For years the Oakland Athletics have been right at the top of the list of teams that desperately need a new ballpark. The Oakland Coliseum has caused the A’s a host of major league problems, chief among them recurring plumbing issues that have led to the clubhouses and dugouts flooding with sewage on numerous occasions.
Today, the team took another step closer to abandoning the problem child that is the Oakland Coliseum and announced it has hired four architecture firms to lead the design process of a new, problem-free home ballpark. Sasaki, Snøhetta, and Studio T-Square will lead the master planning and urban design efforts for the new stadium while HOK and Snøhetta will collaborate on the design.
Additionally, Sasaki, Snøhetta, and Studio T-Square will assist the A’s in a community engagement process. “A key component to making this project a success will be an active and meaningful engagement with A’s fans as well as with the broad and incredibly diverse community of Oakland,” says James Miner, AICP, Sasaki Principal, in a release. “We want the ballpark to be a great place not only for baseball, but also for the community and the environment.” There are no renderings yet, but Miner sees the new stadium as just one piece of the puzzle that will become an “urban ballpark district.”
Brad Schrock, AIA, regional leader of Sports + Recreation +Entertainment at HOK says, “We’re looking forward to collaborating with the A’s and our design partners to create an imaginative, amenity-rich, and enduring community asset.”
Currently, the stadium is being planned for a piece of land that sits next to Lake Merritt near Downtown Oakland. The area is surrounded by parkland and neighborhoods, a stark contrast to the sea of asphalt the Oakland Coliseum exists in. Estimates project the new stadium to seat 35,000 fans and cost approximately $500 million.
Update (12/06/17)
The A's just can't catch a break when it comes to getting a new ballpark. The board of trustees of Peralta Community College District, which owns the site near Laney College the new stadium was being designed for, voted to halt ongoing discussions with the A's.
"We are shocked by Peralta’s decision to not move forward," the A's said in a statement. "All we wanted to do was enter into a conversation about how to make this work for all of Oakland, Laney, & the Peralta Community College District. We are disappointed that we will not have that opportunity."
The next step for the team, if they are unable to rekindle discussions with the Peralta Community College District, is to reexamine other possibilities for a new stadium. The board's decision came as a surprise to the team, however, so a backup plan may not even exist.
Libby Schaaf, Oakland's mayor, remains optimistic about the A's future in the city and the team's ability to build a new ballpark. "Oakland remains fiercely determined to keep the Athletics in Oakland," Schaaf wrote in a statement on Twitter. "It is unfortunate the discussion with Peralta ended so abruptly, yet we're committed, more than ever, to working with the A’s and our community to find the right spot in Oakland for a privately-financed ballpark."
This latest setback comes less than one month after a design team of Sasaki, Snøhetta, Studio T-Square, and HOK were selected to design the new stadium.
Related Stories
| Jan 28, 2014
Big Ten Conference opens swanky HQ and museum [slideshow]
The new mixed-use headquarters includes a museum, broadcast studios, conference facilities, office spaces, and, oh yeah, a Brazilian steakhouse.
| Jan 27, 2014
A climber's dream: Rock climbing hall planned near Iran's highest peak
Forget the rock climbing wall. A developer in Iran is building a rock climbing hall. That's right, an entire building dedicated to the sport, with more than 48,000 sf of program space.
| Jan 13, 2014
Custom exterior fabricator A. Zahner unveils free façade design software for architects
The web-based tool uses the company's factory floor like "a massive rapid prototype machine,” allowing designers to manipulate designs on the fly based on cost and other factors, according to CEO/President Bill Zahner.
| Jan 11, 2014
Getting to net-zero energy with brick masonry construction [AIA course]
When targeting net-zero energy performance, AEC professionals are advised to tackle energy demand first. This AIA course covers brick masonry's role in reducing energy consumption in buildings.
| Jan 7, 2014
Concrete solutions: 9 innovations for a construction essential
BD+C editors offer a roundup of new products and case studies that represent the latest breakthroughs in concrete technology.
Smart Buildings | Jan 7, 2014
9 mega redevelopments poised to transform the urban landscape
Slowed by the recession—and often by protracted negotiations—some big redevelopment plans are now moving ahead. Here’s a sampling of nine major mixed-use projects throughout the country.
| Dec 27, 2013
$1 billion 'city within a city' development approved by Coachella, Calif., city council
The mega development includes 7,800 homes, a retail center, office space, and nearly 350 acres of open space.
| Dec 13, 2013
Safe and sound: 10 solutions for fire and life safety
From a dual fire-CO detector to an aspiration-sensing fire alarm, BD+C editors present a roundup of new fire and life safety products and technologies.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 9, 2013
Tips for designing higher education's newest building type: the learning commons
In this era of scaled-down budgets, maximized efficiencies, new learning methods and social media’s domination of face time, college and university campuses are gravitating toward a new space type: the learning commons.