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Post by WildCatToothDoc on Jun 26, 2015 11:12:36 GMT -6
Bogey, I doubt that ACU will build a 2A style football stadium. New construction on campus since the mid 60's has been first class, starting with Moody, the Student Center and the library. Until funding is in place, rekindling some older traditions might well help build attendance. Please don't bring back the dressing up for homecoming and buy your date a mum tradition, however. Some things are better left in the past! But if the Wildcat Reign could bring back the Wildcat Wagon and help restore the Big purple to its glory days, that would be wonderful. Oh gosh no ties please. That was brutal and especially on the east side where the sun faced you.
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Post by bogeyman on Jun 26, 2015 11:35:18 GMT -6
Yes, looking at Brooks from the campus side is definitely more inviting. The press box sits above the bowl on top of stands which are built up to it. The picture of Brooks on the CCU website is really misleading, with full stands and all. Of course, it was shot from the visitors side. My feeling is that we need a stadium that looks the same on both sides. A stadium that is half empty does not generate the electricity we want. The seating does not have to be equal but it needs to look symmetrical (I love balance). It also needs to be built with growth in mind. How you put those together is the dilemma, I guess? I loved the original drawings, they got me excited--as I think others felt. Metal bleachers will not excite me--can anyone say HBU? I loved the old style, big stadiums of my youth--Shotwell, Buc Stadium in Corpus Christi--Alamo Stadium in San Antonio. I loved the new stadium in Plano, when we lived there-Clark Stadium. And yes, Oscar, ACU has built some absolutely gorgeous buildings on campus in the past decade--but we have a new leadership regime in power now--especially in the AD's office. Deleon has filled the sport's administration with his people and we have yet to see results from that change. Not trying to put anyone down, just waiting to see evidence of excellence. Talk is not enough. (In for a penny, in for a pound. We've decided the best thing is an on campus stadium. If it costs 50 mil to build the right venue, go find the money.)
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Jun 26, 2015 12:04:20 GMT -6
Yes, looking at Brooks from the campus side is definitely more inviting. The press box sits above the bowl on top of stands which are built up to it. The picture of Brooks on the CCU website is really misleading, with full stands and all. Of course, it was shot from the visitors side. My feeling is that we need a stadium that looks the same on both sides. A stadium that is half empty does not generate the electricity we want. The seating does not have to be equal but it needs to look symmetrical (I love balance). It also needs to be built with growth in mind. How you put those together is the dilemma, I guess? I loved the original drawings, they got me excited--as I think others felt. Metal bleachers will not excite me--can anyone say HBU? I loved the old style, big stadiums of my youth--Shotwell, Buc Stadium in Corpus Christi--Alamo Stadium in San Antonio. I loved the new stadium in Plano, when we lived there-Clark Stadium. And yes, Oscar, ACU has built some absolutely gorgeous buildings on campus in the past decade--but we have a new leadership regime in power now--especially in the AD's office. Deleon has filled the sport's administration with his people and we have yet to see results from that change. Not trying to put anyone down, just waiting to see evidence of excellence. Talk is not enough. (In for a penny, in for a pound. We've decided the best thing is an on campus stadium. If it costs 50 mil to build the right venue, go find the money.) Beautiful buildings and grounds have been the trend at ACU for 50 years now, starting in the 60's. The trend has survived several presidents and AD's. True, we have both a new AD and a relatively new prez....but my money is on a continuation of the trend.
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Post by gopher on Jun 26, 2015 12:13:55 GMT -6
Would love to see a design that can be extensible into a larger stadium if/when the growth/funding comes.
ACU has the room and potential to grow. Given the mess our country is in, more Christian conservative parents will want there children in an environment that will teach and expand on those conservative values and ACU may be nicely positioned to capitalize.
If we have 1300 kids coming in this fall, could that growth be part of a continued uptrend vs. one year anomaly?
What is the reason for the growth, has ACU marketing budget grown? Has prestige of being D1 helped? All of the above?
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Post by catmasters05 on Jun 26, 2015 12:21:09 GMT -6
I googled "HKS Architects Stadiums" to see some of their work. There are a lot of big stadiums, so it is hard to find much that would be comparable to the size we would need. However, I live in Midlothian and just realized these guys designed the Midlothian ISD Stadium. It is a beautiful high school stadium. If they can take a similar concept (it is actually a bowl concept) and expand it to a larger level and make some improvements for ACU, it would be a beautiful college stadium.
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Jun 26, 2015 12:29:26 GMT -6
I googled "HKS Architects Stadiums" to see some of their work. There are a lot of big stadiums, so it is hard to find much that would be comparable to the size we would need. However, I live in Midlothian and just realized these guys designed the Midlothian ISD Stadium. It is a beautiful high school stadium. If they can take a similar concept (it is actually a bowl concept) and expand it to a larger level and make some improvements for ACU, it would be a beautiful college stadium. Thanks for looking that up. The stadium currently seats 8,000. The home side grandstands seat 4,500 including 1,100 reserved chair back seats. The visitor side grandstands seat 3,500. Wheelchair accessibility and viewing are on both sides. The stadium is designed to hold 12,000 at build out. At this time additional seating is available on the grass berms to accommodate larger crowds.
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Post by WildCatToothDoc on Jun 26, 2015 12:40:45 GMT -6
I googled "HKS Architects Stadiums" to see some of their work. There are a lot of big stadiums, so it is hard to find much that would be comparable to the size we would need. However, I live in Midlothian and just realized these guys designed the Midlothian ISD Stadium. It is a beautiful high school stadium. If they can take a similar concept (it is actually a bowl concept) and expand it to a larger level and make some improvements for ACU, it would be a beautiful college stadium. Thanks for looking that up. The stadium currently seats 8,000. The home side grandstands seat 4,500 including 1,100 reserved chair back seats. The visitor side grandstands seat 3,500. Wheelchair accessibility and viewing are on both sides. The stadium is designed to hold 12,000 at build out. At this time additional seating is available on the grass berms to accommodate larger crowds. Where did all the talk about a bowl and students sitting in the grass and all that? Was suppose to get those who want a grassy berm to sit and watch the game and chat, lol. Well, it would be a start!! A bowl would be really cool. Shall we pray? ??
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Post by Just_Another_Prof on Jun 26, 2015 22:54:07 GMT -6
Any idea how much that Midlothian stadium cost?
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Post by Cap'n Cattitude on Jun 26, 2015 22:59:14 GMT -6
If we can afford it, I think that kind of stadium is perfect.
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Post by Just_Another_Prof on Jun 26, 2015 23:09:32 GMT -6
The big question about the new stadium, of course, is how well will it accommodate high-level programming contests. A few years ago we finished just behind Oklahoma in a tie with UT. We beat: Rice, TCU, A&M, Baylor, Houston, LSU, Oklahoma State ...
This would look great on a big venue! I'll see if Grant would be willing to do the play-by-play if I cover the color commentary. After all, how many ACU teams can beat A&M, Tech, and Oklahoma State?
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Jun 27, 2015 1:58:25 GMT -6
Any idea how much that Midlothian stadium cost? 14.2 million in 2006 www.bdcnetwork.com/dream-fields-lone-star-styleThe Midlothian Independent School District, another growing community 30 miles south of Dallas, capitalized on a natural setting by building its new $14.2 million football and soccer stadium, completed in late 2006, in a ravine. What allowed the 8,176-seat bowl to be carved out of a natural ravine were pre-cast concrete mass-stabilized-earth (MSE) retaining walls. The MSE walls, used mostly in highway construction, hold back the ravine walls to form the bowl 12-15 feet above grade. Cheaper than buildi In addition to a 12,000-seat stadium, the Dallas Independent School District's complex also includes a 7,500-seat fieldhouse. ng full grandstands, the retaining walls were a cost-effective and sound way to form a natural seating bowl. This results in a design that is “more of a park setting,” says HKS's VanderVoort. Another nice touch was suggested by the client: locating the seating areas for the bands and drill teams in the corners of the stadium facing the field at a 45-degree angle. “It eliminates the havoc of sitting on the same side as your band and not being able to hear them,” says VanderVoort.” As at Pizza Hut Park, the Midlothian stadium also uses an open concourse design with four concession stands, plus restrooms situated on the corners of the field. This is a feature HKS is using on nearly all of its stadium projects. - See more at: www.bdcnetwork.com/dream-fields-lone-star-style#sthash.iAc8oDau.dpuf
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Post by catmasters05 on Jun 30, 2015 7:18:42 GMT -6
So, yesterday I saw a tv screen on the wall in the Student Center (between the mailbox area and the Bean) with a picture on the screen that said Wildcat Stadium. It was a football field with very little of the stands visible, but it did not look like the designs we previously have seen. Anyone know if this is just a generic picture, or if it was part of the new design?
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Post by the_mad_catter on Jun 30, 2015 10:25:55 GMT -6
So, yesterday I saw a tv screen on the wall in the Student Center (between the mailbox area and the Bean) with a picture on the screen that said Wildcat Stadium. It was a football field with very little of the stands visible, but it did not look like the designs we previously have seen. Anyone know if this is just a generic picture, or if it was part of the new design? I know of at least two renderings that were released with the announcement of VIA. One of them shows a press box/main entrance with the half-circle arch as a feature and the other drawing had a rectangular press box/main entrance. Was it one of those?
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Post by catmasters05 on Jun 30, 2015 10:33:37 GMT -6
So, yesterday I saw a tv screen on the wall in the Student Center (between the mailbox area and the Bean) with a picture on the screen that said Wildcat Stadium. It was a football field with very little of the stands visible, but it did not look like the designs we previously have seen. Anyone know if this is just a generic picture, or if it was part of the new design? I know of at least two renderings that were released with the announcement of VIA. One of them shows a press box/main entrance with the half-circle arch as a feature and the other drawing had a rectangular press box/main entrance. Was it one of those? This rendering was a view from the home stands with the perspective of someone down near the field. You could see some very small visitor stands and the endzone, which had a glass fieldhouse behind the end zone. It had a very generic look with no real distinguishable features, other than the fieldhouse behind the end zone. not similar to the pictures that were released about a year ago. This looked totally different. Although I did notice the large rendering that was unveiled last year is still displayed on the outside of the Recreation Center wall (along with several other renderings of buildings that will be built at ACU) and indicates it is opening in 2016.
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Post by the_mad_catter on Jun 30, 2015 10:43:16 GMT -6
I know of at least two renderings that were released with the announcement of VIA. One of them shows a press box/main entrance with the half-circle arch as a feature and the other drawing had a rectangular press box/main entrance. Was it one of those? This rendering was a view from the home stands with the perspective of someone down near the field. You could see some very small visitor stands and the endzone, which had a glass fieldhouse behind the end zone. It had a very generic look with no real distinguishable features, other than the fieldhouse behind the end zone. not similar to the pictures that were released about a year ago. This looked totally different. Although I did notice the large rendering that was unveiled last year is still displayed on the outside of the Recreation Center wall (along with several other renderings of buildings that will be built at ACU) and indicates it is opening in 2016. Yeah, I think everyone is still using the images that were released with the VIA announcement. ACU Admissions just released a virtual tour that features those drawings and a "nearly complete" fundraising campaign; no date promised in the virtual tour.
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