Blue & Gold Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Just to remind everyone, the U began interviews for the construction managment position for the new stadium! We'll know who the CM is on February 14th, and then we should have architectural drawings, or "Design Development Phase Completion," on June 15th!!! Can't wait! I still think they should just borrow the plans from SMU for their stadium and tell our CM, "Here, build this." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-Zips Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 i agree. their new stadium is pretty awesome. I had the chance to see it this fall when i was in Dallas for a conference. Great facilty and it would look even better back here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zip81 Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 I hadn't been on the main part of campus in a lot of years.After the Buffalo game, I gave one of my sons a quick little tour. The quality of the new buildings...the Student Union, the honors hall, the athletic field house...just to name a few are outstanding.Here's keeping my fingers crossed that they'll have the same standards for the new stadium. I'm cautiously optimistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZipster0305 Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 SMU's stadium is exactly what I hope we get! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipseuph Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 does anyone have a picture of SMU'S new stadium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckzip Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 The way campus is looking with all of the new buildings, I would find it difficult to believe that UA would put up anything but a very nice stadium.I believe this stadium will be nicer than any of us predict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 does anyone have a picture of SMU'S new stadium? Click on Photo Gallery at this link (5 photos)Info on Gerald J Ford Stadium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zip81 Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 Very nice..however, I would lower the stands a little and complete the bowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akronad Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 Don't be surprised if a designed isn't shown to the tRustees at 1 of their next 2 meetings.I heard from a very reliable source that they are completing the design work and jsut waiting on a Construction Manager.I just hope the design is going to mesh with all of the messages on the boards. And the sooner construction gets started the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 Don't be surprised if a designed isn't shown to the tRustees at 1 of their next 2 meetings.I heard from a very reliable source that they are completing the design work and jsut waiting on a Construction Manager.I just hope the design is going to mesh with all of the messages on the boards. And the sooner construction gets started the better. So you mean it will be a bowl? A high school stadium, no matter how nice, just won't cut it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodthts Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 new stadium hopefully will have open grasyy areas, UVA has that and it is so cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyZip Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 Ideal for me would be the horseshoe shape of the rubber bowl with the open end still "completing the bowl" but being an open grass hill rather than seats. We'd be able to toss out a blanket and nap during those future stomp downs of Ohio U in MAC play! (had to throw it in... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xu9697 Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 It's amazing how big a 32,000 seat stadium can look when done right. I would agree that SMU has an excellent example of the type of facility we should build. Here's hoping someone reads our posts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 unfortunately, it would seem the plans are pretty much established. So, all our talk would never influence a damned thing. The only things that could be changed are more superficial non-structural aspects, such as facades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyake Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 I prefer keeping the Rubber Bowl, than watching the Zips play in a high school stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted February 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 unfortunately, it would seem the plans are pretty much established. So, all our talk would never influence a damned thing. The only things that could be changed are more superficial non-structural aspects, such as facadesBoy, I sure hope not! The first renderings we've seen are for your typical MAC-style glorified high school stadium! Unnacceptable!I was on GoZips looking for a Mack Rhodes bio and could not find one (strange). But I believe Mack comes to us from UTEP, right? So I then went to UTEP's athletics site to check what their football stadium looks like. One would think Mack may have a vision similar to UTEP's? Well, fortunately, UTEP's stadium is a horseshoe configured design. Somewhat similar to SMU's, though not quite as nice (naturally, it's not as new.) So I'm still hoping for at least a horseshoe configuration. A bowl would be even better! But a two-grandstand design (ala, the aforementioned glorified high school stadium) will be a complete and bitter dissappointment to all 1000 on ZipsNation (the Zips' most loyal supporters, mind you) and serve to fix us permanently in the muck of mediocrity that is MAC football. We desperately need the current administration to, as KD does, THINK BIGGER! So let's think higher, shall we, gentlemen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 Sorry, B&G, while i could easily be wrong, it seems to me that all of the phases all the way from feasability studies right down to full construction plans have been completed, if they are now looking for a construction manager. A construction manager doesn't do any design work. That has all been done. They manage the project and all the contractors/sub contractors. It means, the ball will be rolling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exexec Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 This is another real nice stadium-has the grassy area in one end zone.http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/facilities/wake-groves.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akronad Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 Unless something has changed, the plans that I have seen call for the crappy looking hs stadoum scenario. Stands on both sides and open spaces behind the end zones. if anyone has seen anything different, let us know. If the plans are as I stated, we might as well just refurbish the RB and play our games there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcperp Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 I haven't heard a thing about how much money has actually been raised for the new stadium, and I suspect that any new stadium will have attached, adjoining retail stores and restaurants to help pay the debt service, and to meet goals of University Park Alliance. Hopefully, if this is the case, it will be done tastefully and complement the facility.If retail is indeed part of the equation, it would seem that the best way to accomodate that would be via a horseshoe or a bowl to allow attached egress on both sides of the stores into the stadium...hope so anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72 Roo Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 A design similar to the SMU stadium would be ideal.There is only one problem, there is no money to enclose the stadium at one end to create a horseshoe. Mac, and the committee to build the stadium, must deal with real world concerns of limited funding. We will probably end up with a sunken field, 20' - 25', below street level, with seating on either side and grassy slopes at each end. The plan is to enclose one or both ends at some time to get the seating capacity up. That will be driven solely by demand for more capacity.Don't get me wrong. I'd love an SMU-type stadium, but that design would add a minimum $10,000,000 more than what they have. Major donors are not stepping up to support that vision, regardless of how perfect it would be for the future of football, Akron athletics and the local economy. Until that happens, we will see a 25,000 seat stadium that will be designed to accomodate expansion if demand is there on a consistent basis.I agree with the earlier poster who said there is little we can do to influence the design decision unless we have a whole lot of money to donate. The stadium will boost our team, but not as fast or far as a visionary stadium would. For now, it looks like we will have to grow into something better than we will get.I also agree with many others who say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmyboy Posted February 11, 2007 Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 Id hate to say this, but a stadium like Cant Read, Cant Write, Can't State would be decent if we brought it up to date and added some better touches to it. Like a scoreboard on BOTH ends of the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottditzen Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Please no.....Dix "stadium" is horrible. What a terrible let down it would be having a high school field on campus. We might as well have portable stands on wheels that roll away after the games!!!! If there's no money available for more capacity, it's best to look for something that isat least creative and unique. Here's the key: Even at 25,000, I think the stadium could still look very prominent andwell done if the dorms and attached retail are well-integrated into the design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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