Stadium Update
By: Chris | February 17th, 2011
360 Architecture is the company that has worked on these proposed stadium designs for the new Earthquakes stadium. Movement on the stadium has been slow due to lack of a naming sponsor and the downturn in the real estate market. Originally the city of San Jose wanted the stadium to sit on a site with a zoning code of Mixed Use. This means the land would be used for different things, a sports stadium, shopping areas, restaurants, etc. The club organization has moved forward on the next step of the stadium plan. They will begin demolishing the current abandoned buildings in the beginning of March.
Here are a few more pictures of what the proposed stadium will look like.
I’ve talked before about the stadium. I’ve mentioned how I don’t like the open ended side of the stadium. It just looks unfinished. For some reason I don’t think the Home Depot Center looks as bad because there’s a big sloping field on the fourth side that encloses the stadium. These pictures make it look like the stadium is just open to the grounds behind that portion of the stadium. Just imagine when shots on that goal go off target, they’re out in the parking lot or wherever, unless there’s a giant net behind the jumbo-tron, and won’t that look lovely?
Something I noticed today that’s bothering me. It looks like there are about 4-5 rows on the ground floor encircling the field. But then the next rows up are elevated and they go back about 20-30 rows. This means that unless you’re sitting in those bottom 4-5 rows, spectators are effectively separated from the field and the players. It just seems wrong that the fans would be withheld from the field in that manner. I remember after the Galaxy game last July, Wondo walked around Buck Shaw and shook hands and signed autographs from those of us standing in the bottom row of the bleachers. If the seating looks the way it does in these pictures, we as fans won’t be able to do something like that.
Buuuuut besides these two questions, I think the rest of the stadium looks great. I know I keep recycling these pictures here, but until construction begins or 360 reveals some new designs, these are the only pictures of the new stadium we’ll have for a while. Club management is hoping the stadium will be ready at some point next year, but with a start date for demolition in March, and demolition taking about 12 weeks (according to SJEarthquakes.com), it probably won’t be realistically ready until the 2013 season.
GO QUAKES!
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Comments
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Chris, in the very last line, did you actually mean 2013 rather than 2012?
I’d definitely agree that at this point, the beginning of 2013 would seem to be the more realistic opening date.
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It’s great that you guys will be getting your own stadium, but I hope that it’s not this one. Those field seats are probably going to be twice the price of the seats in the sections above. It almost looks like a stadium that favors the fans who are willing to shell out big bucks as opposed to a stadium for all of the fans. Also, where are the players benches going to be put? There’s a lot that doesn’t seem right about this design. Hopefully, they will improve upon it and you’ll get your very own home.
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I’ve seen concept drawings for many different types of building designs. The final product is almost always different from the concept art and hopefully the stadium is no different. Hopefully once demolition starts we can see some updated designs. It would also be nice if the fans, maybe season ticket holders, could also get a way to voice their thoughts and opinions on the matter.
Most of the stadiums in MLS have that open fourth end of the field, but I’m not sure why. New York has the most European looking stadium, which looks nice. But if I had to choose a stadium to copy and paste, I’d go with Pizza Hut Park. It’s got a nice seating arrangement, while still keeping that fourth end relatively sparse of seating for the scoreboards and such. It’s just nice.
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Chris, in the very last line, did you actually mean 2013 rather than 2012?
Yes I did. Thanks for catching that.
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One of the things I love about PPL Park is that the front office took consideration for the supporters and gave them their own section that is cordoned off as just for us, but they also designed it purposely the way they do to accommodate the supporters and what they do, as opposed to just giving some section in the ends to the supporters. Hopefully, the Epicenter will be similar in that respect.
Also, with respect to the open end, I sincerely hope they close that off with stands of some kind. It feels too much like a college football stadium with one open end. It just doesn’t feel right. (Pizza Hut Park is that way, and I don’t like the aesthetics of that stadium.)
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if you haven’t read the latest news, the Quakes prez says the reason for the open end/horseshoe shape is to allow for more sunlight. enclosed stadiums run the risk of a poor surface, and the ownership group is committed to having the best natural grass surface in the league.
there will definitely be revisions to the final designs- these were conceptual only. i figure all those questions about player & supporter’s entrances, sideline boxes, how many seats, and what the open end actually ends up looking like will all come out. but i am an optimist…
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the reason for the open end/horseshoe shape is to allow for more sunlight. enclosed stadiums run the risk of a poor surface, and the ownership group is committed to having the best natural grass surface in the league
That’s good to hear. In that case I can forgive the horseshoe design, even if it still looks a bit funky. I wonder if they’re going to go all out and install things like undersoil heating devices and whatnot.
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