Known for their detailed architecture and stunning beauty, cathedrals were built partially to showcase a community’s unique culture and lifestyle. Nowadays, it seems that sports venues have taken over that illustrious role. Gone are the days of the stripped-down, “cookie-cutter” stadiums such as Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh or Riverfront Stadium (also known as Cinergy Field) in Cincinnati. Instead, teams and architectural firms are in constant pursuit of designing stadiums that center around innovation, local community values, and the overall fan experience.
Earl Santee, senior principal for Populous, sums up this transition in stadium architecture by saying, “We used to design a building for 40,000 to 50,000 people. Now we’re designing it for you and whoever you’re with and whoever they may be with. It’s a much more personal experience.”
Populous (formerly known as HOK Sport) is a world-renowned architectural firm that specializes in sport and entertainment venues. Since their founding in 1983, Populous has been the mastermind behind some of the world’s most iconic sports venues such as: new Yankee Stadium, London’s Olympic Stadium, and FNB Stadium (perhaps more commonly known as Soccer City) in South Africa. As a tribute to their continued innovation and use of technology throughout their projects, we’ll take a look at four Populous’ most outstanding stadium designs and renovations that have captured this new trend in sports venue architecture.
1. Grand Stade – French Rugby Federation
Although construction won’t be completed until 2017, the Grand Stade is the new home for France’s national rugby team, and it truly symbolizes this new mentality of stadium design. At a cost of roughly $825 million, the 82,000-seat stadium’s architecture more resembles a fortified armory than a state-of-the-art entertainment venue. As a nod to the historic region of southern France, the building’s external walls will be encased in white stone to echo the rock quarries located in Les Baux-de-Provence.
Built to host a broad range of sport and entertainment events, the stadium will boast both a roof and a pitch that are fully retractable. Now, retractable roofs are nothing new to stadium design, but retractable pitches are certainly much less common. It’s the combination of these two elements that grants the Grand Stade membership into a very select group of stadia that includes the NFL’s University of Phoenix Stadium. Additionally, when the Grand Stade’s roof is closed, the stadium will operate as the largest roofed entertainment venue in all of Europe.
In an effort to optimize sightlines and ignite the passion of the French rugby fans, the Grand Stade’s general concourses will provide a direct, open air view of the pitch. In other words, spectators can easily circulate the venue while remaining in constant sight of the action and completely immersed in the game’s atmosphere. LED screens and ribbon boards will also line the concourses to provide spectator’s with an ongoing supply of premium digital content.
2. Kyle Field – Texas A&M University
It’s no question that Kyle Field houses one of the most electric and unforgettable atmospheres in all of college football. At Texas A&M, “The Home of the 12th Man” symbolizes a belief that Aggie fans don’t simply watch the game – they’re instrumental in affecting its outcome. With the university’s rich and vibrant history, Populous was challenged to design renovations that centered on this mentality and proudly communicated the 12th Man’s legacy for decades to come.
To convey the unified strength and passion that is well-associated with Texas A&M, the “new” Kyle Field will include a wide variety of enhancements such as: a new façade and exterior plaza areas to enhance tailgating and showcase the university’s core values, additional premium seating options, and a redesigned bowl that will eliminate all sightline issues. Additionally, the field will be lowered, canopies will be added atop the East and West stands, and all four of the stadium’s corners will be enclosed – all part of the design to create the most intimidating environment in all of college sports.
The $450 million project broke ground in late 2013 and will conclude in time for the Aggie’s 2015 season. Once completed, the stadium’s capacity will grow from 82,589 to an astounding 102,500 – placing Kyle Field’s capacity first in the SEC and third in the nation.
This monumental project will represent the most extensive redevelopment of any facility in the history of college athletics. Yet, perhaps what makes this project even more remarkable is that the entire redevelopment will be completed without impacting the Aggie’s 2014 football schedule, thus allowing the team to continue playing at Kyle Field without interruption.
3. Marlins Park – Miami Marlins
Despite having won two World Series titles since their inaugural season in 1993, the Miami Marlins felt the need to reconnect with their south Florida fan base and embrace the local community’s values. Coupled with the launch of their new brand identity, the Marlins moved into their new $515 million home just prior to the 2012 MLB season.
Designed to mimic the colorful and vibrant culture of the local community, Marlins Park serves as an innovative ballpark that smashes together the beautiful art and spirit of south Florida with the wide world of technology. As Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria states, “I have always had the belief that ballparks are architecture. And architecture is supposed to define the surrounding it’s in and create new frontiers”.
Marlins Park isn’t shy about immersing its fans with digital products and connectivity; especially since sports fans nowadays are more socially engaged and dependent on technology than ever before. In the outfield alone, Marlins Park hosts a 101 ft. x 51 ft. Daktronics LED video board and two smaller 40 ft. x 25 ft. LED video boards. The ballpark also has over 1,300 ft. of LED ribbon board that displays everything from out-of-town scores to fantasy baseball stats. Additionally, Marlins Park has more than 700 LCD TVs scattered throughout the concourse and SRO areas that constitutes the ballpark’s IPTV system.
Lastly, the Marlins and Populous understood the importance of in-venue connectivity; therefore, with the support of 217 access points, fans are provided free Wi-Fi during every game.In short, Marlins Park screams Miami. Situated in the neighborhood of Little Havana, the 36,000 seat ballpark features two aquariums in the wall behind home plate, a museum stockpiled with 600+ bobblehead sports dolls, and artwork displays that seem to have a limitless color palette. In fact, the main centerpiece is a one-of-a-kind, $2.5 million home run sculpture designed by world-renowned multimedia artist, Red Grooms. After every Marlins homerun, this extravagant 71 ft. tall sculpture erupts with a unique water show and a spectacular array of colorful lights.
4. Sporting Park – Sporting KC
Sporting KC (formerly known as the Kansas City Wizards) is one of the original ten teams that formed MLS when it began play in 1996. However, up until 2006, the team struggled to make a name for itself within its local market – let alone the nation. Despite winning a championship trophy in 2000, the team continued to hold the league’s worst home attendance record – averaging less than 10,000 fans at 77,000-seat Arrowhead Stadium.
Fast forward seven years and after the team was purchased by Sporting Club, a group of private investors led by Robb Heineman, Sporting KC has a lengthy wait list for its 14,000 season tickets while averaging over 19,000 fans at their new stadium. So how did they do it?
The massive transformation began with the construction of an iconic, intimate, and awe-inspiring stadium that Sporting KC could call its own – Sporting Park. The new ownership group understood that this venue was more than just a new home; it was the springboard for Sporting KC to re-define its image and lay the foundation for long-term growth and sustainability. In short, Robb and his team capitalized on their passion for innovation and partnered with Populous to develop a stadium that would challenge the very essence of stadium design.
To the tune of $200 million, Sporting Park spans across 342,000 square feet and is a technological haven for its spirited and tech-savvy fan base. Built with an eye towards the digital future of handheld devices, social media, and seamless connectivity, $6 million was budgeted to construct a high-density wireless network with roughly 200 miles of CAT6a fiber. According to Asim Pasha, the team’s CIO, this amount of fiber is more than seven times the norm for a stadium its size and can deliver average download and upload speeds of 16-22 mbps and 10-16 mbps, respectively.
Asim also serves as the co-founder and co-CEO of Sporting Innovations, a firm that assists sports teams with utilizing technology to enhance their fan experience. By utilizing the mobile app from its proprietary business solutions platform, Fan 360, Asim and his team are “working on a concept of converting a fan’s phone from an app-based approach to an experience-based approach. Essentially, Asim states that this technology can track a fan’s spending habits and social media interactions, and then leverage that information to drive the in-game experience in a time-sensitive manner.
In other words, each fan’s digital behavior at Sporting Park is monitored with the sole intention of improving their overall experience. Perks such as a tailor-made merchandise coupons to help update a fan’s jersey collection or knowing a fan’s favorite park grub and ensuring it’s ready for them at a nearby concession stand are prime examples of what fans can expect at this tech-infused stadium.
Perhaps it’s fair to say that these stadiums were designed to serve as global symbols for premier stadium architecture. With each stadium’s infusion of technology and local culture, Populous certainly captured the new trend in stadium design. In short, it’ll be interesting to see which architectural firm is next to raise the bar in stadium design.