ensure that all games were played in historically significant buildings packed with hostile crowds.

So there you have it – a five-headed monster of a National Stadium befitting our diverse, expansive – and growing – soccer-mad nation. Or we could just play it at Dick’s.

INTERVIEW: BEN VICKERY, POPULOUS

March 2, 2013 By in Interview, Rugby Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

POPULOUS SENIOR PRINCIPAL BEN VICKERY TALKS TO US ABOUT THE GRAND STADE, FUTURE HOME OF FRENCH RUGBY

GRAND STADE FFR_PARVIS NORD EST_POPULOUS and Ateliers 2 3 4 low res

The enticing, solid-void relationship of the Grand Stade exterior (Photo: Populous)

The stadium design giant Populous has teamed up with Paris’ Atelier 2/3/4 to win the competition for the new, 82,000-seat French Rugby National Stadium to be located in the town of Evry-Essonne, approximately 25 km south of Paris. Like Twickenham is owned by the English Rugby Football Union, Murrayfield by Scottish Rugby and Millennium Stadium by the Welsh Rugby Union, the Grand Stade will be owned by the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) and will be a major stop on the international rugby circuit.

The project’s rough, volumetric exterior represents a marked break from other recent European stadiums where slick surfaces morph vertical facades with roofs overhead. Along with a retractable roof, a pitch that slides out for ideal light conditions, and unique, amphitheater-like internal spaces, the Grand Stade will be an iconic new stadium with unique character and tremendous game-day atmosphere. We had the privilege of talking with Ben Vickery, a Senior Principal at Populous about the process behind the new design:

Stadiafile: Congratulations on your competition victory for the Grand Stade.

Ben Vickery: Thank you, we are delighted to have won!  It was a year-long design competition against our dear rivals. We think this is an unusual and innovative project which we think will suit the FFR well.

SF: The images suggest it will be an unusual yet exciting project whose exterior will be unique among large, contemporary European stadiums. What were some of the ideas behind the design that led to its unique appearance?

BV: French Rugby are currently a tenant in Stade de France, essentially renting space in the French National Stadium. The England, Ireland and Wales Rugby Federations all own their own stadiums which the FFR felt they needed in order to compete.  They initially wanted 80,000 seats, a closing roof and moving pitch to allow natural grass to grow and concrete surface inside to enable multiple uses, like the University of Pheonix Stadium in Arizona, Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and GelreDome in Arnhem, the Netherlands, only bigger.

GRAND STADE FFR_PELOUSE_POPULOUS and Ateliers 2 3 4 low res

The Grand Stade will feature a retractable playing surface (Photo: Populous)

They also wanted a convivial, relaxing and comfortable building with plenty of places to eat and drink.  For the unique design, we have a belief here at Populous that each of our projects should look different – when seen on television you should know immediately that this is the French Rugby Stadium.  We wanted the stadium to be rough like rugby and there will be an echo of the white stone quarries in Baux de Provence and fortified towns where all the town’s occupants can come and feel safe inside.  From that the visual impression was created. That being said, how the stadium functioned inside was just as important as how it looked.

SF: Staying outside the stadium for a bit, the depth of the exterior created by the tremendous volumes and voids seems to imply a public, civic quality that stadiums, because of their private nature often deny.

BV: Yes, it is the intention for it to be more than just another building but a civic building; it should be welcoming 365 days per year.

SF: How many days per year will it be used by the National Team? Will there be other uses?

BV: The FFR envision 17 to 20 events a year, including five to six games of the French national rugby team and the final of the TOP 14 and will hopefully attract other sports, football, concerts, other big indoor events. The French Rugby Team sells out Stade de France for the Six Nations, Autumn Internationals against South Africa, Argentina… so they expect to do the same at the Grand Stade.

SF: How does the stadium work on the inside? Did we see a brass band playing in one of the renderings?

BV: French Rugby wanted closeness to the pitch, for the spectators they wanted all the sightlines to be good and also to have a physical connection to the field of play. When on the concourse you can see the pitch; when getting a drink or something to eat you won’t miss anything.

The field of play will remain in view when up to grab a drink (Photo: Populous)

The field of play will remain in view from the concourse (Photo: Populous)

We also wanted to create unusual spaces, one of which is Plazas des Bandas; brass bands play during French Rugby matches. We’ve created acoustically enhanced, open platforms designed to reflect the band out to the seating areas – creating more atmosphere. Also, double-height boxes for lounge areas. Creating (amplifying) atmosphere was a goal of the project, as the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff does so well during Six Nations Matches – with a closing roof, the atmosphere is amazing when fans start singing.

Amphitheater-like spaces mark the upper deck corners (Photo: Populous)

Amphitheater-like Plazas des Bandas mark the upper deck corners (Photo: Populous)

SF: The project is a collaboration with Atelier 2/3/4?

BV: Yes and engineering with Egis from France as well. Also, the FFR will be launching a debenture scheme like in the US, where you can buy a ten-year license for a seat which will allow you to attend all events at the stadium – concerts and other games in addition to the national rugby team’s matches.

SF: We call it Public Seat Licenses (PSLs) in the US, and they are fairly controversial here. The general perception is the  team owners are forcing fans to pay additional fees just to have the right to buy a seat, on top of already high ticket prices. However, the idea of buying your seat for all events at the stadium is different and could potentially be quite attractive if done well.

SF: Speaking of team owners, it is often said that good buildings require good clients, just as much as they do good designers. With that in mind, what are club owners like as clients? 

BV: Firstly, they vary greatly and are often great characters. People at the top of sport tend to be strong characters and tend to know what they want which is great. Our philosophy at Populous not to repeat things and to do something unique with each project works well with unique characters for clients. French Rugby are also very organized and methodical about each step, in addition to being strong characters and an enjoyable bunch. Also, stadiums are very intimate to the client, because it will be theirs – unlike designing a spec. office building, for example.

SF: Finally, Populous is about to release the 5th Edition of Stadia: A Design and Development Guide (Routledge). What’s new and what has changed since the last edition?

BV: We surprised ourselves with how much ideas in stadiums have changed in five years since the 4th Edition. New ideas, case studies, thoughts about finances, technologies, structures have surprised us tremendously.

The heavens will shine down through the open roof (Photo: Populous)

The FFR hope the Rugby Gods shine down on the new Grand Stade (Photo: Populous)

Since chatting with Ben Vickery, I came across this article about the great American architect Louis Kahn and can’t help but see similarities between the proposal for the Grand Stade and Kahn’s wonderful National Assembly in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Architecture critic Ada Louis Huxtable describes the ‘deliberate roughness’ and ‘primal simplicity’ of Kahn’s work, which is also true of the designs for the Grand State. It is still very early in the design process and whether Populous and Atelier 2/3/4 continue in the same vein might be asking a lot. But the initial images are encouraging and the fresh, playful reading of French culture looks set to make this a truly National stadium for French Rugby.

SPEEDS SOAR & RECORDS FALL AT WASHINGTON HEIGHTS’ INDOOR TRACK MECCA

February 18, 2013 By in Articles, Track and Field Tags: , , , , , , 4 Comments
The Armory on Fort Washington Avenue (Photo: Stadiafile)

The Armory on Fort Washington Avenue (Photo: Stadiafile)

Fort Washington Avenue Armory
Home of the National Track & Field Hall of Fame & New Balance Track & Field Center
Capacity: 5,000
New York, NY
Architect: Richard Walker and Charles Morris
1911

A few weeks back, Stadiafile was lucky enough to score a press pass to the Armory Collegiate Invitational Track Meet at the Fort Washington Armory, an incredible indoor track facility located on 168th Street and Fort Washington Avenue in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. If like me you have not only never been to the Armory but didn’t even know it existed, read on and go soon – you will be pleasantly surprised by the East Coast’s premier track venue.

Sprints take place on the 8-lane center straightaway (Photo: Stadiafile)

Sprints take place on the 8-lane center straightaway (Photo: Stadiafile)

The Armory was originally built in 1911 for the 22nd Regiment of the Army Corps of Engineers on a 1.9 acre city block, just north of where the 16,000-seat Hilltop Park once stood, home to the New York Highlanders Baseball Club.

Hilltop Park with the Armory beyond the Left Field fence circa 1912 via Skyscraper City

Originally built for military purposes, the Armory quickly became a center for local track athletes. A makeshift, splinter throwing wooden track was built and, apart from a short break during World War II, it was home to the city’s great track athletes until the 1980s, when an urban housing crisis turned it and other city Armories into homeless shelters. The building quickly fell into disrepair and became notorious for violence and crime throughout the 80s. In 1993, led by Dr. Norbert Sander, winner of the 1974 New York City Marathon, the Armory was returned to a track facility and in 2002 became the site of the newly relocated National Track and Field Hall of Fame Museum which is housed on the first and second floors.

The grand staircase leads you up to the third floor track center (Photo: Stadiafile)

The grand staircase leads up to the third floor track center (Photo: Stadiafile)

Some of the historic USA Track uniforms on display at the Hall of Fame Museum (Photo: Stadiafile)

USA Track uniforms on display at the Hall of Fame Museum (Photo: Stadiafile)

Inside the three story, neo-classical, red brick edifice lies what many believe to be the best indoor track in the country. The Armory’s track is lauded for several reasons, not least of which is its length. The extraordinary size of the Armory Drill Hall provides room for a 200-meter track, a benchmark for elite indoor facilities. The track’s length allows for long straightaways, something shorter tracks don’t have – the father of a competitor I talked with track-side described his daughter’s hometown facility in Albany which at only 80 meters long gives the effect that you are always turning left. The odd distance of 80 meters also makes for strange start and stop points as well as coaches being forced to perform complicated split-time calculations. The Armory track features steep, banked curves which allow runners to keep up their top speeds throughout the circuit, not possible in flat tracks, which makes for fast times and records constantly being broken. The synthetic rubber, Mondo surface is state-of-the-art, a vast improvement over the Armory’s old wooden tracks or even “the boards” at Madison Square Garden. Add to the mix seating for 5,000 up in the rafters and a four-sided video board positioned above it all, making the Armory an unparalleled venue – its professional yet extremely intimate atmosphere is second to none.

Speeds are high coming off the banked curve (Photo: Stadiafile)

Speeds are high coming off the banked curve (Photo: Stadiafile)

In addition to big meets like the Collegiate and the Millrose Games, the Armory is the home track for all the city’s local colleges, high schools and track clubs and is said to be in use every day between November and March. As many as 30,000 city kids compete in track and field and many run at the Armory on an annual basis. In fact, the abundance of athletes making their way from the nearby A and 1 subway stations or warming up on neighboring streets throughout the winter is sometimes credited for the revitalization of this Washington Heights neighborhood.

Taking in the action from the upper deck seating (Photo: Stadiafile)

Taking in the action from the upper deck seating (Photo: Stadiafile)

Whether the Armory is the best track in the country is perhaps debatable. Texas A&M’s Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium features a 200-meter, hydraulic powered, banked track that can be converted to an artificial turf football field in a matter of hours. Boston University’s 2002 Track and Tennis Center features a fixed, 200-meter, banked track, like the Armory, and is supposedly just as good. However, neither of these – nor for that matter those at the Universities of Washington or Nebraska – sit within a century-old military building in New York City, so the tie goes to the Armory.

(Photo: Stadiafile)

Runners from all over the world and the city compete at the Armory Oval (Photo: Stadiafile)

The Armory, like many great old sport venues, exudes atmosphere and charm. You feel it as you enter from Fort Washington Avenue and walk up the red-carpeted staircase to the third floor, you want to spend time in the Armory, you want to sit in the rafters and hear old-timers talk Track and Field as they might have done when the Millrose Games were drawing 18,000 to the Garden a hundred blocks south. You want to watch future Olympians so obviously excited to let their legs run free on a fast, large, optimized oval in the depths of winter in the Big Apple. You want to go to Coogan’s Bar behind the Armory on Broadway and have a pint beneath the track singlets and banners hanging from the ceiling. The Armory is the home of the city’s track scene and – along with Hayward Field in Eugene, OR and Franklin Field in Philadelphia, PA – they are the cultivators of track culture in the United States, so go – I promise you will enjoy.

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Late afternoon sun pours through the upper clerestory (Photo: Stadiafile)

AN ENDAGERED SPECIES? WHY THE 1990s NFL DOME DOESN’T DESERVE TO DIE

February 8, 2013 By in Articles, Football, Roof Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

The Georgia Dome via New Klages

Before officially turning out the lights on the 2012 Football Season, we’d like to have a look at two buildings, the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis and the Georgia Dome in Atlanta (home of the Rams and Falcons), both about 20 years old and both viewed by their respective team owners Stan Kroenke and Arthur Blank as antiquated by modern standards and in need of either refurbishments or reconstruction. We will uncover the hidden beauty of these two uninspired yet totally salvageable buildings and reveal the few tweaks and modifications that could go a long way to bring these two Children of the 90s up to speed.

The Georgia Dome
Home of the Atlanta Falcons
Capacity: 71,228
Atlanta, GA
Architect: Heery International, Rosser Fabrap International, TVS Architects and structural engineer Weidlinger Associates
1992

Edward Jones Dome
Home of the St. Louis Rams
Capacity: 66,000
St. Louis, MO
Architect: Populous
1995

It was the ’90s, the throwback Oriole Park in Baltimore was all the rage, the NFL was expanding, franchises were relocating and a subsequent stadium building spree was about to begin. The Georgia and Edward Jones Domes, built three years apart, were the first stadiums to be built of the fertile 90s-00s era. Both are downtown sports facilities that are part of larger convention center projects which host a variety of events including but not limited to Professional Football, conventions and trade shows, NCAA College Basketball Final Fours, College Football Bowl Games, Rock Concerts, Professional Wrestling and Monster Truck races. These urban, multipurpose football venues are part of the re-urbanization of America’s cities began in the 1990s.

The Georgia Dome along with the 18,500-seat Philips Arena (home of the Atlanta Hawks) forms the southern component of the 3.9 million ft² Georgia World Congress Center. The entire complex together with the 21-acre Olympic Centennial Park built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, is a major tourist destination for the city of Atlanta.

The Georgia Dome with the downtown Atlanta skyline via Salon.com

The Edward Jones Dome is literally built into the 500,000 ft² America’s Center Convention Complex. The America’s Center is a smaller facility than its Atlanta counterpart, and as St. Louis boasts both Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Scottrade Center, home of the St. Louis Blues hockey team, across town, the Edward Jones Dome consequently doesn’t host the number of events on site as the Georgia Dome. However, the fact that the Dome and America’s Center are essentially one building enables the Dome to be used as an extension of the convention center, significantly increasing its square footage if need arises.

Edward Jones Dome and the downtown St. Louis skyline via Bleacher Report

Although both buildings are fixed domes, their respective roofs are quite different in conception. The Georgia Dome roof, is the largest cable supported tensile structure in the world and the Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric roof is a lightweight, translucent material that provides an incredible amount of light inside. The general form resembles a circus tent and the intricate pattern created by the triangulated panels and supporting structure forms an iconic roof unique to this facility.

The pillowy Georgia Dome Roof via Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Edward Jones Dome features a far more robust steel construction. A complex network of trusses combines with a hard, plastic exterior surface to make a roof that can withstand heavy snow loads and high storm winds. Unlike the Georgia Dome, which has had several structural failures in its two year history, the Edward Jones Dome has had none and though its lack of windows or translucent surfaces blocks out all natural light, its low-maintenance construction is worthy of note, if a bit dull.

Edward Jones Dome under construction via Groupe Canam Flickr

At their present state, both buildings are relatively banal edifices whose main feature is their utilitarian flexibility that allows them to hold many different events. The Georgia Dome exterior is almost square-shaped, each side featuring silver, black and red panels matching the color palette of the Atlanta Falcons. The corners are truncated by full height glass walls that are the primary entrance points to the stadium. A stretch of solid surface separates the top of the stadium and the dome roof is a mundane swath and a missed opportunity – glass infill panels could provide additional natural light into the dome, and would offer views to the surrounding Atlanta cityscape. Alternatively, this area could be lit at night similar to new exterior lighting at the Superdome (blackout jokes aside). Smartly placed LED lighting, similar to that at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center could enliven the elongated horizontality of the façade panels and reinforce the intended reference to the speeding traffic on nearby roadways.

The Georgia Dome exterior panels via Skyscraper City

The Edward Jones Dome designed by Populous features a similar neo-traditional design idea as their successful Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The red-brick exterior of the Dome is intended to fit into its historic, urban site while also breaking down the building’s massive scale. Though this is not as successful here as it lacks Baltimore’s iconic B&O Warehouse to reference, the less public Convention Plaza side is a nice blend of modern glass elements and traditional brick motif. The main façade on North Broadway is the eyesore, why it doesn’t match its more elegant side is not clear though a simple fix is.

The Edward Jones Dome entrance corner on North Broadway via Wikipedia

The much nicer Convention Plaza façade to the left via Skyline Scenes Flickr

The overall package of both buildings seems fine enough – surely just a few alterations and a 50-yard video screen away from seeming state-of-the-art, no? What gives? Why the urge to demolish two perfectly reasonable (if uninspired) stadiums? A dubiously subjective line in the Edward Jones Dome lease goes a long way to understanding each team owner’s beef. In the original lease the Rams signed with the city when they skipped Los Angeles on a sweetheart deal, is a line that the Edward Jones Dome be a “top tier” stadium in 2015 – twenty years after its opening. Whatever top tier ultimately means who knows, but as it and the Georgia Dome were built at the beginning of this stadium boom, for comparably lower amounts ($350 million and $420 million respectively, compared to $1 billion for the NY Giants and Jets’ shared home Met Life Stadium in 2010) both buildings priorities were different from that of current stadia. What seemed cool at the time – domes and convention centers – is out of fashion now, when cutting-edge is defined as retractable roofs and video boards.  But guess what? Trend chasing gets expensive when you’re talking billion dollar buildings in strained financial times – we’re not talking about jeans or kitchen appliances here. It gets especially tough to swallow when the bill will fall on tax payers who will see none of the promised revenue of a new stadium.

So Arthur Blank and Stan Kroenke, you don’t like your fixed domes anymore? Hang tight, hire someone to insert some natural light, build out additional fan-zones where possible and rest assure that fixed domes will be cool again.

Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence, Italy via Brian Holihan

 

THE SUPER BOWL’S SUPERDOME

January 31, 2013 By in Articles, Football, Roof Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
The Superdome and the New Orleans skyline via Comicvine

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Home of the New Orleans Saints and 2013 Super Bowl XLVII
Capacity: 73,208 (expandable to 76,468)
New Orleans, LA
1975

This Sunday, the National Football League (NFL) holds its 47th annual championship game as the Super Bowl comes to the city of New Orleans and the cavernous Superdome. The 73,000-seat dome was completely renovated in 2006 following damage suffered from Hurricane Katrina and the shiny new bronze exterior, revised exterior plazas and updated interior have helped modernize this hulking relic of a bygone era in stadium design.

The Superdome circa 1976, via the past whispers

In addition to being home to the New Orleans Saints, the Superdome has previously hosted six Super Bowls, four BCS College Football National Championship Games, five NCAA College Basketball Final Fours, Tulane University College Football home games, the annual Bayou Classic between Louisiana’s two historically black colleges Grambling and Southern, was the site of Muhammad Ali’s third heavyweight title victory over Leon Spinks and Sugar Ray Leonard’s rematch with Roberto Duran and has also provided emergency shelter for New Orleans residents after Hurricanes Georges, Ivan and most famously Katrina. Located in the heart of this tourist mecca, the Superdome is a cog in modern-day New Orleans’ economic engine and an integral component to the culture of this wonderfully complex city.

Aerial view of the Superdome with New Orleans Arena beyond, via Wikipedia

The Superdome opened in 1975, during a time when big, multi-purpose, climate controlled stadiums were the vanguard of sport facilities. The Astrodome in Houston, the Kingdome in Seattle and the Superdome are quintessential of this era. In addition to football, each of these buildings were also designed to house basketball and baseball – albeit with varying degrees of success – the multiplicity of uses of these buildings is a forgotten benefit of this much vilified era of stadium design.

The  Superdome was built with hopes to secure a new football franchise for New Orleans as the NFL was expanding its number of teams and fan base. Then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle was enamored with domes and was said to require such a facility before he would award New Orleans a team. Days after a new team was given, financing was approved for construction of the Superdome.

Unlike many of the other stadiums from the late ’60s and ’70s which were located in suburban areas far away from urban cores, the Superdome is sited in New Orleans’ central business district. Surrounding amenities like the 18,500-seat New Orleans Arena and the newly updated Champions Square fan plaza connect to blocks of office buildings and hotels that make for an urban complex beyond just the dome itself.

Superdome with on gameday with filled parking lots, via Inquisitr

Local modernists Curtis and Davis Architects were hired to design the new dome and of the three big domes, the Superdome is the most successful and elegantly conceived. The Superdome sits atop a multi-story, rectangular plinthe that houses several levels of parking. The arena proper is circular in plan and set within a slightly bowed square base. The vertical surface of the arena is a C-shape in section and sweeps around the entirety of the stadium. The exterior has a uniform, anodized aluminum cladding whose bronze sheen beautifully catches the New Orleans sun. A white, rubber-clad steel roof, with a diameter of 680-feet – the largest in the world – caps off a remarkably clear, simple scheme.

Building section, via Skyscraper City

The interior is equally simple in organization and monumental in scale – soaring to a height of 273 feet, the Superdome roof is one of the largest interior spaces in the world. Seating is organized in three tiers with a modest club level tucked under the upper deck along each sideline. Unlike the Astrodome, whose glass and steel roof ushers natural light inside, the Superdome roof is completely opaque and the result is an interior completely reliant on artificial lighting.

A surprisingly cool roof inside the Superdome, via the field that filled with dreams

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped several holes in the roof allowing rain to pour down on thousands of residents who had taken shelter inside. This was the third time the Superdome had been used as a hurricane evacuation center, but was by far the most extensive as 9,000 residents spent the night of August 29th in the Superdome and as many as 20,000 ended up sheltering in the massive dome in the storm’s aftermath. The lack of preparedness, both by the city and inside the Dome itself, has been well documented and the scenes inside were remarkably bleak. Despite the inadequacies of supplies and security however, as an evacuation center, it is humbling to realize the importance this urban building has for its community – providing shelter when needed – even if grossly overwhelmed during Katrina. This model of a multi-purpose sports facility doubling as a community’s emergency shelter is being copied on a smaller though more extensive scale in small towns in Texas; seeing replicas sprouting up nearby can be seen as the ultimate compliment to a building.

A beam of light reminiscent of the Pantheon shines down on Katrina refugees, via Boston.com

The Superdome has just completed a $300 million, 3-phase renovation. A team led by AECOM/Ellerbe Becket and Baton Rouge-based Trahan Architects developed plans to repair all damage inflicted by Katrina, which has also seen the exterior aluminum siding replaced and returned  to its original champagne bronze color, exterior LED lighting system installed, landscaping and fan-zone plazas updated, lower seating bowl rebuilt, new lounges added, club levels revised and synthetic surface replaced.  As a result, this once ageing facility is now state of the art.

Workers apply new roof to the Superdome, via everystockphoto

The Superdome shines in the morning sun, via Wikipedia

Of the big three 20th Century domes, the Superdome is the only one still in operation. The Kingdome was demolished in 2000 and the Astrodome sits vacant as the retractable roofed-Reliant Stadium was built next door. Like a victorious prize fighter, the Superdome has emerged from its nadir, having endured tremendous blows, and is now a remarkable example of a well-used, major urban sports venue whose presence extends beyond its walls. One hopes authorities have considered how the dome will handle the next major storm when it comes; perhaps that will be the new Superdome’s ultimate test, as it is quite evident that its well equipped to handle Super Bowl Sunday.

The Superdome as seen from Pontchartrain Expwy, via Maitri Flickr

8 NEW STADIUMS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2013

January 19, 2013 By in Articles, Basketball, College Football, Olympics Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 Comments

A newly remodeled Maracanã Stadium will be next decade’s hub of sport via Building.co.uk

While 2014 will be a banner year for international sport, with the Fifa World Cup in Brazil and Winter Olympics in Russia, 2013 is an exciting year for stadiums with the opening of the main venues for the World Cup and Olympics as well as the Gulf Cup of Nations. A new building for Spartak Moscow and renovations of Madison Square Garden, University of Washington’s Husky Stadium in Seattle round out what will no doubt be a significant year for new stadia worldwide.

Estádio do Maracanã. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

One of the world’s cathedrals of sport, the Maracanã was built for the 1950 World Cup and famously hosted the Final match that saw the home side Brazil lose 2-1 to neighbors Uruguay. Attendance at that final match reached 200,000 spectators and though its capacity has been reduced significantly it still holds a towering position in the history of international football. For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2016 Summer Olympics and 2013 Confederations Cup, the Maracanã is being retrofitted. While the exterior has landmark status and thus can’t be touched, the interior bowl is being completely rebuilt, all seating replaced, and a new roof featuring rainwater collection installed, all designed by Daniel Fernandes of São Paulo-based Fernandes Arquitetos. Overall stadium capacity will be reduced to 77,000-spectators, although the overall envelope and size of the stadium will remain the same. With this sensitive yet bold renovation the Maracanã looks to remain at the center of the global sporting scene in the coming years.

Artistic representation of renovated Maracanã, via Fernandes / Arquitectos

Artistic representation of overhead view of Maracanã, via Fernandes / Arquitectos

Fisht Olympic Stadium. Sochi, Russia

The XXII Olympic Winter Games are returning to Russia in 2014 for the first time since the Games were held in Moscow in 1980. This iteration of the winter sport festival will be held in the summer seaside resort town of Sochi, on the Black Sea coast near the Georgian border. This will be the first Winter Olympic Games with an Olympic Park, and the Populous-designed Fisht Olympic Stadium will be the feature building amongst five other arenas in the Coastal Cluster. Fisht Olympic Stadium is situated so that its two open ends direct views to Mt. Fisht to the north and the Black Sea to the south. The stadium will hold 45,000 spectators for the Olympics and World Cup in 2018 but has been designed to reduce capacity to 25,000 when it becomes home for local football matches. The design for the open-air stadium takes its inspiration from Fabergé art and the opposing, continuous glass-covered sides of the stadium will reflect the sun and provide tantalizing aerial images.

Artistic representation of Fisht Olympic Stadium, via Populous

Sochi residents continue their daily routines as a Fisht rises behind, via The Globe and Mail

Basra Sport City. Basrah, Iraq

In the midst of an ongoing war, the Iraqi government put together a plan to fund a $550 million sports park featuring a 65,000-seat soccer stadium, 20,000-seat “secondary” stadium, four training fields, four 5-star hotels, and many other sports facilities, in the southern city of Basra. The facility was originally meant to host the 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations soccer tournament, but ongoing security concerns have moved the event to Bahrain; Basra Sport City now plans to host in 2015. Kansas City-based 360 Architecture won the commission through a design competition and the American firm used local Iraqi weaving traditions as the inspiration for the exterior of the main stadium. A series of white, precast concrete, ogee-shaped bands intertwine with vertical elements to create a dynamic exterior. The thick facade and continuous roof will throw significant shadow on spectators and should mediate Basra’s extraordinary summer temperatures.

Overhead view of proposed Basra Sport City, via 360 Architecture

Artistic rendering of the main stadium, via Skyscraper City

Arena Corinthians. São Paulo, Brazil

Back in Brazil, which along with Russia is seeing a fast, major overhaul of its sport facilities, the city of São Paulo and the legendary Sport Club Corinthians are getting a new, 45,000-seater that has been on top of Stadiafile’s list for a while. Designed by somewhat unknown architect Anibal Coutinho, the modern, minimalist yet bold new stadium will host up to four matches in the 2014 World Cup and will later be home to Sport Club Corinthians. The field is below ground, such that main access to the building will be between upper and lower tiers via a spacious plaza. A crisp, square roof will hover above and cast shade on spectators, while acting as a surface for photovoltaic cells that will generate some of the energy needed to run the building. The entire east side wall of the exterior will be a high definition video board measuring 120 meters x 7.5 meters – making it the world’s largest video board, well over double the screen size of Dallas’ Cowboy Stadium. While the Maracanã will garner much of the attention at the World Cup, it is Arena Corinthians that I expect to be the showstopper.

Artistic representation of overhead view into Arena Corinthians, via Wikipedia

Artistic representation of view into Arena Corinthians, via Copa 2014

Artistic representation of the eastern wall’s video board, via Copa 2014

Spartak Stadium. Moscow, Russia

FC Spartak Moscow’s new, 42,000-seat stadium is under construction and scheduled for completion at the end of 2013. The stadium and its 12,000-seat little brother next door – both designed by AECOM – are located on the deserted Tushino Airport site, fifteen km outside the city center. Like many modern European stadia, Spartak Stadium has a continuous exterior wall and roof design, with the latter’s robust structure designed to withstand large loads from Russian snows. The two-tier stadium features a large bank of VIP suites along one sideline and will have a synthetic playing surface that can be switched out for natural grass for international tournaments, as will be the case when the 2018 FIFA World Cup is played in Russia.

Artistic rendering of overhead view of Spartak Stadium, via Skyscraper City

Interior view of Spartak Stadium, via FC Spartak

Husky Stadium. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

One of College Football’s most picturesque, unique stadiums has been out of commission for the past two seasons undergoing major renovations. 360 Architecture were charged with the redesign and from the looks of it, Husky Stadium’s essential character will remain intact. Adjacent to Lake Washington on the University of Washington campus, 70% of the stadium’s 72,000 seats are located between the two end zones. The upper tiers rise vertiginously high above the field, capped by two broad roofs which both shelter fans from the Northwestern rains and direct crowd noise down to the field. While the entire stadium except for the northern stand has been rebuilt, much remains essentially the same. What’s different then you ask? The track that surrounded the field has been relocated to a nearby track and field stadium. The south stand has been rebuilt, and while it maintains the iconic symmetrical profile with its northern counterpart, a level of luxury suites and a small middle tier of seats have been inserted between lower and upper tiers. The stadium’s east side, long kept open to the lake, has been enclosed by of a new single tier of seating and field-level suites. A newly rebuilt and more prominent campus side entry on the west side rounds out a largely similar, yet more modern Husky Stadium. The renovations all seem logical and maintain a gem of a football stadium – the true test for Husky fans will be if their Dogs can ever wrestle control of Pac-12 North from their southern neighbors in Eugene.

Artistic interpretation of west entry with Lake Washington beyond, via UW

View looking west, via UW Dawgpound

Pre-renovation Husky Stadium, via Wikipedia

Pre-renovation Husky Stadium from the north side upper deck, via Wikipedia

Madison Square Garden Phase III. New York, NY

For the past two summers, the always busy Madison Square Garden has been dark, due to a three-phase, $1 billion, complete transformation of the 40-year-old building. Toronto-based BBB Architects are leading the design effort, which has so far seen the demolition of lower and upper seating bowls, which were famously in a single-tier configuration, to be replaced by a more normative upper and lower tier with mid-level suites, larger fan concourses, construction of the 10,000 sf West Balcony Party Deck, and rebuilt locker rooms. This summer, Phase III includes perhaps the most striking aspects of the project. A rebuilt main entrance – from 7th Avenue. A matching fan Party Deck on a newly-built East Balcony, to be connected to the West with unprecedented fan bridges hanging from the iconic MSG roof. It is still not fully clear how the fan bridges will operate, but they are described as having a capacity of 500 and will look directly down onto the action below. Whether these will be the novile, exciting, innovative feature in fan experience we hope for, or just an annoying gimmick that gets in the way of upper tier seats and hides that great roof is yet to be seen. However, the creativity and boldness of the idea, along with an improved entry and reported city views from the long dark and dismal fan concourses should make ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena’ a far improved venue.

Artistic representation of the completed MSG, via HF Boards

Artistic representation of the sky bridges at MSG via HF Boards

Artistic representation of the new entrance with skylight above, via Kentucky.com

PUT YOUR HANDS UP FOR BRIGHTON!

January 9, 2013 By in English Football, Reviews Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment
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The translucent roof is the star of the show at The Amex (photo: Stadiafile)

AMERICAN EXPRESS COMMUNITY STADIUM
Home of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club
Capacity: 27,350 (soon to be 30,000)
Brighton, UK
2011
Architect: KSS Design Group

Drive drive fifty miles east from Fratton Park in Portsmouth, UK along the A27 motorway and you arrive at the American Express Community Stadium – aka The Amex.  The year-old home of the Championship’s Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club is situated just outside the beautiful seaside city of Brighton. Last week I was lucky enough to take a tour of the new facility and watch the Seagulls dismantle Newcastle United in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup.

The Amex is a true home field for Brighton (photo: Stadiafile)

The Amex is a true home field for Brighton (photo: Stadiafile)

The Amex is the culmination of a truly extraordinary fan-led effort – spanning fourteen years to secure a new stadium site! – and was was funded entirely by Brighton club owner Tony Bloom. With its rain sheltering translucent roof above, padded seats throughout and wonderful site lines, the new venue is a major upgrade over previous Albion homes Whithdean Stadium and Goldstone Ground and in comparison to these old buildings and knowing the struggle that went into its construction the Amex is a spectacular project. Yet, as I stood in the mob waiting for the train home, I couldn’t help feel there is still some work to be done on the exterior and transportation links before it can be considered a complete success.

Amex Stadium under construction amongst the surrounding Downs, via Wikipedia

The new stadium is located five miles north of Brighton on the edge of the South Downs National Park, adjacent to the Universities of Brighton and Sussex and the historic village of Falmer. Significant local protests accompanied the proposal to build this 25,000-seat stadium in such a sensitive location and much of the Amex Stadium architecture seems to be a response to this early community push back. To reduce the overall height of the building, 138,000 cubic metres of chalk were excavated and moved to an adjacent farm – effectively burrowing the stadium into a large berm. By hiding the stadium in a man-made hill, The Amex is fairly inconspicuous – apparently not visible from Falmer village.

The South Downs hills beyond (photo: Stadiafile)

The South Downs hills beyond (photo: Stadiafile)

The curved roof is meant to mimic the surrounding South Downs hills and the exterior block is rendered in an understated beige concrete sympathetic with the region’s color palette – though the latter is so subtle it is hard to notice. Along with the exterior grey aluminum siding and black asphalt “plaza” the Amex exterior is a pretty drab experience – for a stadium with “Community” in its name, the no-frills palette creates very little sense of community outside.

The care and discipline it takes to design a beautiful yet understated building – see David Chipperfield - is unfortunately not present at The Amex. What is meant to be a subtle yet modern take on local building types – think local farm buildings – is rather bland and mediocre. This barren exterior would indicate that neither the club nor local community had any desire to create a stadium where one would want to spend time other than at a match, which is too bad given the spirit and communal nature of the club and its loyal fan base.

The approach from the nearby Falmer Train Station (photo: Stadiafile)

The approach from the nearby Falmer Train Station (photo: Stadiafile)

The uninviting main entry to The Amex (photo: Stadiafile)

The uninviting main entry to The Amex (photo: Stadiafile)

Due to the sensitivity of the site, parking is hard to come by around The Amex. The lack of on-site parking means the best, and really the only way to get to the stadium is via a nine-minute train from Brighton Station, whose impressive roof was no doubt an inspiration for The Amex. As so often stadiums are vilified for their seas of surface parking lots, a stadium that demands its fans use public transport should be commended. You would think that a giant new stadium plunked down in the countryside, bringing influx of 30,000 people in match days, would bring with it significant upgrades for the poor local train station.  And you would be wrong, though apparently the station has seen moderate upgrades they are not enough – perhaps due to the fact that this is a completely privately funded facility very little public money was spent on upgrading local infrastructure. Falmer Station appears not to have been touched since long before The Amex was built and is woefully too small to handle match day crowds.  Fans taking the train home from the match wait en masse – Brighton fans stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Newcastle fans for a tense thirty minutes the day I went – which seems negligent, borderline dangerous. For days when Brighton is playing local clubs Southampton or Portsmouth, I would recommend cycling or park-and-riding to the match.

The crowd gathers for the train home (photo: Stadiafile)

The crowd gathers for the train home (photo: Stadiafile)

Fortunately, the cold feeling dissipates right after you scan your ticket and cross the turnstile as things quickly brighten up inside. It is clear that the majority of the budget for this stadium was spent on the stadium interior. The bright blue, padded seats that are used throughout The Amex apparently are the same ones used for the VIP areas at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, which along with plenty of leg room and a steep bowl angle make for a very comfortable, luxurious viewing experience – just make sure to hold on when you stand up!

Our seats were in the third level of the West Stand right at the midfield line, directly above the main TV cameras. The best seat in a stadium – be it for soccer, American football or baseball – is high up and on axis with the pitch, either in the end zone or sideline; sitting close to the field of play is far overrated.

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Crowd fills up prior to FA Cup 3rd Round v Newcastle (photo: Stadiafile)

Our view could not have been better if we were at home watching the live feed on ITV. Though we were technically in the upper deck, due to the steep angle, our seats felt very close to the pitch – a testament to stadium architect KSS Design Group.

Steep! (photo: Stadiafile)

Steep! (photo: Stadiafile)

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Nestled underneath the translucent roof (photo: Stadiafile)

Having the the uppermost seats situated beneath the soaring, translucent roof – means the building’s cheapest tickets remain the driest when the rains come. This is a wonderfully democratic feature of stadiums with such roofs.

The award winning steak pie accompanied by a cup of tea is one of those perfect meals and completely took the chill off the day. Sitting back and enjoying Liam Bridcutt own the midfield below with the South Downs beyond made for one of the most pleasant afternoons I can remember having at a stadium in a long time.

The stadium roof dips revealing the Southdowns beyond (photo: Stadiafile)

The stadium roof dips revealing the South Downs beyond (photo: Stadiafile)

The patron saint of the Amex is Brighton Celebrity DJ Fatboy Slim, in the same way that Jay-Z rules over Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Both musicians are partial owners of their hometown teams which gave them inside track on christening their respective buildings. Like with the Jay-Z dominated soundtrack for Brooklyn Nets home games, Fatboy Slim songs feature on the in-stadium play list at The Amex adding an authenticity and street cred any new stadium would crave.

Despite the drawbacks that come with a new facility, which one imagines will eventually be resolved, this grand new building has created an optimism around the club and, after waiting fourteen years for their spectacular new home, Albion fans are reveling in their new found success.

10 BEST NEW STADIUMS OF 2012

December 31, 2012 By in Articles Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Aerial view of the London 2012 Olympic Park, via Dezeen

2012 has been an exciting year for us here at Stadiafile, with the birth of our blog project marking a big year for stadiums worldwide.  The London Olympics and the Euro Cup in Poland and Ukraine brought with them a slew of new stadiums, while a number of significant new venues also opened in the US, Europe and Latin America. Here Stadiafile presents our rundown of the year’s 10 best new stadiums…because that’s what we do at the end of the year… and we look ahead to what’s in store in 2013, which will be the Year of the Brazilian Stadium.

1. 2012 Summer Olympics. London, UK
Our global sports calendars now function on two-year cycles with the Olympics, Euro and World Cups coming every even year, bringing the planet a host of new sports venues. The questionable foresight of building so many sports facilities for a temporary event has been well documented and for this reason the venues for the 2012 Summer Games in London were most remarkable. This was the first games ever to fully embrace temporary structures for its venues and Populous, Zaha Hadid, Hopkins Architects among others turned out some gems. The 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium was originally designed to convert to a 25,000-seat soccer stadium, the Aquatic Center is currently being downsized to a 2,500-seat facility and in doing so revealing its intended dynamic form, the Basketball and Hockey Arenas were fully temporary venues to be rebuilt for the Rio 2016 Olympics and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games respectively. The Velodrome will be home to the British indoor cycling community, the Handball Arena is being converted to a community sports facility and the Olympic Park itself is currently being converted to serve as a public park for years to come, due to reopen in July 2013.  In taking this clear standpoint on the Games and their future for London, the 2012 Games and its stadia became landmarks for their innovative and markedly sustainable approach to large sports festivals.

Overhead view of London 2012′s Olympic Stadium, via About.com

2. Barclays Center. Brooklyn, NY
For the first time since the Brooklyn Dodgers left this great Borough for the West Coast and Ebbets Field was removed from its loving community, a professional sports facility now exists again in Brooklyn. After many delays, alternative design schemes, architects and community protests, developer Bruce Ratner and architects SHoP and Aecom/Ellerbe Becket produced something wonderful, bold and progressive for Brooklyn and the sports architecture world at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues in Brooklyn. The corten steel-clad building is accessed by virtually every subway train line in the city and features a public plaza beneath a videoboard-clad occulus. The Brooklyn Nets call this building home and one wonders what impact this high class building will have on this extremely mediocre franchise.

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View of Oculus entry plaza (photo: Stadiafile)

3. Marlins Park. Miami, FL
This new 37,000-seat stadium for the Miami Marlins is an aggressive play by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and architects Populous to create a sleek, modern, yet quirky baseball facility. The abstract modernism of the white stucco and black glass exterior and the supports for the hulking retractable roof above echoing the local Miami palm trees contrast with the polychromatic interior color scheme and art program. While the whole of Marlins Stadium is sadly less than the sum of its parts, the ambition of the design intent is encouraging, considering the neo-traditional rut baseball stadium design has been stuck in for the past twenty years.

Marlins Park’s abstract white stucco and tinted glass exterior, via Wikipedia

4. BBVA Compass Stadium. Houston, TX
This 22,000-seat home for the Houston Dynamos of Major League Soccer (MLS) sits just east of downtown Houston, across the ring road from the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park. This new soccer-only building is one example of a number of new buildings for MLS franchises that had previously been forced to share space with local (American) football clubs, since the inception of the league. The Populous-designed soccer stadium features a triangulated metal mesh and orange exterior evoking the site’s industrial past. This modern, intimate, iconic stadium marks a new type of sports facility in the US which are equal to the task of housing the growth of soccer in America.

BBVA’s iconic metal mesh exterior, via Wikipedia

5. Pauley Pavilion Renovation. Los Angeles, CA
One of the country’s meccas of college hoops, NBBJ was enlisted to give the 45-year-old building a face lift. A sensitive design approach was taken to preserve the general look and feel of the arena that has housed ten National Championship teams. With its new locker rooms, wider concourses, new LED video boards and 1,000 new seats, the total capacity of Pauley Pavilion is now 13,800. This renovation project continues a recent trend of traditionally strong college basketball schools resisting the allure of building larger, off-campus professional arenas and instead renovating their existing on-campus arenas – University of Michigan’s Crisler Arena and Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium.

A full-house at the new Pauley Pavilion (photo: Tim Griffith/NBBJ)

A full-house at the new Pauley Pavilion (photo: Tim Griffith/NBBJ)

6. Grand Stade Lille Métropole. Lille, France
For a long time, French football stadiums were remarkably smaller and less impressive than other European counterparts. While English, Spanish and German stadiums raced ahead in both size and design ambition, French grounds were stuck in a previous era. That is all changing with the 2012 opening of Grand Stade Lille Métropole, the new Pierre Ferret-designed 55,000-seat retractable roof home for Lille Olympique Sporting Club (LOSC), while in 2013 Olympique Lyonnaise will move into their new, 60,000-seat, Populous-designed ‘Grand Stade’ in Lyon. New buildings for Girondins de Bordeaux and upgrades for Olympique de Marseille are to follow, so that France’s top league will soon have some world-class venues to call home.

Overhead view of a closed Grand Stade Lille Métropole, via info-stades.fr

Grand Stade Lille Métropole, via La Progress

7. Friends Arena Swedish National Stadium. Stockholm, Sweden
The new Swedish National Stadium, Friends Arena, is a 50,000-seat, three-tiered, retractable roof stadium much in the mold of the Lille’s Grand Stade. Scandinavian firm CF Møller designed the new Friends Arena which replaced the historic Råsunda Stadium and is home to both the Swedish National Football Team and Stockholm powerhouse AIK. Naming rights for the building were bought by Swedbank who admirably decided to rename the building after a charity that supports anti-bullying in Swedish schools.

Friends Arena interior, via Rukki

8. National Stadium (Stadion Narodowy). Warsaw, Poland
The new home for the Polish National Football team is a 58,000-seat stadium in the capital city of Warsaw designed by a consortium led by  Warsaw based JSK Architekci. The stadium features an iconic red-and-white painted (Polish national colors) metal mesh panels that can be illuminated at night, as well as a retractable PVC roof that springs from a position centered above the pitch. The membrane roof can only be opened, however, in temperatures above 5 °C and not during rain, which factored into the ill-fated decision not to close the roof prior to the England-Poland match on October 16 2012. An impressive stadium, exterior and roof despite this slight design deficiency. 

Overhead view of National Stadium, via Poland 2012

Detail of PVC roof during operation, via Poland 2012

9. Grêmio Arena. Porto Alegre, Brazil
2013 will be the Year of the Brazilian Stadium with major overhauls of the legendary Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro and Arena Corinthians in São Paulo in preparation for the 2014 World Cup. Remarkably, the recently completed 60,000-seat home for Grêmio Football Club in Porto Alegre is not a World Cup venue. Brazilian firm PLARQ designed the multi-purpose stadium located near Porto Alegre Airport, part of a larger plan to include hotels, condominiums, a shopping mall and parking. Although it won’t be used for the global football tournament, the ambition and apparent success of building Grêmio Arena will hopefully ease any concerns that the other stadiums won’t be ready in time for the World Cup.

Grêmio Arena nearing completion, via Clicrbs

10. Stadiafile
And finally, 2012 saw the launch of Stadiafile, whose aim is to provide a platform for critical writing, critique and celebration of sports venues past and present. We are encouraged by our first 50 posts and over 16,000 views in the six months since launching in July 2012. We pledge to keep it up in the New Year with a host of new stadiums to explore, and we look forward to you continuing to read and follow along in 2013.  Your comments and suggestions of stadiums to review are always welcomed!

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