CubanMustGo
08-17-2006, 01:26 PM
From ESPN Insider. Hard to believe the AZ Cards are going to have a palace like this to play in ...
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=2550347
Even the most road-tested tailgater could be forgiven for thinking the Cardinals' new stadium in Glendale, Ariz., is a desert mirage. After all, it looks like nothing American sports fans have ever seen. The just-completed, $455 million facility, with its rolling grass field, retractable roof and otherworldly design elements, has already been tagged one of the Wonders of the World in a survey of sports stadiums, the only American venue to make the cut. Closer to home, wideout Anquan Boldin calls his new house "unbelievable," while running back Edgerrin James is (as usual) more to the point, saying he wants to "just go drop the top and play football."
http://espn-att.starwave.com/photo/2006/0816/nfl_mag_cg_azstad02_275.jpg
Ordinarily, using a field with zero emotional history as a rallying cry would ring hollow. But Cardinals Stadium is more than just the first permanent home for the oldest continually run pro football team; it's leading the charge in innovative stadium design in the U.S. Yes, in a bit of grid-irony, a franchise accustomed to bringing up the rear now finds itself out in front of a movement.
The push to build showcase sports arenas is well under way internationally, with blockbuster stadium projects sprouting up in Asia, Europe and Latin America. In the U.S., Cardinals Stadium is the first of its kind, although not for long. Reps for the Chargers, the Cowboys and the Dolphins have already been to Glendale on scouting trips. Decades from now, this stadium may be viewed as the facility that ushered in a new, 21st-century game-day experience -- or, more controversially, the site that killed the retro design trends that have dominated stadium construction, especially in baseball, for the past two decades.
The team responsible for the bold design includes Cardinals exec Michael Bidwill (son of notoriously frugal team owner Bill); HOK Sport, which has had a hand in most of the arenas built since the 1980s; and superstar architect Peter Eisenman, who created a futuristic arena encased in 21 large curved panels that reflect light differently according to the sun's position in the sky. Vertical slots separating the reflective steel panels also flood the interior with light while allowing for unique, segmented views inside and outside the building. Eisenman cites local influences like the barrel cactus and Native American design for the stadium's shape, but looking at the shimmering structure, you can't help but think of a giant extraterrestrial take on the Frisbee.
The retractable roof, only the second on a North American football stadium, after Houston's Reliant Stadium, is made of 157,000 square feet of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric and uses an engineering technique previously found mostly in bridges. The whole thing is held up by two 87-foot-tall supports that resemble airplane wings and that span 700 feet. Even with the roof closed, the stadium is filled with enough light from above and the sides to feel like an outdoor setting, only with air-conditioning. (Scratch "stifling desert heat" from the very short list of the Big Red's homefield advantages.)
http://espn-att.starwave.com/photo/2006/0816/nfl_mag_cg_azstad04_275.jpg
The roof isn't the only feature that's mobile. The team will play on an all-grass field that stays on a platform outside the stadium 340 days a year. Outdoors, the grass gets plenty of sun and water but none of the trapped humidity and heat generally found inside covered stadiums. A few hours prior to game time, the 18.9 million-pound tray of turf will slide 740 feet into the stadium, taking just over an hour to make the trip. The field rests on more than 500 wheels, which roll on custom-made tracks. Field portability allows the stadium to be used for other purposes; so far, eight proms have been booked (along with Super and Fiesta bowls). The motors that move the field are a collection of 76 paltry, 1-hp units, for good reason: Much like a train, if the field moved any faster, it would be very difficult to stop.
Cardinals fans in particular will appreciate the seating at the new place. After playing 18 seasons in a borrowed college stadium with metal benches (not ideal for scorching afternoons), the franchise moves into a new home field that features 63,400 custom, red-and-gray seats that form a stadium-wide pattern inspired, like the shell, by Native American design. Even better, the new seats will have backs and drink holders. Welcome to the 21st century, Arizona.
The innovation doesn't stop at field level. Inside the joint's 88 luxury suites, the vibe is more urban loft than corporate box: cork floors, exposed pipes, carpeted walls (with hash lines) and light fixtures that reference the stadium's exterior. Arizona's home games on Sunday are always late, so the club is encouraging loft ticket-holders to come early and enjoy other NFL games on the four TVs set up in each space.
http://espn-att.starwave.com/photo/2006/0816/nfl_az_stadiumaerial_275.jpg
Surrounding the arena are 20-plus acres of turf and more than 1,200 sycamore, pistachio, ash, evergreen pear and Bradford pear trees for shade. (The pistachios have red berries in the fall, in time for football season. The evergreen pears flower white in time for January bowl games.) This impressive Sportsman's Park will be open before and after games, with the goal of turning Cardinals Stadium into a daylong football party destination. Says Bidwill the younger: "We tried to make this the best tailgating spot of any stadium."
So why did it take so long? "In the U.S., architecture tends to be more conservative," says HOK principal David Manica, who sees the project as part of a decades-long evolution in stadium design. In the past 50 years, American fans have seen domes, multisport venues, glorified TV studios and parks heavy on nostalgia. The next step, Manica says, is stadiums designed as iconic structures meant to juice a city's skyline or have the emotional presence of a cathedral. A future goal, he says, should be a wow factor that shouts, "These things are pieces of sculpture!"
For Cardinals fans, the greatest wow factor would be if the new digs translated into regular winning, a development that the much-maligned Bidwill family is betting on. "Look at the teams that have played in the Super Bowl in the past few years," Michael says. "The majority are teams with new stadiums. They're able to keep their core players with the revenues. There's a correlation."
Of course, before anyone starts measuring the Cardinals for their new rings, there are a few issues for this 5-11 squad to iron out. The new field may come with its own set of wheels, but there's no guarantee the home team will be rolling as well.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=2550347
Even the most road-tested tailgater could be forgiven for thinking the Cardinals' new stadium in Glendale, Ariz., is a desert mirage. After all, it looks like nothing American sports fans have ever seen. The just-completed, $455 million facility, with its rolling grass field, retractable roof and otherworldly design elements, has already been tagged one of the Wonders of the World in a survey of sports stadiums, the only American venue to make the cut. Closer to home, wideout Anquan Boldin calls his new house "unbelievable," while running back Edgerrin James is (as usual) more to the point, saying he wants to "just go drop the top and play football."
http://espn-att.starwave.com/photo/2006/0816/nfl_mag_cg_azstad02_275.jpg
Ordinarily, using a field with zero emotional history as a rallying cry would ring hollow. But Cardinals Stadium is more than just the first permanent home for the oldest continually run pro football team; it's leading the charge in innovative stadium design in the U.S. Yes, in a bit of grid-irony, a franchise accustomed to bringing up the rear now finds itself out in front of a movement.
The push to build showcase sports arenas is well under way internationally, with blockbuster stadium projects sprouting up in Asia, Europe and Latin America. In the U.S., Cardinals Stadium is the first of its kind, although not for long. Reps for the Chargers, the Cowboys and the Dolphins have already been to Glendale on scouting trips. Decades from now, this stadium may be viewed as the facility that ushered in a new, 21st-century game-day experience -- or, more controversially, the site that killed the retro design trends that have dominated stadium construction, especially in baseball, for the past two decades.
The team responsible for the bold design includes Cardinals exec Michael Bidwill (son of notoriously frugal team owner Bill); HOK Sport, which has had a hand in most of the arenas built since the 1980s; and superstar architect Peter Eisenman, who created a futuristic arena encased in 21 large curved panels that reflect light differently according to the sun's position in the sky. Vertical slots separating the reflective steel panels also flood the interior with light while allowing for unique, segmented views inside and outside the building. Eisenman cites local influences like the barrel cactus and Native American design for the stadium's shape, but looking at the shimmering structure, you can't help but think of a giant extraterrestrial take on the Frisbee.
The retractable roof, only the second on a North American football stadium, after Houston's Reliant Stadium, is made of 157,000 square feet of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric and uses an engineering technique previously found mostly in bridges. The whole thing is held up by two 87-foot-tall supports that resemble airplane wings and that span 700 feet. Even with the roof closed, the stadium is filled with enough light from above and the sides to feel like an outdoor setting, only with air-conditioning. (Scratch "stifling desert heat" from the very short list of the Big Red's homefield advantages.)
http://espn-att.starwave.com/photo/2006/0816/nfl_mag_cg_azstad04_275.jpg
The roof isn't the only feature that's mobile. The team will play on an all-grass field that stays on a platform outside the stadium 340 days a year. Outdoors, the grass gets plenty of sun and water but none of the trapped humidity and heat generally found inside covered stadiums. A few hours prior to game time, the 18.9 million-pound tray of turf will slide 740 feet into the stadium, taking just over an hour to make the trip. The field rests on more than 500 wheels, which roll on custom-made tracks. Field portability allows the stadium to be used for other purposes; so far, eight proms have been booked (along with Super and Fiesta bowls). The motors that move the field are a collection of 76 paltry, 1-hp units, for good reason: Much like a train, if the field moved any faster, it would be very difficult to stop.
Cardinals fans in particular will appreciate the seating at the new place. After playing 18 seasons in a borrowed college stadium with metal benches (not ideal for scorching afternoons), the franchise moves into a new home field that features 63,400 custom, red-and-gray seats that form a stadium-wide pattern inspired, like the shell, by Native American design. Even better, the new seats will have backs and drink holders. Welcome to the 21st century, Arizona.
The innovation doesn't stop at field level. Inside the joint's 88 luxury suites, the vibe is more urban loft than corporate box: cork floors, exposed pipes, carpeted walls (with hash lines) and light fixtures that reference the stadium's exterior. Arizona's home games on Sunday are always late, so the club is encouraging loft ticket-holders to come early and enjoy other NFL games on the four TVs set up in each space.
http://espn-att.starwave.com/photo/2006/0816/nfl_az_stadiumaerial_275.jpg
Surrounding the arena are 20-plus acres of turf and more than 1,200 sycamore, pistachio, ash, evergreen pear and Bradford pear trees for shade. (The pistachios have red berries in the fall, in time for football season. The evergreen pears flower white in time for January bowl games.) This impressive Sportsman's Park will be open before and after games, with the goal of turning Cardinals Stadium into a daylong football party destination. Says Bidwill the younger: "We tried to make this the best tailgating spot of any stadium."
So why did it take so long? "In the U.S., architecture tends to be more conservative," says HOK principal David Manica, who sees the project as part of a decades-long evolution in stadium design. In the past 50 years, American fans have seen domes, multisport venues, glorified TV studios and parks heavy on nostalgia. The next step, Manica says, is stadiums designed as iconic structures meant to juice a city's skyline or have the emotional presence of a cathedral. A future goal, he says, should be a wow factor that shouts, "These things are pieces of sculpture!"
For Cardinals fans, the greatest wow factor would be if the new digs translated into regular winning, a development that the much-maligned Bidwill family is betting on. "Look at the teams that have played in the Super Bowl in the past few years," Michael says. "The majority are teams with new stadiums. They're able to keep their core players with the revenues. There's a correlation."
Of course, before anyone starts measuring the Cardinals for their new rings, there are a few issues for this 5-11 squad to iron out. The new field may come with its own set of wheels, but there's no guarantee the home team will be rolling as well.