Helmut Jahn to design Fire stadium complex Ok, not really... But Peter Eisenman and his firm were selected as designers and chief architects of the new Riazor in Spain, home to Deportivo La Coruña. http://www.canaldeportivo.com/servlet/es.iris.servlets.Noticias?accion=4&ver=1&nid=6403 My point is...lots of sports teams are looking for their own trademark facility, and the trend is spreading to soccer stadiums where getting a 'brand name' architect is seen as a good move. Now, although i like him I'm not necessaritly suggesting Helmut specifically, but yeah it'd be a little more expensive and yeah, it probably won't happen but to get a big-time architect with local ties to design any eventual stadium complex, especially if it were in a place like Bridgeview or a developing Chicago neighborhood where this would be its landmark...at least thinking about it can't help but be a good move.
I'm glad you put the second photo up. The top photo looks like a woodshop project I botched in high school. I like your point about getting a name architect, but how about an up and comer to design something really unique (like the above stadium is)? On a different tack, for something completely minimalist, how about this little beauty? Meet Dairy Farmer's Stadium in Townsville, Queensland, Oz, home of the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys of the NRL (rugby league). It's listed at a hair under 25k capacity. As you can see (southern stand here), the grassy terraces are in front of the stands at either end of the pitch. There are also small grassy areas in front of the main sideline stands as well.
That is exactly what i don't want. It'll just perpetuate the image of MLS not being a major league. I'm hoping for a real stadium. Getting a NAME architect to design it would be fantastic and could produce something really unique and cool.
What also might help is that architects tend to salivate over a Chicago-area commission, especially one with a public profile. Lohan Caprille Goetsch and Murphy/Jahn have major connections with Daley and get a good share of the major city commissions. You could even go with a guy like Cesar Pelli, who's getting into athletic facilities (albeit university recreational centers) but is very notable, and he's an Argie. He might relish the chance to tackle something like this. Sure, it's a budget thing, but if we're projecting $6- to 75 mil for this project, why not make a statement? Just something to seriously consider, instead of automatically going with HOK Sport like every other team in the world.
Re: Helmut Jahn to design Fire stadium complex How are the Fire supposed to play if they CAN'T EVEN FIT INSIDE THE STADIUM?????
There's more to a soccer stadium than being ridiculously, ridiculously good looking! I propose we call the new stadium Magnum, although I really shouldn't even be talking about it yet, as it's not really ready....
I think the stands have to be a lot closer to the pitch than that for the right atmosphere. And the new Riazor looks great, but why waste all that room for seating around one side? We've got to look to European D1 style stadiums (well, maybe not with the huge overhanging roofs, though those are cool...) Anyway, this has probably all been debated. I just want a stadium...now!
It was pointed out in another thread that the cost of the Nuevo Riazor that Eisenman designed (above) is only 70 million Euros, which is about 80 million dollars. The new Stadium is 32,000 seats. I've got to think we could do 20 or 25 with a notable architect in-budget.
$79,002,000 to be exact. BTW, would chicago just donate the land? If so, something similar could be done.
I dunno. Whether it is Chicago or Bridgeview, I think having a city-connected and well-recognised architect head up the design would be a great smoother, and make it a real landmark for whatever area it'd be in.
I think so too. I was asking about the land because the total cost of the Raizor will be about 120 mil euros($135,432,000), including the land. I'm assuming the $60+ mil figured given in regard to a Fire stadium is the cost of the entire project, including land.
Re: Re: Helmut Jahn to design Fire stadium complex LoL What is this a Stadium for ANTS!? My favorite would have to be: The male soccer player's life is a precious precious commodity. Just because we have chiselled abs, and stunning ball-control, doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak gasoline fight accident.
Got to have roofs...overhangs...whatever you call them.,,above the grandstands to hold in the noise, sheild out [most of] the elements, and create strange shadows that will confound our opponents. Since an Australian stadium was mentioned, let me submit Telstra Stadium, f/k/a Stadium Australia, in the suburb of Homebush Bay, NSW,from the 2000 Summer Games Imagine a 25,00 seat version of this.
Hala, I hope you are Catholic and that you do lots of penance for this thread's title. Yes, I think it would be great to get either a big name architect or an up-and-comer. If the architect is from Chicago, Blair Kamin (the Chicago Tribune's architect) will love it, no matter what. But please no minimalist, Mies Van Der Rohe knockoff. Jahn did a good job breathing a little life into the IIT campus with his new dorms. They're boxes, but with curves. I, personally, would love something by Santiago Calatrava (he did the new art museum in Milwaukee--which I haven't seen but have heard good things about--and a museum campus in Valencia which is spectacular). The idea is that the building (stadium in this case) is sculpture. Almost the opposite of the form follows function. Gehry destroyed the form follows function with the Guggenheim in Bilbao. From what people tell me, it's great to look at the building, but is horrible for looking at art inside. So we need something that is beautiful, but also serves its purpose to the nth degree. And if we can't get something fresh and new, just give me a good old Chicago brick firehouse with the front row 3 meters from the touchline and I'll be happy.
What do you have against HOK Sport? If they've got experience in building stadium, bring 'em on. Helmut Jahn's designed some interesting buildings, but what does he know about stadiums? Here's a portfolio of HOK Sport projects. Yep, includes Telstra Stadium, Millineium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales & New Wembly Stadium, too. http://www.hoksve.com/sport/projects/proj_list_alpha_1.htm
Yeah, he's a big Dirk Lohan fan now. Blair Kamin is a dick. Are you seriously suggesting Jahn is a Mies knockoff artist, or am I misreading you? Gehry is a nice man, but he's no architect. He's a sculptor who got goaded into desgining buildings, struck gold and became the Calvin Klein of architecture. More power to him, as I'm sure he's much more interested in playing hockey and continuing artwork more than anything else, but I certainly wouldn't want him to design anything of mine. So, basically I'm saying I agree. So would I. Still, if for a extra mil you can get it done by a Cesar Pelli, why the hell not?
I don't have anything against HOK Sport save they are the default choice for every team in the entire world. Heck what does Peter Eisenman know about stadiums...probably nothing. That's why they work WITH a company like an HOK or NBBD or Ellerbe Becket who do, or hire consultants who do. BTW, you mentioned New Wembley, which was actuallydesigned by Sir Norman Foster (who redid the Reichstag) with HOK's assistance.
Stadium names and stuff How about " The Chicago Fire Center for people who play soccer good and want to learn to make money at it too" "How will the ever win the championship if they can't even fit inside the building! It will have to be at least . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 times as big as this!" Seriously, I don't think the designer is as important as the vision. If there is a prevailing vision that is properly described to the architects, the stadium will reflect it. It takes the people at the helm to say "We want This and This"
being an architect that works on small scale sports facilities and is always trying to break into stadiums such as this (and can't because of the big four sports firms).......i would hope people in this position could look beyond the HOK sports' and NBBJ, SOM and HNTB. These firms dominate the sports market. I think for a sport as semi-alternative as soccer, they would look in an alternative direction for design. As much as I dislike Helmut Jahn, he would be an example, as would be Eisenman. Interestingly, stadiums in Europe are generally designed by architects who have no specialty (as are most buildings) To promote the idea of rethinking concepts each time, as opposed to rehashed stadiums, like a specialist architect would do most of the time.