Vikings Stadium Miscellaneous Discussion

[writruth]

It was exciting to watch the unveiling unfold. This is a great start. Refinements, adding green space, the Vikings Hall of Fame (oddly not mentioned during tonight's ceremony) and something architectural to break up the concrete plaza will help. Also, the scale of the building itself will add to the sense of drama upon entering.

[Aville_37]

Parts are hit or miss for me. Love what glass that is incorporated, but the shape and angles in the design seem a bit too severe. Definitely not elegant and very cold. Feels like a bunker. Not a fan of the north side of the roof - agree some type of window/skylights need to be incorporated. Also - even with the glass on the north facing side, seems with the current current the building is going to cast a huge shadow.

Lastly - very upset they are extending the skyway. I thought the committees were pressing that the stadium be designed to interact with the surrounding area and stimulate development. How is that going to happen if people never set foot outside the stadium if they park on the other side of town and walk all the way through the skyways to watch a game. Not happy at all about this.

[Aville_37]

That being said - I am staying optimistic I'll be proven wrong with the final design and once built.

[MNdible]

Lastly - very upset they are extending the skyway. I thought the committees were pressing that the stadium be designed to interact with the surrounding area and stimulate development. How is that going to happen if people never set foot outside the stadium if they park on the other side of town and walk all the way through the skyways to watch a game. Not happy at all about this.

It's been implied in a couple of other places that the Skyway link to the stadium itself is for VIP seats -- not sure if this is true or not.

[woofner]

One of my first thoughts was Crystal Cathedral, but after letting those weird dark gray walls sink in its much more cold, but also certainly more interesting and less tacky. I don't think it will be much more interesting to walk around than the Metrodome though, which is among the lowest hurdles above sea level.

But I could see them pulling off the finished product, especially if the gray walls end up more lively somehow. But yeah, what's up with the scooby doo hologram of the football player on the west wall?

[mattaudio]

I'm disappointed that they are ENTRENCHING the TRENCH by providing right in / right out vehicular access to the stadium from 4th St under 11th Ave S.

[Razorback]

All this talk of light airiness and not being a fortress and 3 of the 4 sides have gigantic grey featureless slabs? Inside looks nice and the front could be cool in real life, but man, do I not like those outside walls. Maybe we'll get lucky and the financing will fall apart and they could try again. I want so much to like it, but I'm also not a fan of the asymmetry thing. This might have to grow on me. Or I might have to move.

[RailBaronYarr]

I like the skyline facing side: striking peak, glass opens well, and it's definitely different but ties in with some local architecture (McNamara, the church at SJU, etc). However, its negatives outweigh the positives. The entire back side and north side don't address anything at all - even if the material is cool it's still a giant monolithic building with very little glass opening up or finer grain detail (an example of what I mean is how TCF has the columns/arches, glass, brick, windows, and doors along the entire outer edge, plus the county names - all of which interact better with any point outside the stadium). To the person who says this 'dances' on the ground and doesn't just plot there... are we seeing the same building? It looks like a giant glacier/boulder that almost emerged OUT of the ground. A less nimble, dancy stadium I've never seen.

I'll say it's better than what SF is getting, though I just expected more out of it. For $1B on land they didn't have to buy and no retractable roof I would have thought something more frilly on the outside.

[John]

it's a huge glacier like sculpture. it has the bow of a viking ship. those "blank" walls have definition, it just isn't very clear in these renderings. i like the use of zinc. we have enough kasota stone in this city.

There is going to be some Kasota stone as accents, but I too like the zinc. The asymmetrical exterior will look beautiful at night with the light emanating from the inside. This building will be fantastic both aesthetically and for the users for exactly what it is: a sports stadium. I guess I'm a little puzzled about the criticism and what people's expectations are for a stadium design

[mamundsen]

I'm a fan. 8/10 score.

Remember many things will likely change. Take a look back at the unveiling designs of Target Field and look at what we have today. Close, but many differences and its all better.

I think this was only part 1 of the plan. Lets see what tomorrow brings.

[jennifat]

Oh my god. I finally realized what it reminds me of: it's an enormous Target Center with windows. It has the same hulking, hostile, fortress-like presence.

I'm so disappointed we're building this monstrosity in what's generally regarded as a design-savvy city. I was hoping for iconic and avant-garde; this design is nothing of the sort. Not good enough. Try again. I guess you could call it "modern", if it's the year 1993.

[ruby]

I got very nervous during the unveiling presentation when the design firm referenced the Walker and the Central Library as influences, two of my least favorite structures in the city. And naturally, the features that reference these two buildings are exactly what I don't like about the stadium; the pointy angular jutting stuff and the cold, blob edifice of the north side which, by the way, results in the stadium completely turning its back on the river which I thought we were all excited about connecting everything to.

That being said, overall I think it's pretty good. My main question for the posters here is how much can we expect the design to evolve as it goes to the city council and so forth? The alienating feel of the north side seems to concern nearly everyone as it is exactly what we were told not to expect. With enough negative feedback about this, could we reasonably expect some modifications?

[Aville_37]

it's a huge glacier like sculpture. it has the bow of a viking ship. those "blank" walls have definition, it just isn't very clear in these renderings. i like the use of zinc. we have enough kasota stone in this city.

There is going to be some Kasota stone as accents, but I too like the zinc. The asymmetrical exterior will look beautiful at night with the light emanating from the inside. This building will be fantastic both aesthetically and for the users for exactly what it is: a sports stadium. I guess I'm a little puzzled about the criticism and what people's expectations are for a stadium design

I always appreciate your optimism John! But repeatedly during the unveiling it was said that this will be more than just a Vikings stadium - it's a building for the people of MN and as such is a "civic" building.

[Tyler]

I guess I'm a little puzzled about the criticism and what people's expectations are for a stadium design

AECOM and HNTB's designs>>>>>>>>>

[AmpDowntown]

The new stadium grows on me each time I look at the photos. Remember how massive this structure is- it is very difficult to blend this into the neighborhood. The beauty is in the "smaller" details. Like how they manipulate light and heat in the design to keep the snow off the roof. I love the pivot doors, the southern roof, the open concourses, and the angular west entrance. I like the ship like design that recalls nordic architecture. It really adds to the modern architecture in Minneapolis. The entrance is memorable.

Compare this stadium with the new NY stadium, the SanFran stadium, Indy, Dallas, etc. You may not like this in absolute terms. But this stadium is far superior relative to other stadiums.

[gahwi003]

Lastly - very upset they are extending the skyway. I thought the committees were pressing that the stadium be designed to interact with the surrounding area and stimulate development. How is that going to happen if people never set foot outside the stadium if they park on the other side of town and walk all the way through the skyways to watch a game. Not happy at all about this.

HAHAHA! First person from the suburbs to walk from north loop to the new stadium without getting lost wins a free dinner from me.

[nasa35]

Parts are hit or miss for me. Love what glass that is incorporated, but the shape and angles in the design seem a bit too severe. Definitely not elegant and very cold. Feels like a bunker. Not a fan of the north side of the roof - agree some type of window/skylights need to be incorporated. Also - even with the glass on the north facing side, seems with the current current the building is going to cast a huge shadow.

Lastly - very upset they are extending the skyway. I thought the committees were pressing that the stadium be designed to interact with the surrounding area and stimulate development. How is that going to happen if people never set foot outside the stadium if they park on the other side of town and walk all the way through the skyways to watch a game. Not happy at all about this.

For me this is one of the positives!

It's growing on me.

[nasa35]

Lastly - very upset they are extending the skyway. I thought the committees were pressing that the stadium be designed to interact with the surrounding area and stimulate development. How is that going to happen if people never set foot outside the stadium if they park on the other side of town and walk all the way through the skyways to watch a game. Not happy at all about this.

HAHAHA! First person from the suburbs to walk from north loop to the new stadium without getting lost wins a free dinner from me.

more snark

[AmpDowntown]

"But yeah, what's up with the scooby doo hologram of the football player on the west wall?"

I believe the presenter said that the spot would be a versatile canvas for videos or photos. I can see it being a gigantic projection screen during a final four or world cup match for fans in the plaza.

But others have said that it is where the corporate sponsor logo will go...

[LRV Op Dude]

Here is a video of the New Stadium Fly-Through