Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[Oilkountry]

They should just do the So-fi stadium type roof and tear down/rebuild the 100 level seating and suites into something more suited for football/soccer try and bring the place down to 36,000 expandable to 42,000 seats they would actually see some real use from the place. Almost guaranteed MLS/CFL moves in.

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

The Jays have released renderings for the new 100 level renovation to the dome coming this winter. Foul territory will be reduced by about 3000 sq ft. and there will be more legroom and bigger seats.

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1684568540798648321?s=20

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1684566397521920001?s=20

This video really makes me think they should black out that stadium, Black seats black walls with the light blue accents, Would have made that place intimidating as hell, Unfortunately they cant seem to get the 50 shades of blue theme out of that building.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by elly63

The Nightmare Continues
Philippe Teisceira-Lessard La Presse July 27, 2023

A huge pipe

The technical ring of the Olympic Stadium is a gigantic concrete tube over 450 meters long, located at the top of the structure.



"It's so big that you can walk around without any problem," explained France Vanlaethem, architect and professor emeritus at UQAM's School of Design, in a telephone interview. She recently wrote a long analysis on the heritage value of the built legacy of the 1976 Games.

With a fixed roof made of steel, "the balance of the building changes," which may have forced the engineers to lighten the upper part of the building, she said. " It's linked. [The technical ring] is the break between the structure and the roof. »

"It's not only structurally important, but also functionally important," especially because stage technicians use it to set up equipment, she continued. “It is an essential element in the design of the building.

Claude Phaneuf, one of the engineers who worked on the structure of the Olympic Stadium, described the technical ring as one of the elements making the building “a feat of the 20th century ”

Its very confusing how getting rid of the technical ring would even work as the pictures during construction in the 1970s look like it is a massive support structure for the stadium. If its removed I am not sure if it would make the rest of the stadium structurally unsound?

[blueandgoldguy]

The Als were failing at the Big O prior to moving to Percival Molson Stadium in the 90s mainly due to the distance from downtown. Why would it be any different now? It wouldn't make any sense for them to relocate there in a refurbished stadium.

[logan5]

A refurbished Olympic Stadium won't make much difference. BC Place still feels way too big, and still feels like a dome even with the roof open. The Big O would be a bit worse because the track (or what use to be) pushes people further away.

[Acajack]

Even if you reduce the seating the inside of the Big O is still massive and cavernous.

There is room for seating for 75,000 in there or even more.

The interior of the Big O is a lot bigger than SkyDome or BC Place.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

The Als were failing at the Big O prior to moving to Percival Molson Stadium in the 90s mainly due to the distance from downtown. Why would it be any different now? It wouldn't make any sense for them to relocate there in a refurbished stadium.

Too far from downtown?

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Too far from downtown?

I actually don't think it's that far from downtown. I took the subway to see the Expos back in 2004. I arrived at the stadium pretty quickly. Yet this was seen as one of the many reasons for the Expos demise at the time - distance from downtown. I doubt that feeling has changed substantially in 20 years.

[esquire]

^ People griped a lot about Olympic Stadium's location. I'm sure it played a large part in the Alouettes leaving and the Expos ultimately folding.

Mind you, CF Montreal decided to set up shop out there regardless and they seem to have made it work, although I was under the impression that they were not among the top tier when it comes to MLS attendance.

[EpicPonyTime]

I recall the issues weren't so much the location itself, but the utter lack of anything to do in the surrounding area. I haven't been in a few years, so I'm not sure if it's changed with the Impact being there.

[thurmas]

Its in and out with the metro but no nightlife at all there. Personally would prefer a new stadium downtown but this big o mess never seems to have a conclusion. Cf montreal averages around 16 or 17 k a game at saputo.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by thurmas

Its in and out with the metro but no nightlife at all there. Personally would prefer a new stadium downtown but this big o mess never seems to have a conclusion. Cf montreal averages around 16 or 17 k a game at saputo.

Maybe it is just that stadiums big enough for track and field aren't optimum for anything else.

The slope of the seating area, the orientation of the seats, the setback from the field, all are suboptimal. Plus we've learned a lot in 50 years on what is a better number of seats versus sightlines tradeoff.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Maybe it is just that stadiums big enough for track and field aren't optimum for anything else.

The slope of the seating area, the orientation of the seats, the setback from the field, all are suboptimal. Plus we've learned a lot in 50 years on what is a better number of seats versus sightlines tradeoff.

Its all bad should just make part of the stadium a support base for the tower and demolish the rest as the cost of this renovation now would be the same as building a new stadium

[J.OT13]

The demo would probably cost the same as a new stadium.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The demo would probably cost the same as a new stadium.

Yes, Montreal is trapped. There is no easy way out for them. Renovation would cost a fortune and with relatively little upside, at best it would lure two teams that already have stadiums to play in. MLB will never go back there and it is very hard to imagine the NFL ever setting up shop.

On the other hand, demolition would cost a fortune. One could argue that Montreal would need a suitable replacement stadium but I suppose that for its purposes, Molson and Saputo are enough.

The current approach of semi-abandonment of the stadium, where it is still lit, heated and nominally functional but with few actual events might just make the most sense.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by esquire

Yes, Montreal is trapped. There is no easy way out for them. Renovation would cost a fortune and with relatively little upside, at best it would lure two teams that already have stadiums to play in. MLB will never go back there and it is very hard to imagine the NFL ever setting up shop.

On the other hand, demolition would cost a fortune. One could argue that Montreal would need a suitable replacement stadium but I suppose that for its purposes, Molson and Saputo are enough.

The current approach of semi-abandonment of the stadium, where it is still lit, heated and nominally functional but with few actual events might just make the most sense.

Wonder if there's a way to repurpose it. We need some out of the box thinking. Maybe residential and hotel around the ring with a large open courtyard. Maybe convention space. Something where we keep the iconic structure while introducing a new raison d'être.

[esquire]

How much life does the venue have left, though? Let's face it, it was a rush job run by mob bosses. This is not a facility that is going to last 300 years. The roof needs replacing (again) and so does the technical ring, apparently. Neither is a cheap fix.

I looked at the RIO website, over the next few months the only stadium events planned are a Metallica concert and a monster truck show. I can't imagine how much it costs to keep the stadium running for such a paltry number of events.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Maybe it is just that stadiums big enough for track and field aren't optimum for anything else.

The slope of the seating area, the orientation of the seats, the setback from the field, all are suboptimal. Plus we've learned a lot in 50 years on what is a better number of seats versus sightlines tradeoff.

Canada is an outlier with respect to the use of super-stadiums. Aside from Skydome, they are hilariously underused outside of the Olympics and handful of one-time events per year. No NFL-sized crowds in regular attendance, Major League Baseball is only viable in one city of the country.

Other countries have soccer, the NFL, MLB, Australian rules football, rugby, etc. etc. that make use of these facilities.

The 'solution' to Olympic Stadium is to let it rot to the point that it has to be demolished, with sprinklings of cash to kick the can down the road. How far can we kick the can? Good question. I'd give it a couple more decades, complete with an eventual closing that essentially keeps the building a shell.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by esquire

How much life does the venue have left, though? Let's face it, it was a rush job run by mob bosses. This is not a facility that is going to last 300 years. The roof needs replacing (again) and so does the technical ring, apparently. Neither is a cheap fix.

I looked at the RIO website, over the next few months the only stadium events planned are a Metallica concert and a monster truck show. I can't imagine how much it costs to keep the stadium running for such a paltry number of events.

Rush job? They didn't even finish it on time

I'd love a report on the overall condition of the building. That might be more conclusive than anything.

In any case, I don't think it's worth rebuilding the roof. Unless that would bring an exponential number of new events in winter, it's not worth the cost.

[WhipperSnapper]

The $750 million demolition price tag from a few years ago was absolutely ridiculous. That should be much higher today. What that price tag does is make spending a billion dollars on a new roof for an obsolete purpose built olympic stadium alot more palatable.

Love the idea of adaptive reuse however, I see that being an even bigger elephant than what it is now unless they find another use for a large open space with terraced former stands. An indoor amusement park?