What will the next generation of ballparks look like?

[Ark]

We're still a few decades away from a wave of new ballparks, but by then the ones that exist now are sure to feel ancient and in need of change.

So what do you think the next gen will look like? What will be the next trend?

[aci]

I'm predicting stacks of luxury boxes as far as the eye can see, and lots and lots of ribbons of LED advertising circling the ballparks just like in NBA/NHL arenas.

[NJTank]

I think they will all be domed circular multipurpose stadiums with no distinguishing difference as someone will some day wax poetic about astroturf and Veteran Stadium

[uk-owns-iu]

I think the new era of stadiums is going to be immensely ugly. Yea, the new Falcons and Vikings stadiums are warming up to me, but they are still nothing like a stadium should look like. I initially hated the Sonics new renderings as well but am growing on the "turbine" idea.

Basically, the modern circular and glass designs are going out and even the retro designs are starting to die down a little in favor of liberal arts style facilities. Not sure I like the idea myself, especially when it results in nice looking buildings like the GA Dome being demolished.

One other thing, look for modular boxy looking designs to make their way into both sports architecture as well as architecture in general. Bruce Ratner opened up an enormous can of worms with this Atlantic Rail Yards design.

[Ark]

The outside of the New Vikings Stadium looks terrible, but I love the giant window looking at the city idea.

Too bad the Twin Cities aren't mountainous.

[uk-owns-iu]

The new Vikings Stadium will have a window looking out on Minny but it won't look like that. It will look like this...

Not bad from the inside really, just terrible on the outside.

[kmccarthy27]

The trend I see coming is what BC Place has in Vancouver. That is a curtain system to be able to completely conceal the upper decks to accommodate small crowd sports. That way if a city were to get soccer, concert or some other sport that only gets 20K-ish it does not look like a lot of empty seats and does not look like crap like it does when tarps are put over the sections.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/BC_Place_2011_Whitecaps.jpg

[walby2]

Looking at newer facilities you can see which way the winds are blowing:

-More modern design with less of the hokey retro decor (especially for baseball). Way more technology in the form of electronic signs, wifi, etc.

-Smaller overall seating capacity but far more premium seating, e.g. club seats, skyboxes, party decks, that kind of thing. Larger seats overall.

-An improved but generally less democratic fan experience. As compared to say Memorial Stadium (Bal.) or Cleveland Stadium which basically were thousands of seats around a field and everyone was in more or less the same boat, the fans in premium seats have access to far more amenities.

-More urban venues. Gone are the days of the arena or stadium plunked in a field on the Interstate.

-Far more "revenue generating opportunities". The modest team shop with a few caps and pennants has been replaced by big-box team stores selling virtually everything with a team logo on it.

-More purpose-built venues tailored to the sightlines of a specific sport. Even though the multipurpose stadium made excellent financial sense, leagues have successfully cowed governments into building their own custom-tailored facilities.

[nmsuaggie]

Just wait fifteen to twenty more years when stadiums built in the 1990's/early 2000's become too obsolete to remain competitive in the next modern era of sports have to be demolished.

[CubsFanBudMan]

I thought I posted this yesterday, but maybe it didn't take:

I've always believed front-row suites -- maybe 3-5 stories' worth with the rest of us up top with a birds' eye view -- would be next. Cowboys Stadium comes closest, with suites and ground level and limited-access clubs on both sidelines from endzone to endzone and ground to all but the top deck.

But I think the proposed Sonics arena offers some hints as well, with "pocket" suites and SRO-based expandibility.

[rxmc89]

The trend I see coming is what BC Place has in Vancouver. That is a curtain system to be able to completely conceal the upper decks to accommodate small crowd sports. That way if a city were to get soccer, concert or some other sport that only gets 20K-ish it does not look like a lot of empty seats and does not look like crap like it does when tarps are put over the sections.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/BC_Place_2011_Whitecaps.jpg

That's genius! I can definitely see that catching on.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

The trend I see coming is what BC Place has in Vancouver. That is a curtain system to be able to completely conceal the upper decks to accommodate small crowd sports. That way if a city were to get soccer, concert or some other sport that only gets 20K-ish it does not look like a lot of empty seats and does not look like crap like it does when tarps are put over the sections.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/BC_Place_2011_Whitecaps.jpg

That's genius! I can definitely see that catching on.

No it doesn't. It looks just as shameful as tarps, but stupider because it's curtains. This is terrible: