For STRONSO
STRONSO
Here is an article I think that you may like, it is about the Architects intent for his design. I may not agree, but I thought that you may like to read this.
p.s. I once lived on Shore Parkway in Brooklyn. NYC. the belt parkwway and the ocean were my front door.
Allan
Cardinals stadium puts on a new face
Peter Eisenman
A new design for the Arizona Cardinals stadium blends metal and a translucent roof for more light and color.
Pat Flannery
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 14, 2003 12:00 AM
A new and highly stylized design for the Arizona Cardinals football stadium will soon be under construction in Glendale, and it's sure to set tongues wagging.
Fresh from proposing new ideas for New York's World Trade Center site, noted New York City architect Peter Eisenman on Thursday unveiled a contemporary look for the Cardinals' future home that he believes will make it "a signature stadium - something that will bring folks to visit."
The outside redesign is the latest revision in a project that has seen more stops and starts than a Cardinals running back. Eisenman, an avowed football fan, joked about the frustrations of designing a building whose political baggage kept it on the move.
"It's very exciting to finally get our stadium off wheels," Eisenman said. "We've been rolling around Maricopa County for five years now."
Michael Bidwill, Cardinals vice president, said the team sought to redraw the stadium's exterior because "we thought a fresh new look would be a terrific thing for Glendale and for the West Valley."
Related links
Slideshow: Cardinals Stadium plans
• More about the Cardinal's new stadium >>
He dismissed suggestions that it was intended to save money, saying the changes are "cost neutral" but would simplify construction.
"The inside of the stadium is still the same . . . but it's going to look a lot different," he said.
Some at the Thursday unveiling thought the new design looked like a barrel cactus; others said it resembled a sunburst.
Eisenman's vision is a shiny metallic-silver beacon whose color and reflected light are supposed to shift to mimic the countless hues of Arizona's desert skies.
He tossed out the normally horizontal "banded" design lines of sports stadiums, designing alternating metal panels and vertical glass corridors for the stadium's exterior, "slicing it like a grapefruit" and topping it with a gauzy, see-through cloth roof he says will "take the curse off being inside."
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"It's a whole new feeling in the interior," Eisenman said. "It gives a feeling of being both indoors and outdoors."
The use of Birdair, a translucent canvaslike fabric that is waterproof, reduces the weight and complexity of the roof. The previous design had a roof of three heavy-metal panels that retracted to one end, opening the central part of the roof and one end of the stadium. The new design has two steel-and-cloth panels, each opening toward opposite ends.
Bidwill said $3.5 million worth of Luxembourg steel ordered 18 months ago will still be put to use in the new design. The height, according to Eisenman, will be about 18 feet lower.
The rollout field remains a dominant feature, rolling into an outdoor bowl where it will remain when football is not being played. It will give the natural turf air, sun and water.
"The previous depiction of the stadium everyone had identified with Tempe," Glendale City Manager Ed Beasley said.
He described the new look as "neighborhood friendly . . . more pleasing to the eye," a plus for those living around it.
Glendale and the state Tourism and Sports Authority plan a splashy ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday, but real work won't start until at least June, when machines start digging a huge hole in which the stadium will be built. Until then, workers will be installing sewer lines and other infrastructure, some of it in conjunction with the Phoenix Coyotes arena opening next door in December.
A precise construction schedule will be penned out in a few months when detailed design drawings are in hand. Hunt Construction, the builder, is expected to lock in on its guaranteed maximum price to build the facility in September.
Saving money is paramount for the Cardinals because every extra cent of construction cost comes out of the team's pocket. Delays in choosing a stadium site already have driven construction costs to $355 million from $331 million, putting the team on the hook for the extra $24 million. The Cardinals' original investment was $85 million. The balance is paid by tax-financed bonds sold last month.
Reach the reporter at
[email protected] or (602) 444-8628.
I pulled up the new design for the new Cards stadium, and I didn't know if I liked it. I read the article about the panels shading the fans and the fabric part of the roof to make it seem more open etc., returned to the pictures. I will bet you folks will love it. I can't speak from great experience, but the one time I came out to watch a game, man was it "HOT". One of the posters has a saying something about Strahan saying there were only two times I thouht I was going to die on the field and both times were in Arizona. The Air Conditioning part with the roof closed for early season games will be wonderful for the fans. I'm happy for the Cards and the Fans for the new stadium. P.S. I love your area and the entire southwest, what a great place to live. "Come on Cards get some more defense".
