The NFL’s Washington Redskins franchise has grand plans for a new stadium. The wave-like structure will have parks, bridges, even a moat surrounding it.
The stadium’s architect, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), was featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes this weekend. Ingels, the Danish starchitect, explained his vision for the stadium.
“The stadium is designed as much for the tailgating, like the pre-game, as for the game itself,” Ingels told 60 Minutes. “Tailgating literally becomes a picnic in a park. It can actually make the stadium a more lively destination throughout the year without ruining the turf for the football game.”
According to the Washington Post, a moat for kayakers and various parks and bridges will surround the stadium.
The Post also found that many Washington football fans think the design is dumb.
Also, everything about this image is absurd. Rappelling? Roller skates? Surfers? Bikinis? No porta potties? pic.twitter.com/rJam0k3uwB
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) March 14, 2016
Specifics are unknown, in part, because the new stadium’s location still needs to be hashed out. The Redskins play at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. The venue opened in 1997, and the team has a lease through 2027. Redskins owner Dan Snyder wants a new home, though, and locations in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., are being considered.
D.C. is a difficult situation. CityLab explained that the team would have to change its nickname for the government to turn over the land underneath Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. But since BIG likes to incorporate site-specific features, a moat at the RFK site "would connect the venue with the nearby Anacostia River, which is popular with kayakers," Kriston Capps of CityLab wrote. "The design looks like a love letter to the team’s old neighborhood." A moat surrounding a Virginia-based stadium would be out of place.
BIG hasn’t designed an NFL stadium, but has recently worked on other ambitious projects, like The Spiral, a twisting 65-story tower in Manhattan.
The #Redskins have hired world-renowned firm BIG to develop new stadium concepts.
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) March 11, 2016
MORE | https://t.co/hohCDeVvjb pic.twitter.com/6JMm0mOFI5
Related Stories
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 11, 2016
Chicago Cubs continue Wrigley Field renovations with new clubhouse
The team found 30,000 sf of space underneath an old parking lot, nearly tripling the size of the old clubhouse.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 6, 2016
Las Vegas debuts another new arena, with a number of ‘firsts’
The gambling mecca has its eyes on attracting a pro sports team.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 5, 2016
The importance of true cost-modeling for sports facilities
Many factors prevent sports facilities from immediate profitability. Rider Levett Bucknall’s Peter Knowles and Steve Kelly write that cost modeling, the process of estimating construction expenses by analyzing fixed and variable expenses, can push facility development to financial success.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 1, 2016
San Diego Chargers announce plan for downtown stadium and convention center
The project will be funded primarily by a tax increase on hotel stays.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 31, 2016
An extreme sports tower for climbing and BASE jumping is proposed for Dubai’s waterfront
The design incorporates Everest-like base camps for different skill levels.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 29, 2016
New skatepark complex has three levels of surfaces and obstacles
Guy Hollaway Architects designed an indoor 10,700-sf park in Folkestone, England, to accommodate BMX biking, skateboarding, and other extreme sports.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 25, 2016
Minnesota Timberwolves join pack of NBA teams with new high-res video screens
The Wolves, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings have new multi-paneled center-hung displays planned for their arenas.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 24, 2016
Barcelona hoops arena will rattle opponents with wall of raucous fans
HOK and TAC Arquitectes designed a basketball palace that will have intimate seating inside and public space outside.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 18, 2016
Milwaukee Bucks reveal more renderings of new downtown arena project
The plan, led by Populous, includes a 714,000-sf arena and a 30-acre mixed-use development.
Events Facilities | Mar 7, 2016
Experts pessimistic on Chicago’s $650 million McCormick Place expansion
Developers and city officials envision $250 million of annual growth, but the figure assumes that a new arena will lure conventions and draw full houses for basketball games.