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 | Jul 23, 2015
Japan announces new plan for Olympic Stadium
The country moves on from Zaha Hadid Architects, creators of the original stadium design scrapped last week.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 17, 2015
Japan scraps Zaha Hadid's Tokyo Olympic Stadium project
The rising price tag was one of the downfalls of the 70-meter-tall, 290,000-sm stadium. In 2014, the cost of the project was 163 billion yen, but that rose to 252 billion yen this year.
Cultural Facilities | Jul 13, 2015
German architect proposes construction of mountain near Berlin
The architect wants to create the world’s largest man-made mountain, at 3,280 feet.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 14, 2015
Guy Holloway proposes multi-level urban sports park for skaters
The facility will include a rock climbing wall and boxing space.
Cultural Facilities | May 13, 2015
MVRDV selected to design High Line-inspired park in Seoul
The garden will be organized as a library of plants, which will make the park easier to navigate.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 5, 2015
Architect scouts investors for underwater tennis court
While off duty, the tennis complex could double as exhibition space.
Mixed-Use | May 5, 2015
Miami ‘innovation district’ will have 6.5 million sf of dense, walkable space
Designing a neighborhood from the ground-up, developers aim to create a dense, walkable district that fulfills what is lacking from Miami’s current auto-dependent layout.
Hotel Facilities | Apr 30, 2015
Atlanta Braves partner with Omni Hotels & Resorts to build hotel near new Suntrust Park
The Omni Atlanta Northwest Hotel will feature 16 floors with 260 guest rooms and suites, rooftop hospitality suites, 12,500 sf of meeting space, a signature restaurant, and an elevated pool deck and bar overlooking the plaza and ballpark.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 27, 2015
Qatar unveils Al Rayyan, fifth World Cup stadium
After the World Cup, part of the stadium’s seating will be donated to other countries.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 24, 2015
HOK unveils renderings and video of new St. Louis NFL stadium
Retractable seating in the corners will allow the stadium to be used for FIFA or Major League Soccer matches, as it expands the field to a FIFA-regulated 120 yards long and 75 yards wide.