Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sports Renovated Georgia Dome could feature retractable roof, would bathe modern gladiators in glorious sunlight
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 5:09 PM
- Populous
Georgia World Congress Center officials have a dilemma on their hands: How do they both host concerts and indoor events — which prefer to be protected from the elements — and satisfy the Atlanta Falcons, the cash cow football team that wants to stay downtown but play outdoors? Easy! You slap a retractable roof on the 18-year-old Georgia Dome, which by NFL standards is the same age as the Colosseum, and you watch the ameros roll in.
Populous, an international architecture firm that's designed sporting facilities around the world, today released its renderings of how the dome could be renovated to feature a retractable roof.
The concept, which could include an on-site training facility, would add club seating and parking. No telling how much the upgrade would cost. (If you recall, Gov. Sonny Perdue in June signed a bill that would extend a motel-hotel sales tax that could help pay for a new stadium.) According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, a retractable roof can cost $200 million. According to the AJC, Populous said GWCC officials, who operate the dome, could consider selling the naming rights. ("Walter's Dome," anyone?)
More renderings after the jump. Plus, one local architecture and design firm's concept of how a brand-new open-air stadium — located where the Atlanta Civic Center stands today — could look.
- Populous
- Populous
- Populous
- Populous
And, thanks to a comment on the Atlanta Business Chronicle's article about the designs, we present this design from Cloud Architecture. You can read all about the thought process that went into the design — and view other sketches — on the Atlanta-based firm's site.
- CLoud Architecture
Comments (10)
Showing 1-10 of 10
Sure is pretty. If the Falcons pay for the whole thing I am fine with it. I don't want to see any of our tax dollars supporting this. I don't want the Falcons getting some kind of special loan, or special tax rate either.
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Wasn't the Falcons specific on one thing: AN OPEN AIR STADIUM? Not a retractable roof- which will break, but no roof at all? Seems to me that based on the article, over 50% of the cost of the renovation would be for a retractable roof- which they don't even want.
Someone is not listening to their tenant- which can move anytime they want.
Why would the Falcons pay for that whole retrofit when they don't even own the Dome?
Giving the Falcons good reason to build their own stadium somewhere out of downtown would likely mean the relocation of the ChickFilABowl, SEC-championship game and that ChickFilA kickoff bowl game as well. Downtown would be a huge loser in that situation.
Wasn't part of the reason the Georgia Dome was built because the Falcons threatened to move to another city if they didn't have a domed stadium? I realize there were other issues, like sharing AFCo Stadium with the Braves wasn't a good thing, and that the dome wasn't built solely for the Falcons, but come on...
I'm going to start threatening to move to another city anytime I don't get what I want.
Indeed they did, ptkdude. The AJC had an article that listed possible relocation sites, which included the Bellwood Quarry property, a Waste Management site in Forest Park, and the GM Doraville plant. No telling how much of that talk was legit or just the Falcons trying to scare GWCC (and city) officials.
Whoops. HTML didn't work. Here's the link to the old AJC article:
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/f…
I completely agree with Matt. The price tag for the renovation is huge, and to expect the Falcons to pay for it is ridiculous given that they don't have control over it 365 days a year.
They can get a new stadium that they control probably for the same price. Why would they settle for a rehab?
That other proposal would keep them downtown and help the neighborhood. It's more walkable from downtown, midtown, and other in-town neighborhoods. And has as good, if not better access to the interstates.
These renderings do not depict a retractable roof. Is someone going to point that out to this design team?
These renderings do not depict a retractable roof. Is someone going to break the news to this design team...?
The Rays ownership group is pressing for a new stadium as well. It's all a big scam. Don't allow taxpayer dollars for this. Force the ownership to pay for it. If it's such a great thing then they should pay for it. Check out fieldofschemes.com, it's a great website pertaining to the rip off that sports owners pull on cities.
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