Stadium Central

I must admit that I have never used the Tampa Bay Rays (or Devil Rays, for that matter) and exciting in the same sentence before. While the Rays are currently shocking the Major Leagues by occupying first place in the AL East, the reason that I intend to use those phrases together is their new stadium. Tampa Bay Rays, exciting. There, so I have done it. The proposed design of the Rays new stadium on the waterfront in St. Petersburg brings a unique level of interest that will set it apart from stadiums across the country and will create a truly iconic structure. After spending all of its years in the dark and lifeless Tropicana Field, such an injection of excitement is truly needed by the Rays and their fans. A good description of the design is provided in the Design Consideration Review. Some may look at the design that incorporates a sail and mast motif as a retractable roof to be typical Florida Cheese. I think that it will make for a truly unique design, one that blends in well with the waterfront setting. The setting should be intimate, with the design calling for a seating capacity of only 34,000. The view of the water beyond the right field fence will be reminiscent of AT&T Park in San Francisco, and the open air feel will make spectators feel as if they are watching a ball game next at a seaside resort. As one might imagine, an open-air stadium in Florida is risky considering the intense summer heat and thunderstorms, but significant efforts have gone into the design of the stadium to ensure the comfort of the fans. For example, designers plan that the retractable roof will be closed during the day to block the sun from hitting the stadium, and the roof will be opened at game time to take advantage of the night time cooling. Additionally, the stadium is designed to encourage breezes to blow through the seating areas. The most innovative part of the stadium promises to be the retractable roof that looks like a sail. It will be interesting to see how this fabric holds up to fierce winds.
While many hurdles are still faced, most notably on the funding side, I will eagerly await the opening of the new stadium for the Rays. I should note that the design review is a good read to understand many of the issues that go into stadium design, such as an analysis of the impact on aviation, an examination of how shading will affect the look of the stadium, and an analysis of the parking opportunities around the stadium.


Artist rendering of inside of proposed Rays Stadium. Note the proposed method to suspend the retractable roof. (http://www.majorleaguedowntown.com/userfiles/image/57_BallPark5.jpg)

Several weeks ago, real estate developer Ed Roski Jr. revealed plans for a new stadium in the Los Angeles area. The stadium to be built in the City of Industry does not necessarily have a team that will call it home, but some ideas about neutral site games have been bantered about in the media. The stadium's website shows some innovative features, most notably the fact that the stadium will be built out of an existing hillside to minimize the amount of structural steel and concrete needed to support the structure. As always, I welcome any such innovation compared to conventionally constructed stadiums.
The stadium would anchor a larger retail area, including a movie theater overlooking the field.

Stadium connoisseurs are eagerly awaiting the opening of Beijing's Olympic Stadium, aka the Bird's Nest. While images of the outside have shown an innovative concept in stadium design, reporters were only recently able to see the inside. A BBC website has a video tour of the new venue. The move away from standard stadium architecture will hopefully spur stadium architects to more innovation in the design of stadia worldwide. The Olympic Stadium and the natatorium have already made a great impact in the world 3 months before the start of the games.