Based on the render, it looks like there are 7 sections across, with ~20 seats per row in a section, so 140 people across. To get to about 4,000 new seats, you'd need 28.5 rows of that. Assuming you do 28 rows (7 rows on each of the 4 new levels), that gets 3,920 seats. That seems to fit with the render as well, so I'm going with that as my guess for the new layout.
As a fan of the sport and what the Timbers have brought to MLS I'm happy for them, but the architectural grad in me is crushed. I'm okay with the juxtaposition of old and new and agree this could've been hokey if they forced something to look too much like the rest of the historic venue, but this looks like they were almost trying to go to opposite extreme. And I really do not like the roof at all. It's so decidedly anti-Timbers, to me, and given all the harumphing about the sacred facility next door and the character of the city I can't help but see this as if the architect had no idea where this project was! Context matters, yet here this is a big middle finger to the setting for the alleged soccer cathedral. Ugh. Guess I better make my pilgrimage before they finish this, then.
Yeah.. i'm not getting the roof.. That big swoop up the back and then back to the field just seems entirely unnecessary. I also wouldn't want to be in the row directly below where the roof ends. They are going to have a waterfall on rainy days.
I don't think it will particularly be any worse (rain-wise) than the current roof, which also slopes towards the field/front rows. It is important to remember that this isn't a final design, and I think there will be enough people objecting to the aesthetic of the roof that it might be redesigned before any plans are finalized.
Although (unlike GunnerJacket) I’m not an architectural graduate, my initial impressions of Providence Park’s new stadium design are favorable. It’s a striking design. Also, the roof could create a more intimate atmosphere. In addition, roofs that cover a larger percentage of a stadium tend to contribute to more crowd noise. Here are links: http://www.fieldgulls.com/2013/10/11/4828416/designed-for-sound http://www.businessinsider.com/seattle-seahawks-stadium-loud-2014-1 Roofs also tend to keep the fans from getting rained on and can shield them from the hot sun. However, perhaps the Timbers should design the roof so that it extends even farther into the heart of the field than it does in the current images. A more expansive roof might create an even better atmosphere and more noise, as well as address Yoshou's concerns about waterfalls on some fans on rainy days. Also, it's good that the Timbers will be adding additional seats to Providence Park. It will enable more people to watch the Timbers and Thorns play, and pro soccer can be very entertaining and enriching, for instance, it can promote community engagement and rationality. The Portland Timbers have been a good organization. Merritt Paulson has been a good owner. He hired a good coach in Caleb Porter; and Paulson has spent money in a reasonable way, for instance, he acquired and has managed to keep Diego Valeri and Fenando Adi, and he has kept Darlington Nagbe. Paulson also has done a good job of managing the Portland Thorns. Since Paulson established the Thorns in 2012, they have been one of the best franchises in the NWSL and have had by far the best average-attendance in the league. My only significant concerns about the Timbers and the Thorns is the artificial turf field in Providence Park on which the teams play. Although Providence Park’s field seems to be a relatively good artificial turf field, a good natural grass field is better for soccer than the best artificial turf fields that currently are available. Good natural grass fields tend to promote good soccer more so than the best artificial turf fields. On natural grass fields that are at least adequate, it seems to me that the ball rolls at a speed and bounces at a height that is conducive to good ball control and accurate passing while still fostering a good speed of play. Also, on grass fields, the grass hugs the ball some (but without it sticking the way it sometimes does on artificial turf fields) when the ball is at the players’ feet. So, on natural grass fields that are at least adequate, it is easier for players to control the ball and dribble by players. Natural grass field also are better at enabling players to make proactive passes (for instance, through balls) that don’t go out of bounds. Adequate grass fields also tend to be easier on the players’ bodies and perhaps less prone to causing injuries. Finally, if the Timbers were to be able to maintain a good natural grass field at Providence Park, it might increase their ability to acquire and retain elite players. My impression is that most elite players much prefer playing on good grass fields than on the best current artificial turf fields Thus, it seems to me that, at least on a trial-basis, it would be a good idea for the Timbers to install the best natural grass field possible, perhaps one with a drainage system. I know that the Timbers and Thorns currently share Providence Park with both the Timbers U23s and the Portland State University football team. And I know that there are legitimate concerns that the total number of games that are played at Providence Park (including American football games, which tend to be hard on fields) in any given year would make it a challenge to keep a natural grass field in reasonable condition at Providence Park. And apparently Portland’s climate (with all the rain and lack of sunshine) might add to the difficulty of maintaining a reasonable natural grass field. I guess that, with Portland’s climate, it is harder for the roots of grass to go deep into the soil. Also, the potential of significant rain water on the field would make the field more prone to getting torn up. But could the combination of the best technology available (including a drainage system and grow lights) contribute to a grass field at Providence Park that is better than the current artificial turf field? I think it would be worth a try. Also, would it be possible for the Timbers' U23s and/or the Portland State University football team to eventually play at another place?
They have to have thought of this I hope. I wonder if in the final design they will simply put some sort of gutter at the front edge of the roof and then design a system that allows the water to run off safely some where...
One of the main impediments (which has been discussed at length in the Timbers forum post I've linked earlier) to a natural grass field is the fact that the stadium is below grade, and that a creek has been diverted into a culvert that runs immediately below the stadium. There isn't much in the way of vertical depth below field level to add drainage, and they're kind of locked into the current elevation of the field. They can't even properly drain the concrete pad they have (as evidenced by watching a Timbers game in anything but a light rain), and a grass field is much harder to drain properly to get good grass to grow.
I'm so through the looking glass on this site that when I read claims about roofs and crowd noise, I no longer know whether to smile because it's on purpose or if I should feel like I've picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.
Personally, I'm on the fence about it. A lot of what I have read is "I really like the new design". I think a lot of that has to do with the actual vertical stands and expanded capacity, though. When people mention the roof, it seems a lot of people aren't the biggest fans of that part of it. The current roof on the east side is a more modern style roof, but at least is still wood lined. I don't mind having that stand have a more modern look with the roof, because that stand already looks much more modern than the rest of the stadium, an effect I expect will only increase no matter how the design would go. I would like there to at least be a semblance of a wood roof, because I like that aesthetic for the stadium. My guess is that up that high, and with the larger surface area, a wood roof would weigh too much to be supported without pillars, hence the more modern (and more lightweight) design aesthetic.
I don't want to pile on much, because I actually like the design. But about a hundred or so miles south of Providence Park is Autzen Stadium. Why do I bring this up? Because one of Autzens main features is the gigantic wooden roof on the south stands. It is bigger than anything Providence Park would require. So if they can do it, the Timbers can do it *** legends has it that some of the wooden beams in the Autzen roof were premade in Washington and some Husky fans who were working on the project took it upon themselves to paint some UW logos on the inside of these beams so the Huskies would always be present. ****
I think they are ruining Hayward Field, but it has now completely become the premier track venue in the US ... so money > old design.
The PDX area parks are mud pits right now due to the amount of rain, cloud cover and lack of sun. The roof looks to cover all but the first few rows about as much if not more than the old wood. I love the design it melds the old MAC build stand into the MAC itself.
yups lack of sun, rain on the mind, been one of the wettest seasons on record like top 4 ever, mud mud mud everywhere. The roof has spouts that rain down from above! The field with rain: the land it was built on: