2007 AIA Michigan Design Honor Award

 Ford Field Stadium
Detroit, Michigan

Jury Comment:
A very human scale and connection to the city is created with the integration of the stadium and the adaptive reuse of the existing warehouse that is uniquely urban

Project Description:

A compelling vision by this stadium’s owner propelled the design of this facility. It was his desire that this dome be clearly local in feel, forming a connection with its urban environment. He wanted to stand on the fifty-yard line and instinctively know what city he was in. Our design team thereby embraced this opportunity to communicate a local ethos through this venue. In the end, what was created is more than a stadium; it is a successful integration of a large mixed-use development within an urban context.

The solution involved an exceptional demonstration of adaptive reuse for this state-of-the-art facility. Initial design studies indicated that combining the stadium with approximately one million square feet of existing historic warehouse structures would save an estimated $30 million dollars over completely new construction. Subsequently, these were carefully incorporated into the overall design, cautiously preserving building façades to underscore local heritage. Approximately 500,000 s.f. of warehouse structure accommodated the stadium program, while the balance permitted the development of other uses. Design strategy included removal of a small portion of the warehouses, fracturing the stadium’s upper seating structure, and creating an opportunity for a unique “window on the local skyline”. Capturing this opening is a six-story glass wall that extends approximately one hundred fifty feet from stadium to warehouse. This opening has a dual function; it serves as the project’s main entrance, and capitalizes on the axis view looking north. At night this opening acts as “beacon” of this complex and provides a view into the stadium – establishing a relationship between building and city. To enhance this relationship, a rhythm of large openings at both concourse levels adjacent to the streets, create transparency between building edge and street, which is especially evident from the outside after dusk.

The warehouse complex is generally split between north and south zones; the northern zone being related to stadium functions; the southern zone incorporating lease space for other uses such as, office, and retail spaces. These uses provide opportunities to draw attention to local culture, thereby generating excitement compatible with the pace of daily urban life. Further, the warehouses provided the core for premium club seating. While clearly modern with unique club amenities, the luxury suites are reminiscent of nostalgic times of this once thriving warehouse district, with exposed brick walls, large arches, and rustic beams. Historic character has been maintained by incorporation of many unique features such as steel x-bracing, bridges over a main thoroughfare, freight elevators, arched windows, limestone sills, wood floors and beams. And, on the exterior, historical façades suggest a connection to the adjacent community’s celebrated past and aspiring future.

Sheer size of this mixed-use project offered a significant opportunity to appropriately incorporate scale of this project into the physical context of the urban district. The distance from the stadium field up to the highest portion of the roof is approximately 250 ft. The footprint required of this development pushed the edges of the building out to the streets, to the south, and beyond. The design lowered the field approximately 40 ft. into the ground, reducing overall height. Furthermore, by consolidating the long span roof with trusses up to 90’ ft. deep toward the center of the stadium, the east and west seating sections could be covered with a lower roof. The high roof is comprised of four super trusses 90 ft deep and spanning 550 ft. in north-south direction. The super trusses are supported on four super columns on the south; two are completely freestanding and two have been inserted between the structure in the old warehouse. The super trusses are supported on the north on oversized columns that are part of the concrete superstructure. The high roof, comprised of the super trusses, secondary trusses, and the roof deck, was built on grade and jacked into place. This was the largest lift of this type completed in North America. Once the high roof was in place, the low roof spanning between the exterior wall and the high roof was put in place. This strategy resulted in street façades that were of a scale much more suitable to its context. To further insure that the facility would be a peerless sports venue, various bowl types were evaluated. Combining a simple octagon with an ellipse to create a “hard ellipse” resulted in the final bowl design. The hard ellipse provided construction economy of an octagonal bowl with the improved viewing angles achieved by a true ellipse.

It is one thing to conceptualize integrating older structures into a modern solution, and another to bring that concept to life. For many, the graceful transition this project makes from past to future is imperceptible. To others, our team of architectural experts successfully performed a well-arranged union between the past and future, while creating a new model for integrating stadiums into an urban context.

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