HOK, the architecture firm tasked with designing the proposed new National Football League stadium on the north St. Louis riverfront has released new renderings today. In an exclusive interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, HOK designers promote some of the details of the stadium. And a reminder, stadium promoters have pledged that if there’s no team commitment by the Rams or someone else, there’s no stadium.
A look at renderings released in April show just how little has changed. The bridges over the railroad tracks? They’re there. Rainwater gardens? Yep. The row of buildings on North Broadway that includes Shady Jack’s? Still there. Electric substation? Behind a screen of trees. Lots of plazas and open spaces? Uh huh.
What else? The public access trail between the stadium and river appears as an afterthought. The parking lots appear to be rather diminutive by NFL stadium standards, and are of the green variety. There’s also been plenty of refinement in the design, such as the east side screen above the top tier of stands, and the main facade facing south toward the Arch and downtown. There is one less pedestrian connection to the parking lots, if you’re looking for a more substantive change.
Without a doubt, an NFL stadium at this site is an exciting design challenge. Clearly HOK has dealt with some tough constraints to deliver a feasible project. The Post-Dispatch story says 30 HOK designers and 30 contractors have been working on it. A previous Post-Dispatch story stated that HOK has earned more than $2M in design fees as of about a month ago.
It also appears that this exclusive may have gotten to the Post-Dispatch writer a bit: “…the newest plans show a clear turn. The proposed stadium, viewed by some as elitist and wasteful, has become an arena for the people.” Oh my. Those are the journalist’s words, not the designer’s, or the stadium task force’s Dave Peacock.
Slideshow of images released by HOK today:
Above: 09/01/2015
Below: 04/23/2015
Above: 09/01/2015
Below: 04/23/2015
Above: 09/01/2015
Below: 04/23/2015
Above: 09/01/2015
Below: 04/23/2015
