Concept: Multi-Purpose Stadium

[Shuz]

Whoa, that's an awesome looking stadium. The idea is sort of what I had for Adelaide, except the roofline should be level with the ground, and the actual stadium inground. This one is technically above-ground, and just has a hill around it to make it look like its inground.

[flavze]

Whoa, that's an awesome looking stadium. The idea is sort of what I had for Adelaide, except the roofline should be level with the ground, and the actual stadium inground. This one is technically above-ground, and just has a hill around it to make it look like its inground.

Looks to be partially inground with the rest built up around it. It would take a hell of a hole to build a Stadium fully inground.
Plus most new stadiums are built to make an impact so burying the thing takes away from that, the advantage of building an inground stadium would be if it was wanted to be built somewhere like the Adelaide Parklands with the minimum visual impact as possible.
I would love one like the Chivas stadium built in the Adelaide parklands with a roof that could be lifted and lowered depending on the weather.
though i'm not a fan of Multi-purpose stadiums, i would prefer Adelaide built a new rectangular stadium, seeing as the SANFL, AFL and the clubs are happy to stay at AAMI.
I believe that the AAMI upgrades + a new rectangular could be built for a reasonable price and would be much more effective than a multi purpose stadium.
If they were to build a multi-purpose stadium the AFL people would want at least 55k seats minimum, were as soccer people want around 40k max. They would end up compromising and nobody would be happy.

[Aidan]

Whoa, that's an awesome looking stadium. The idea is sort of what I had for Adelaide, except the roofline should be level with the ground, and the actual stadium inground. This one is technically above-ground, and just has a hill around it to make it look like its inground.

Looks to be partially inground with the rest built up around it. It would take a hell of a hole to build a Stadium fully inground.

The easiest thing to do with the excavated soil would be to raise the ground level around the stadium.

Plus most new stadiums are built to make an impact so burying the thing takes away from that, the advantage of building an inground stadium would be if it was wanted to be built somewhere like the Adelaide Parklands with the minimum visual impact as possible.

While there is the occasional stadium built to make a visual impact, I'd expect the majority to just be built to hold the fans!

I would love one like the Chivas stadium built in the Adelaide parklands with a roof that could be lifted and lowered depending on the weather.

I think a movable roof would be a terrible waste of money! The roof should be extended far enough out to keep the fans dry, but I don't see any advantage in trying to keep the rain off the players.

though i'm not a fan of Multi-purpose stadiums, i would prefer Adelaide built a new rectangular stadium, seeing as the SANFL, AFL and the clubs are happy to stay at AAMI.
I believe that the AAMI upgrades + a new rectangular could be built for a reasonable price and would be much more effective than a multi purpose stadium.
If they were to build a multi-purpose stadium the AFL people would want at least 55k seats minimum, were as soccer people want around 40k max. They would end up compromising and nobody would be happy.

While I agree with you, I would like to point out that it should be upgradable. While 40k would be more than enough for now, the requirements should greatly increase during the life of the stadium.

[flavze]

I would love one like the Chivas stadium built in the Adelaide parklands with a roof that could be lifted and lowered depending on the weather.

I think a movable roof would be a terrible waste of money! The roof should be extended far enough out to keep the fans dry, but I don't see any advantage in trying to keep the rain off the players.

i should have explained the roof idea better, i wasn't meaning over the pitch but up and down. So that in summer it could be opened up to allow more airflow and and give more of an "open" stadium feel and for games during winter it could be lowered down closing off the edges and making a more cosy atmosphere.
Probly would be a waste of money but was more dreams than parcticality.
Oh an i would argue that stadiums are just built to hold people, most new stadium designs seem to have a massive amount of influence from looks and enviromental impact.
Alot of international stadiums are owned by the clubs that play in them and are more than just a football stadium. They are the public home, place of buisness and face of the teams that play their.
Take a look at the stadiums proposed for the 2014 WC in brazil in this thread on Skyscraper City an tell me looks have no influence on stadium design.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=781858

[mattblack]

I would love one like the Chivas stadium built in the Adelaide parklands with a roof that could be lifted and lowered depending on the weather.

I think a movable roof would be a terrible waste of money! The roof should be extended far enough out to keep the fans dry, but I don't see any advantage in trying to keep the rain off the players.

i should have explained the roof idea better, i wasn't meaning over the pitch but up and down. So that in summer it could be opened up to allow more airflow and and give more of an "open" stadium feel and for games during winter it could be lowered down closing off the edges and making a more cosy atmosphere.
Probly would be a waste of money but was more dreams than parcticality.
Oh an i would argue that stadiums are just built to hold people, most new stadium designs seem to have a massive amount of influence from looks and enviromental impact.
Alot of international stadiums are owned by the clubs that play in them and are more than just a football stadium. They are the public home, place of buisness and face of the teams that play their.
Take a look at the stadiums proposed for the 2014 WC in brazil in this thread on Skyscraper City an tell me looks have no influence on stadium design.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=781858

Remember the saga of the 4 retractable light poles at Adelaide oval? Holey moley could you imagine with a whole roof!

[rogue]

From The Weekend Australian Magazine

Stadium rockers

January 31, 2009

Article from: The Australian

The world's leading architects are getting serious about designing extraordinary stadiums, writes Greg Callaghan.

Rome at the height of its imperial glory: you are standing in an upper colonnade of the Colosseum among a cheering crowd of 50,000 or more, yelling out the name of a gladiator about to engage in do-or-die combat with his opponent. But the real star of the show is the edifice around you, with its monumental façade, underfloor hydraulics and retractable awning – an architectural marvel designed to service everything from pageants to blood-curdling gladiatorial contests. With its 80 entrances and exits, the Colosseum set the benchmark for stadiums for almost 2000 years.

Fast-forward to the first decade of the 21st century: the sports stadium is enjoying an architectural renaissance and is poised to regain its position as a community hub. Today, our modern sporting gladiators battle teams called the tigers, bears, panthers and bulls rather than real wild animals, and athletic competition trumps blood sport as entertainment.

But in the era of globalisation and billion-dollar English Premier League takeovers, in which sport is the new religion and stadiums such as the 2008 Olympic Stadium, China’s aptly named Bird’s Nest, are symbols of national pride, the parallels with ancient Rome are clear. More so when some of the world’s leading architects are being recruited to design jaw-dropping sculptural stadiums across Europe, Asia and the US, some of which will become what Australian architect Phillip Cox has described as “the cathedrals of the 21st century”. The aim: for a stadium to become a landmark, instantly recognisable to TV viewers across the globe.

“An iconic stadium can put a city on the world map,” says Paul Henry, a senior principal of HOK Sport, the international practice that did the master plan for the Nanjing Sports Park in China and is responsible for acclaimed Australian projects such as Skilled Park on the Gold Coast and Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. “It has the potential to be the most important building a community can own. A host of factors – including the fiscal weight of globalised sport and the trend towards integrated sports and entertainment facilities – means that stadiums are coming of age.”

Cox, whose company the Cox Group designed the new MCG and is working on Melbourne’s eye-catching Rectangular Stadium, says that stadiums are becoming like hotels, with food courts, leisure, entertainment and conference facilities. No longer, he adds, “are people prepared to put up with hard benches and being exposed to the elements”. When a stadium is well designed and centrally located it can be the centrepiece of a city.

Some of the stadiums popping up across Europe and Asia are revolutionary in shape and format. There’s the new home stadium for Valencia CF in Spain, which will look like a squashed metallic soccer ball when it opens this year (unlike traditional rectangular soccer stadiums, this one curves around a tight seating bowl, giving everyone a view of the match). Dublin’s Lansdowne Road Stadium, due to be completed in early 2010, looks like a transparent wave, a shimmering swell that reflects the colour of the sky. And Singapore’s Sports Hub, featuring an egg-shaped stadium with a retractable roof, is set to open in 2011.

“What this is all about,” says Henry, “is designing a stadium with the maximum goosebump factor.” Sporting venues, he adds, perhaps more than any other public building, resonate with the emotion of past and present glories. “There’s the anticipation of arriving at the arena, soaking up the atmosphere of the crowd and feeling so close to the action that you could imagine you’re on the field.”

Some new stadiums are not only landmark structures but also catalysts for the revitalisation of entire city precincts. The Emirates Stadium in north London, the new home of the Arsenal soccer team, is at the centre of one of Britain’s largest urban regeneration projects, while the team’s old home, the art deco Highbury Stadium, is being converted into 700 apartments on four sides of the much-revered old pitch. The Nanjing Sports Park in China, one of the largest venues in the world, is the centrepiece of a new downtown precinct to the west of the ancient capital. The main stadium’s distinctive toroidal roof, composed of a lightweight transparent polycarbonate, provides cover for 95 per cent of the seats while preserving a feeling of openness.

What’s revolutionising the look of stadiums is the development of new building materials and 3D computer modelling, says Cox. “Strong, translucent polymers and fabrics are giving us more potential to do exciting things.”

Stadiums are being tailored to maximise the event experience, says Russell Lee, a director of the Cox Group. Bigger is not necessarily better, when each additional seat can cost $10,000 and a half-empty stadium can mean minimal atmosphere at the venue and a poor image on TV. “Stadiums are now being built for average crowds rather than for a very limited number of special events,” he says. He cites the example of Sydney’s Stadium Australia (later Telstra Stadium; now ANZ Stadium), which reduced its capacity from 110,000 to 83,500 after the 2000 Olympics. The main stadium for the 2012 Olympics, in London’s Lower Lea Valley, has been designed to downsize from a capacity of 80,000 to 25,000.

Many of the world’s hit stadiums are the result of Aussie know-how, says Henry. “The Sydney Olympics was a defining moment … we invested heavily in sports infrastructure and were later able to export that knowledge.” Until the late ’90s, he adds, sports buildings were not regarded as serious architecture, perhaps in the way that industrial buildings had been seen before starchitects such as Norman Foster came along.

Says Cox: “When it was built the Colosseum was one of the greatest feats of architecture ever achieved, with a roof that was one of the first tensile structures. Now we have stadiums that are again testing the limits of our imagination.”

[Omicron]

“An iconic stadium can put a city on the world map,” says Paul Henry, a senior principal of HOK Sport

Er, no. Find me a person on the street who can accurately match an overseas stadium to its city and I'll show you the absolute exception to the rule. Even more importantly, find me a person who uses the quality of local stadia as an actual contributing factor to their destination decision-making (rather than a stated factor), and I'll show you the most unique traveller on the planet.

[Prince George]

Er, no. Find me a person on the street who can accurately match an overseas stadium to its city and I'll show you the absolute exception to the rule

Indeed, when you see a game on TV, the fundamental clue about the location is that the stadium has the teams name and livery splashed all over it. Take that away, leave people just with the structure, and I bet that they'll struggle.

And even if such tourists did exist, why exactly would "TV viewers across the globe" see enough of our stadium to think to themselves "Corrr, Adelaide's got a nice stadium; let's go there and take some photos of us pretending to hold it up or eat it with chopsticks or whatever other corny perspective trick we can think of" ?

It would be a much more interesting article if the people they were interviewing didn't have such an obvious vested interest in cities building new stadia. Asking HOK Sport if a stadium would do good for a city is like asking a car dealer if a new car would make me feel young again. Everyone knows that only a new outfit can do that, even the lady at Prada said so.

[flavze]

“An iconic stadium can put a city on the world map,” says Paul Henry, a senior principal of HOK Sport

Er, no. Find me a person on the street who can accurately match an overseas stadium to its city and I'll show you the absolute exception to the rule. Even more importantly, find me a person who uses the quality of local stadia as an actual contributing factor to their destination decision-making (rather than a stated factor), and I'll show you the most unique traveller on the planet.

the majority of people in the western world would be able to tell ya the birds nest stadium was in beijing, plus a fair percentage of people would be able to tell ya that allianz area was in germany and used in the world cup even if they weren't 100% what city it was in.

[Omicron]

“An iconic stadium can put a city on the world map,” says Paul Henry, a senior principal of HOK Sport

Er, no. Find me a person on the street who can accurately match an overseas stadium to its city and I'll show you the absolute exception to the rule. Even more importantly, find me a person who uses the quality of local stadia as an actual contributing factor to their destination decision-making (rather than a stated factor), and I'll show you the most unique traveller on the planet.

the majority of people in the western world would be able to tell ya the birds nest stadium was in beijing, plus a fair percentage of people would be able to tell ya that allianz area was in germany and used in the world cup even if they weren't 100% what city it was in.

But what are those stadia without regular internationally-renowned events to draw the world's attention? Put another way (and in a local context), the Olympic Games did more for Sydney than Stadium Australia ever did, and in the nine years since, memories of the event itself linger far more strongly than anything to do with the venues. Allianz and the Bird's Nest are enjoying the spoils of recency, but like Montreal's marvellous (and hopelessly useless) Stade Olympique or Munich's delightful Olympiastadion, they'll be cast aside to the small percentage of architectural anoraks like ourselves to coo and drool over while the rest of the world shifts its attention to the newest shiny, pretty thing.

Of course, if you're going to build a new stadium, it may as well be good enough to warrant the tag of 'newest shiny pretty thing' rather than a nondescript pile of seats, so at least the world takes notice for five minutes and we architectural buffs can squeal with delight long after its time in the spotlight has passed.

[Shuz]

[mattblack]

My prefered space for a stadium would be on the other side of Adelaide oval on the adelaide golf course south, on the corner of Morphett and memorial drive. Its an area already a designated for sport and rec, if you build it into the ground a bit the residence of Nth adelaide wont be to pissed off. You could also easily link this with the tennis centre, walking distance to the city and Central railway station. Now if you were really keen you could have a city loop tram that could go from Victoria Square, Frome Rd passed the zoo, Memorial Dv passed the sporting facilities and back up passed Light Square and link back up with Vic Square. Need a money machine for this puppy though

It wouldn't be such a flash idea having a stadium on the city side of the river for two reasons. 1. A stadium does not generate continual patronage so you will end up with the same situation as the Festival theatre with people (albeit 50,000) only around the stucture on the weekend or friday night. 2.It would block out views of the Torrens & Nth Adelaide.

[PhilM]

I like the concept of the multipurpose stadium but its versatility is also its main weakness. Can anyone imagine, the SANFL, SACA and Soccer Australia sitting down to nut out a timetable for using the facility.

I think any stadium should be part of an overall plan that encapsulates the full gamut of activities as my posting in visions on the 'Adelaide sports park' seeks to achieve.

[Cruise]

I like the concept of the multipurpose stadium but its versatility is also its main weakness. Can anyone imagine, the SANFL, SACA and Soccer Australia sitting down to nut out a timetable for using the facility.

I think any stadium should be part of an overall plan that encapsulates the full gamut of activities as my posting in visions on the 'Adelaide sports park' seeks to achieve.

Just look at Docklands Stadium, the A-leauge season is beginning to cut into the AFL season.

And soccer always ends up worse off under these conditions

[Shuz]

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