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A Stadium Done Right?


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Today saw the release of the design for the new Minnesota Twins Baseball Stadium. It will be located on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, about a block away from the city's main entertainment area, the Warehouse District.

What struck me about the design is how well it seems to be integrated into the fabric of the urban core. The press conference given by the architects (HOK Sports) stressed that they considered the integration factor as a primary design issue.

Here are the highlights of the urban design:

The stadium will be easily accessible on foot at the street level. A new entry plaza will be built over the existing spur freeway, I-394, that currently divides the main part of downtown with the northern section of the Warehouse District (which is an area of condominiums).

It will also be connected to the city's extensive "skyway" system: 8 miles of climate controlled walkways through the heart of downtown.

The existing Light Rail "Hiawatha" line will be extended to the stadium. This line currently connects the downtown with the Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington.

The NorthStar Commuter Rail line, which will extend 30 miles to the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, will terminate under the 3rd-Base side of the stadium.

The existing Cedar bicycle trail, connecting the western suburbs to the Mississippi River downtown, will skirt the northwest edge of the stadium.

Because the stadium is located over I-394, the existing three large Municipal parking ramps (which funnel traffic directly off of the freeway) will provide much of the available parking, helping to mitigate the need for a lot of additional surface parking.

mntwinspark05hp0.jpg

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Wow, very nice renderings. Thanks for the map too. Looks like a great location and great view of the impressive skyline in RF. No retractable roof??? If it snows too much will they play in Milwaukee like Cleveland is currently doing??
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HOK Sports designed the Durham Bulls new stadium. It too is very nicely integrated into Durham's urban fabric, on the edge of the city's American Tobacco district. I prefer this type of plan over the suburban stadium surrounded by parking scenario.

Way to go HOK Sports. :thumbsup:

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HOK Sports designed the Durham Bulls new stadium. It too is very nicely integrated into Durham's urban fabric, on the edge of the city's American Tobacco district. I prefer this type of plan over the suburban stadium surrounded by parking scenario.

Way to go HOK Sports. :thumbsup:

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I like HOK. I believe they also designed PNC Park in Pittsburgh, which is similarly well-connected to the city. It has a very nice street-level presence, with retail and restaurants facing out toward the sidewalk. It's connected to the riverfront park and trail, and is open toward the skyline. The new light-rail extension will have a stop nearby too (although that part is the city and county's doing, not HOK's). Oh yes, and the bridge right next to it that connects to downtown is closed to traffic during games so fans can walk across. That really adds to the atmosphere and makes it more fun.

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I like HOK. I believe they also designed PNC Park in Pittsburgh, which is similarly well-connected to the city. It has a very nice street-level presence, with retail and restaurants facing out toward the sidewalk. It's connected to the riverfront park and trail, and is open toward the skyline. The new light-rail extension will have a stop nearby too (although that part is the city and county's doing, not HOK's). Oh yes, and the bridge right next to it that connects to downtown is closed to traffic during games so fans can walk across. That really adds to the atmosphere and makes it more fun.
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I definitely like the way new ball parks and stadiums are intigrated into the urban fabric on the edge of the CBD's.

The background with the high-rises in Pittsburgh's PNC Park is as good as any. And right up against the river at the egde with promenade is cool too.

Seattle's Invesco Field has an opening on the north-end with a great view of an impressive skyline.

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The only thing that doesn't make sense is why the enclosed skywalks? They don't want people to be exposed to the weather to get to the ballpark, so that they can sit outside for a 3 - 4 hour game in that same weather? Other than that, it's a nice design.

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The only thing that doesn't make sense is why the enclosed skywalks? They don't want people to be exposed to the weather to get to the ballpark, so that they can sit outside for a 3 - 4 hour game in that same weather? Other than that, it's a nice design.
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Looks like a great park and an awesome place to catch a game. Building parks that are incorporated within the surronding areas and ditching the suburban locations has taken hold in the MLB. Most though try to be a throw back to an older park, trying to replicate Wrigly Field or the like. This one onthe other hand is quite stylish and will make it one of the few to do so. The heated areas and such I would imagine are needed more during the first two weeks in April then in October, even when the Twins make the playoffs. I will have to go visit it when it opens.

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The only stadiums that really fit into the city are old ones in America, like Fenway Park. Many soccer stadiums in Europe are still like that, many aren't. The new urban stadiums in America like the ones posted try to fit in, but are still big bunkers that do not.

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