Stadiums and Arenas of Canada

[elly63]

City of Ottawa
November 22, 2013

- Work has now started to shape and form the field level seating bowl at the front of the south stands
- Over half of the vertical ribs of the wooden surround for the new south stands have now been put up
- At the north stands, the contractor is almost finished installing the new roof
- A new railing is being installed around the north stands
- At the lower concourse level, new concessions are now being built

A roller packs the base of the seating bowl near centre field at the south stands


At the east end of the south stands, formwork is already in place for the first section of the field-level seating bowl


From the air, the stadium is coming together – seats are installed in the north stands and the Veil can be seen behind the south stands


Work continues to install the vertical beams in the wooden surround at the south stands


From Bank Street, the stadium rises above the last piece of the parking garage and the first walls for the new residential tower

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

Been doing some research on NCAA stadiums and came across the new University of Houston Cougars Stadium with a capacity of 40,000 - with a construction cost of $120million.



I'd love to see the Argos go for something like this

Gosh that would be amazing for the Argos. With a proper football specific stadium I really think they'd get quite a big attendance bounce. Perhaps not to 40,000 right away, but certainly back to 30,000 where they were just a few years ago. I'd prefer a sunken bowl of 35,000 with a ring of club suites and boxes with a walkway at grade above that. Design it so that a big 2nd tier can be built on each side later on, if it ever came to that.

[Prometheus]

Thanks for posting all the Ottawa stadium construction updates, elly 63.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Thanks for posting all the Ottawa stadium construction updates, elly 63.

Hear hear.

It looks good... the stadium itself is very attractive, and the increased density on the surrounding site is great too.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Thanks for posting all the Ottawa stadium construction updates, elly 63.

I know I could just post the link but we need to preserve this stuff for history, like the SkyDome contenders. Can't believe they could be found 30 years later, praise Allah.

[elly63]

Interesting post from Honey Boo Boo at ticats.ca

I just spent the weekend at the UNC @ Pitt game at Heinz Field. The south end zone there is a 'plaza' similar to the new (much smaller) end zone party areas at THF. Gotta' say, great perspective on a game.

I do believe those new zones'll be a huge hit! Very cool concept. Heck! I caught a ball off a UNC field goal!

These end zone plazas are the trend. Apparently they're doing one at Ralph Wilson as part of their renos; So it's nice to see we're ahead of the game!

[elly63]

Tks to Earl at ticats.ca (Interesting to note that the comments following the article aren't very favourable - elly)



Future NFL stadiums could feature less sitting, more standing
Mike Florio January 27, 2013

Our pal Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times has written an article that looks at the various challenges the NFL is facing. One of the biggest arises from persuading fans to choose to attend games over watching them at home.

Late in the item comes an intriguing prediction about the configuration of future NFL stadiums, courtesy of NFL executive V.P. of business operations Eric Grubman.

“What if a new stadium we built wasn’t 70,000, but it was 40,000 seats with 20,000 standing room?” Grubman said. “But the standing room was in a bar-type environment with three sides of screens, and one side where you see the field. Completely connected. And in those three sides of screens, you not only got every piece of NFL content, including replays, Red Zone [Channel], and analysis, but you got every other piece of news and sports content that you would like to have if you were at home.

“Now you have the game, the bar and social setting, and you have the content. What’s that ticket worth? What’s that environment feel like to a young person? Where do you want to be? Do you want to be in that seat, or do you want to be in that pavilion?”

Plenty of people would choose to be in the pavilion, if the price is right. (And if the beer isn’t priced quite so high.)

Grubman’s example, with a 70,000-seat stadium becoming a 60,000-person hybrid, reflects another inevitable reality for the NFL. To maintain the buzz of a full stadium, stadiums may need to get smaller (what the CFL is doing - elly).

“A restaurant isn’t as good if there’s only four people in there,” 49ers CEO Jed York said. “When a restaurant is hustling and bustling, it just feels better, the food tastes better because you see everybody else enjoying it. That’s the same thing for any live event. Great bands, if you don’t have a great crowd, then the band isn’t quite as good.”

He’s right — and it’s wise for the league to continuously be thinking about ways to adapt the business model to ensure that business continues to thrive, not only on TV but inside each and every stadium.

[Matrix19]

Quebec City

arena construction update :











source : @paybro_ on twitter

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by esquire

In my view, end zone seats work if the seats are sufficiently elevated. The very low ground-level end zone seats like the ones they have in Montreal are worthless. On the other hand, I've sat in the upper deck behind the end zone at BC Place and the view is not that bad... or at least not much worse than the upper deck along the sidelines.

BC Place appears to me to have an ideal, compact design for CFL football. I have never been in it, although I would like to see it if I am in Vancouver again.

(source: http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/06/10-best-bc-place-photos/ )

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

As it happens - one of the losing designs for the Ticats stadium had lower bowl endzone seating at one end of the stadium.

The lower bowl would have been horseshoe shaped with the upper tiered seating that they have now

Similar capacity? (if you can answer that without being "silenced" by the IO cops )

I'd love to see the alternates some day, though I doubt we will get the chance given the secrecy of the bidding process (and probably also because the bids covered the other facilities at Milton and YorkU)

[elly63]

Tim Hortons Field Hamilton November 25/2013 (East grandstand)

[TimB09]

I think I saw this on Twitter but the CFL will make sure next year that Hamilton and Ottawa start their seasons on the road for a few games so they can make sure their stadiums are done.

I really hope we don't have a Winnipeg fiasco and these two teams have to play elsewhere for a whole season.

[The Fisher Account]

Yeah, still no way I see either of these ugly stadiums being ready for the start of the season. Wouldn't surprise me if they're delayed by months.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by TimB09

I think I saw this on Twitter but the CFL will make sure next year that Hamilton and Ottawa start their seasons on the road for a few games so they can make sure their stadiums are done.

I really hope we don't have a Winnipeg fiasco and these two teams have to play elsewhere for a whole season.

We all know where Hamilton could play but I have no idea where Ottawa could find a temporary "home" in this part of the world.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

Originally Posted by The Fisher Account

Yeah, still no way I see either of these ugly stadiums being ready for the start of the season. Wouldn't surprise me if they're delayed by months.

Well aren't you a ball of positively, I guess you've missed the news that both projects are on schedule and on budget.

As for being "ugly" - well that's just your opinion.

They will both be acceptable intimate stadiums to watch CFL football.

[The Fisher Account]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

Well aren't you a ball of positively, I guess you've missed the news that both projects are on schedule and on budget.

As for being "ugly" - well that's just your opinion.

They will both be acceptable intimate stadiums to watch CFL football.

This is a subjective building forum. I can call a spade a spade if I feel like it.

And I don't buy 'on time and on budget' this far out. Let's see how fast construction continues in the middle of winter.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Don't the Gee Gees have a new stadium? Could be a quick and dirty solution.

As for these new stadiums being ugly, Ottawa's new field has some interesting architectural features and the project as a whole seems quite good. THF is neither ugly, nor is it beautiful, it just is.

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by TimB09

I think I saw this on Twitter but the CFL will make sure next year that Hamilton and Ottawa start their seasons on the road for a few games so they can make sure their stadiums are done.

I really hope we don't have a Winnipeg fiasco and these two teams have to play elsewhere for a whole season.

Except Winnipeg had their old stadium to play in so not really all that much of a fiasco. Ottawa has nothing else and Hamilton has a dinky stadium in Guelph and their losses were heavily subsidized by the other teams.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

THF is neither ugly, nor is it beautiful, it just is.

That's about as good a description as I've read.

I get the feeling though that it is going to look better than people think. What makes it for me is the party patio, if that is connected to the grandstands (which I think it is) it will give an enclosed look and feel and better aesthetic.

I'm still on the fence with Ottawa, the black and red seats don't do it for me but I'll reserve judgment until I see the finished on time and on budget project.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by The Fisher Account

Let's see how fast construction continues in the middle of winter.

Oh no, not winter! Why didn't we plan for that?