SANTA CLARA - Levi's Stadium (68,028)

[mistermonorail]

Can anyone point out ANY structure that looked good during construction? It's like calling a baby ugly before it's even born.

[QUOTE=Knitemplar;97651971]I passed by there last night. It is a monstrosity. Thank God, I don't live in Santa Clara or have to subsidize that blight.

[Benn]

[QUOTE=mistermonorail;97709821]Can anyone point out ANY structure that looked good during construction? It's like calling a baby ugly before it's even born.

Originally Posted by Knitemplar

I passed by there last night. It is a monstrosity. Thank God, I don't live in Santa Clara or have to subsidize that blight.

That is certainly true that an in construction project almost never looks like the finished product, but the renderings don't give me much hope for a good looking stadium. Spacious, comfortable, convenient once inside to be sure, but not attractive in the minds of more then a few people.

[Timothy83]

Originally Posted by Pelt

I guess I'll just illustrate what I'm talking about rather than explain it,

Firstly, that looks more European than American. American football stadiums have a distinctive style and they like to stick to it, and I think diversity of style in stadium architecture is good. This stadium, whatever design it uses wont have a roof.

The second point is about the size, you've put four very decent sized tiers on the stadium in an effort to wrap the suites and connect them to the rest of the seats, so the four tiers are not accidental. My guess would be that your seating chart would make for a stadium which would ensure a 90-110k bowl, after all you have an unbroken second and third tiers whereas the current plan does ensure the second and third tier stops before it gets to the suites. You also have a fairly expansive fourth tier. I think there's a place for an expansive fourth tier stadium which acts as a Colosseum, I'm just not sure San Francisco needs or wants it. Such a stadium would be very expensive to build given the stadium has to pass earthquake standards, and any stadium which is as large as yours would cost a lot.

[Pelt]

Originally Posted by Timothy83

Firstly, that looks more European than American. American football stadiums have a distinctive style and they like to stick to it, and I think diversity of style in stadium architecture is good. This stadium, whatever design it uses wont have a roof.

Well, the roofing overhangs over the concourse slightly and only over the seating of the upper deck to a point, but doesn't completely cover the stands like many European stadiums. What I don't like about American stadiums, baseball in particular, are roofs that are so small that they actually serve no purpose at all. They are just there for aesthetics.

Originally Posted by Timothy83

The second point is about the size, you've put four very decent sized tiers on the stadium in an effort to wrap the suites and connect them to the rest of the seats, so the four tiers are not accidental. My guess would be that your seating chart would make for a stadium which would ensure a 90-110k bowl...

Interesting to get an estimate from someone else on that. Much appreciated. I was guessing more around 70 to 75k.

But essentially, I was simply wanting to illustrate what I was thinking (As a lot of folks will just bash something without providing anything to back it up), but I still think that this stadium's suites just kind of stand alone and are too segregated from the rest of the stadium.

I'm still hoping my opinion changes as the stadium's construction moves further along, as I understand that it's not completely fair to pass judgement until it's completed, rather than just base it on renderings alone.

[Timothy83]

Originally Posted by Pelt

Well, the roofing overhangs over the concourse slightly and only over the seating of the upper deck to a point, but doesn't completely cover the stands like many European stadiums. What I don't like about American stadiums, baseball in particular, are roofs that are so small that they actually serve no purpose at all. They are just there for aesthetics.

But your roof isn't redundant, it in some ways reminds me of the depth of coverage that the mcg roof has. In your design you can clearly see a shadow on the whole of the fourth tier and bits of the third tier, unless you've just put darker coloured seats, that's coverage. I don't think it's impossible to have a roofed stadium in the US, but the current design lacks any roof at all and I think that's intentional.

Originally Posted by Pelt

Interesting to get an estimate from someone else on that. Much appreciated. I was guessing more around 70 to 75k.

Gee, really? I dunno about that. The only tier that is as big as the proposed one is the lowest one, each of the top three tiers is much bigger than the current proposal. For instance, your second tier wraps around the ground, whereas the 49er proposal doesn't. Your third tier is much much longer and deeper than the 49er tier, ditto your fourth tier. In fact the 49er third tier is quite small, it's kinda like the emirates stadium third tier. This tells me that it'd be more than a 2-7k bumps. Maybe not 90-110 but most likely it'd be 80-90k and looks Twickenham-Wembleyish in terms of size.

Let's also remember that the 49er plan is just a stadium plan, and has a rather meagre facade, and doesn't build a stadium into a wider block/slab. All these things reduce cost. The problem with your block is materials, what is it made of? Steel? That's fairly expensive. Concrete? A building that big in that area isn't ideal, large slabs of concrete and a fault line go together like a baby and a chainsaw.

[RMB2007]

http://49ersconstruction.blogspot.co.uk/

[will101]

They got an impressive amount completed before the rains came.

[mistermonorail]

del

[RMB2007]

[RMB2007]

San Francisco 49ers’ Santa Clara Stadium reaches new height with ‘topping out’ ceremony

http://photos.mercurynews.com/2012/1...-out-ceremony/

[AcesHigh]

it has always reminded me of a few south american stadiums because of the wall of suites on one side (a mix of La Bombonera with Estadio Monumental Lima)

[rantanamo]

Or those silly American stadiums like Soldier Field, Ford Field or Phillips Arena.

[AcesHigh]

nah, it reminds me more of a mix of the stadiums I cited above.

[RMB2007]

From Marvin49 on the 49erswebzone.com forum:







Scroll down the link for more images/details:

http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/ni...-tour/page237/

[rantanamo]

Originally Posted by AcesHigh

nah, it reminds me more of a mix of the stadiums I cited above.

even though its almost an outdoor clone of Ford Field?

What I'm getting at is, everytime a stadium is built here, its either "European" or looks like a South American stadium that recently renovated, and still doesn't look like the stadium discussed.

[Cogan]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

even though its almost an outdoor clone of Ford Field?

What I'm getting at is, everytime a stadium is built here, its either "European" or looks like a South American stadium that recently renovated, and still doesn't look like the stadium discussed.

It does look more like Ford Field, but you can't criticise him for comparing it to La Bombonera. If more future stadiums are going to be built with the suites stacked on one side, people are always going to make that comparison, which is perfectly valid.

Estadio Monumental Lima? I don't see the similarities there.

[AcesHigh]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

even though its almost an outdoor clone of Ford Field?

What I'm getting at is, everytime a stadium is built here, its either "European" or looks like a South American stadium that recently renovated, and still doesn't look like the stadium discussed.

I am not sure the stadiums I cited were recently renovated. And yes, most stadiums have many similarities, so thats something expected.

although I must say the Texas Cowboys stadium looks like NOTHING in Europe or South America, imho.

Oh, and Baseball stadiums are also very different from everything I know... I would never compare the Dolphins stadium to another stadium.

[AcesHigh]

Originally Posted by Cogan

Estadio Monumental Lima? I don't see the similarities there.

it is open (does not have a roof) and it has a shallow tiers section with vip boxes stacked like a wall towering over the tiers. However, its all around the stadium.

THATs why I said it looks like a mix of both. Not like one or the other.

obviously, this is a new stadium and will be MUCH better (in confort levels) than both stadiums I cited.

[Cogan]

Originally Posted by AcesHigh

THATs why I said it looks like a mix of both. Not like one or the other.

I misread your first comment, I see what you mean by a mix.

[WesTexas]

Originally Posted by AcesHigh

although I must say the Texas Cowboys stadium looks like NOTHING in Europe or South America, imho.

I almost DIED! I read that while drinking some water and almost choked. THE DALLAS COWBOYS.