WASHINGTON, DC – The new billion-dollar NFL owner staple hobby now seems to be building mega-stadiums. First came Jerry’s World, the first mega-stadium of it’s kind, next, Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, which recently hosted Super Bowl 50, and now Minnesota’s behemoth of a stadium in being completed as we speak.
It now appears as the Washington Redskins may be next in line.
Architects unveils renderings of the newly proposed stadium that will replace the current FedEx field which is in relatively bad shape compared to it’s NFL stadium counterparts.
According to CBS DC, from top to bottom, the structure will be unlike anything else in the NFL or American sports in general. For starters, it has a moat that circles the stadium, with a series of bridges spanning the water between the tailgate area and the entrances.
The Redskins website describes the feature as being “for kayakers along with parks and bridges for tailgaters and fans.” That seems to be downplaying one of the most archaic and yet innovative ideas in sports stadium design.
I can’t wait to jetski to #Redskins games.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) March 12, 2016
The architects behind the build? Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG), a hot and up and coming Danish design firm who maybe of some concern, has never designed a stadium before. Guess you have to start somewhere.
They do have some accreditation though, considering they were selected to design Google’s new headquarters in Mountain View, California, a futuristic greenhouse style campus which resembles a spaceship that landed in the ground, as well as helping the Smithsonian on a 20-year long project to build museums and exhibits on the National Mall in DC.
In terms of the new Redskins’ stadium, the oval shaped structure features an Arrowhead-like bowl design what appears to be transparent material as the outer skin. The apparent moat surrounding the entirety of the stadium would connect it with the nearby Anacostia River, a popular place for kayakers.
Some think this moat and large accompanying tailgate and recreation area will draw some criticism though, as the surrounding areas are in desperate need of room for more housing.
Dan Snyder seems to be planning ahead on this one, with the Redskins’ current lease not ending until 2027.
