The Rays need a unique park because, let’s face it, Tampa Bay is a unique market.
Create a famous baseball stadium now.
When you look at it that way, the Rays were up against a little challenge. Their plans to build a ballpark of the future were already constrained by the fact that several preferred options were out of their price range. So, what were they up to?
They inclined closer. The Rays did not worry about alleged drawbacks; instead, they added them to the mix. Confined to a fixed roof? For an outdoor feel, let’s construct a cover akin to a pavilion with windows all around it. Can’t sell expensive luxury boxes for a profit? For smaller groups, replace several of them with couch-sized seating alternatives. At the very bottom of the attendance chart? Eliminate the upper deck, draw spectators nearer to the field, and restrict the amount of foul territory.
According to team president Matt Silverman, “it was a way to take our conditions, our market, our location, and our climate and create a ballpark that matches those conditions as best as possible.” “And we’re breaking some baseball conventions along the way.”
Accepting Unusual Design Selections
The projected ballpark, for example, will be the smallest in the MLB in terms of capacity. Since Tropicana Field initially opened 34 years ago, this fixed roof will be the first constructed for Major League Baseball. The Rays, however, wanted a roof that was a selling feature rather than an ongoing joke this time.
They were able to tier the roof so that the highest point is above the field thanks to the pavilion architecture, but it tapers down over the bleachers into outdoor patio-like settings. It feels a lot like an air-conditioned park.
The idea of a pavilion being like this huge “Aha!” moment since it was the first time someone had thought to just place the really high portions of the roof over the playing surface, according to team president Brian Auld. “It seems so simple in retrospect,” he recalled. “As far as I’m aware, no other baseball, football, or other stadium has ever had the exterior tiers created in that manner.
“The roofs of the Astrodome, Sky Dome, Silver Dome, and the new Minnesota football stadium are enormous structures, unlike what we’re attempting to accomplish here, which is to sit in a somewhat urban setting.”
An Account of Innovation’s Past
It’s not as though they are unfamiliar with this kind of thing. After working together to build seven distinct ballparks, the Rays and Populous architects are still awaiting the first shovelful of soil. If you’re keeping track, there was the sail-roofed Al Lang proposal, the full-sized downtown Ybor City plan, the Ybor City sister city boutique stadium, the Montreal sister city stadium, the St. Pete sister city stadium concept that was never revealed, and the Channel Side waterfront ballpark.
If there was one thing they had in common, it was that they were all about making things smaller and more in line with their environment.
For example, the Channel Side concept, standing alone on the shoreline with all of its windows facing the bay, had an external structure that was more dramatically constructed. However, because the new Trop concept is situated in the heart of a freshly created community and is designed to be more hospitable and approachable from street level, it is significantly less noticeable.
Constructing for the Community
Lead Populous designer Zach Allee stated of the stadium, “I think it has the ability to really feel like St. Pete-Tampa Bay and become part of the everyday community, which I think is going to be incredible and almost, really, unlike anything else.” “It’s similar to Wrigleyville, but inside the ballpark only.”
Because of the retractable roof’s A) high cost, B) bigger footprint, and C) limited opening frequency due to heat and precipitation issues, the Trop site’s retractable roof was swiftly ruled out.
The Rays reasoned that they would take advantage of the benefits as soon as they came around to the idea of a fixed roof. For instance, you can utilize couch seating, cushioned seating, and many other features that are more popular in arenas than open-air stadiums if you don’t have to worry about the weather. The Rays also discovered that just around 40% of their Tropicana Field club suites were being sold, so they decided to replace a large portion of that area with less costly theater boxes and group plans.
Optimizing the Topography of the Site
The geography of the location was also included by the Rays in the design. The Rays moved the stadium to the middle of the property so the field would be below the street-level entrances because the terrain slopes down as you move southeast. As a result, the roof over the playing field is not as lofty.
For the past 20 years, Silverman added, “we’ve become students of venue design and ballpark design. We’ve visited baseball stadiums across the nation, arenas, and soccer stadiums, always trying to figure out what they do that might work here.”
Our design for the park was influenced by the fact that we are located in the center of a developed downtown. We happen to have a 24-foot drop on our property, which is a coincidental bonus given the slope’s amazing qualities. Our main concern was how walkable this wasโthat is, how one could enter at street level, wander around all of these locations, including the inner, intermediate, and outer rings, and make connections between them. This is the easiest baseball stadium to explore because it incorporates that idea.
An Combined Attempt
A visit to the Kaseya Center in Miami inspired some of the ideas, while others were worked out in conference rooms with Silverman, Auld, owner Stu Sternberg, and chief development officer Melanie Lenz of Populous designers.
Equipped with data from a company that assisted the Rays in determining the preferences of Tampa Bay area citizens about parking, facilities, and seat selection, the team was able to modify some of their earlier concepts with site-specific designs for this proposed stadium.
And always with the intention of developing a deeper personal understanding. “First, there had to be a ballpark. This is a stadium in every sense because Stu values baseball beyond all else, according to Silverman. However, it’s a ballpark that draws inspiration from the cozy atmosphere of an arena. Is it combined? Although I’m not sure if I would say that, the ballpark has the charm and closeness of an arena.
Ultimately, the Rays have made the most of their particular situation and market to create a ballpark that not only meets their requirements but also makes a statement as a unique, intimate space that the neighborhood can be proud of. This strategy guarantees that the new ballpark will be a distinctive contribution, suited to its particular audience and setting, to the Tampa Bay area.