USA TODAY Sports Investigation: Holes in Stadium Security
-USA Today
More than 150,000 spectators will pour into Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, the largest and highest-profile U.S. sporting event since last month’s bombings at the Boston Marathon.
What they’ll witness is a scene that became familiar in stadiums nationwide after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001: a heightened security presence that will include electronic wand searches of patrons for suspicious objects and a fresh ban on coolers in the infield of Louisville’s storied Churchill Downs.
But who are the private security guards protecting the nation’s stadiums? Are they more often tasked with subduing an inebriated fan than defusing a terrorist plot in the making? How good are they?
Do Convention Centers Lose Branding Advantage During a Name Change?
-IAVM
The Dallas City Council voted unanimously 11-0 to rename the Dallas Convention Center the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in honor of the state’s retired U.S. senator, who served from 1993 until this year. The move puts Dallas in line with other major cities which have named their convention centers for political leaders but is especially significant in that this is the first major convention center in the country named for a woman.
Hutchison’s legacy includes bringing federal tax dollars to Texas for a host of projects, including the Trinity River project in Dallas. Her work was enough to unite Democrats and Republicans on a city council that is often fragmented.
As for the renaming of a venue that takes out the city’s name and inserts a name that might not be known to most outside of Texas, the issue of how the brand is impacted bears watching.
See also: Delta Air Lines Naming Deal to End at Milwaukee Convention Center
Staples Center is Ranked NBA’s Second-best Arena
-Los Angeles Times
Staples Center is the second-best arena in the NBA, according to Stadium Journey.
Home of the Lakers and Clippers, Staples Center “has seemingly become the basketball capital of the world.”
Stadium Journey credits the arena for its ability to host multiple games on the same day, as well as acting “as the keystone of the downtown revitalization.”
Texas A&M’s Kyle Field to Hold 102,500, Most in SEC
-USA Today
Texas A&M’s Kyle Field will become the largest stadium in the Southeastern Conference after university regents approved a $450 million redevelopment plan.
The stadium’s capacity will increase from 82,589 to 102,500 in the expansion, making it just larger than Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium’s 102,455.
Could London Olympic Arena Become Cheaper Way to Keep Bucks in Milwaukee?
-TMJ4
MILWAUKEE – An architecture firm which designs sports venues says the 2012 Olympic basketball arena could theoretically become the home of the Milwaukee Bucks.
No, the Bucks wouldn’t relocate to London.
The arena would be modified, and moved to Milwaukee.
That arena’s for sale, right now, for a lot less than the half-billion dollar figure that’s been discussed for a new gym for the Bucks.
Detroit Named a Finalist for Next Year’s X Games
-Crain’s Detroit Business
Detroit has been shortlisted as one of four finalist cities to host the 2014-16 Summer X Games, ESPN said today.
The network, which launched the extreme-sports games in 1995, will announce the winning city during the final X Games in Los Angeles in the first week of August.
Other finalist cities are Charlotte, N.C., Chicago and Austin, Texas.
The Real Privacy Implications of Google Glass
-TIME Magazine
Over the last few weeks, Google has steadily been building hype around Google Glass. The search giant revealed tech specs, explained how the software works, and has even let some of the tech press get their hands on the “Explorer Edition” of the device, an early version that costs a cool $1,500.
One thing Google hasn’t done is talk about the privacy implications of Glass, which has a built-in camera that can sneakily take photos and video at any time. It seems the company would rather let the debate play out on its own.
This Is a Stadium, Not a Secret Fortress for a James Bond Villain
-The Atlantic Cities
Even in the world of ridiculously grandiose petroleum-country architecture, this one’s a humdinger: a sports stadium meant to seat 40,000 people, carved deep into the bowels of a rugged mountain range.
Re-energizing the Ballpark Experience
-Populous
With April comes the first signs of spring, the end of March Madness and the beginning of another season of baseball. One of the most enriching experiences as a ballpark architect is watching these stadiums come to life each spring on Opening Day and fill with fans excited for another year rooting for their teams in the facilities we have designed.
Throughout the history of baseball, societal trends, demographics, technology and economics have had an important influence on the evolution of American ballpark design. Part of the charm of the modern ballpark experience is how it harkens to the history of the game, the franchise and the rituals.
Expert: North America Behind Europe in Cultivation of Grass Fields, but MLS Still Among the Best
-MLS Soccer
Think the rise of artificial turf is inevitable?
Jerad Minnick and his colleagues would like a word with you.
“There’s a lot of people that think synthetic is the only option,” the veteran groundskeeper told MLSsoccer.com this week in a discussion about the rise of artificial turf in North American soccer. “They don’t even know that there are trained professionals out there that know how to maintain [grass] fields at a high level.”
Trade Show Industry Poised for Stronger NSF Growth
-Trade Show News Network
a2z’s Quarterly Tradeshow Industry Index report, which analyzes data through the first three months of the calendar year 2013 (Q1 of CY 2013) has just been released for Q1. The Index reflects a stronger-than-expected 3.1 percent quarter-over-quarter growth in net square footage in Q1 of CY 2013. This is a stronger gain than was predicted at the end Q4 of 2012.
The Index also forecasts NSF growth to come in at a significantly higher rate of 5.9 percent for Q2 of FY 2013. This is good news for the tradeshow industry, given the fact that the U.S. economy is projected to grow at a more sedate pace overall.
In-person Attendees of IAVM’s WebSITE Safe Stadiums Hybrid Conference take a Tour of Cowboys Stadium.
-Photo by Chris Lamberth
Vikings Stadium Design: ‘Bold, Iconic, Geometric Structure’ in the Works?
-Twin Cities Pioneer Press
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is giving a full look at the design for the new Minnesota Vikings stadium May 13, but a new draft environmental impact statement contains a few interesting nuggets about what architects might have in mind.
According to the nearly 400-page document: “Draft design plans reveal that the new Stadium would be a bold, iconic, geometric structure with long sloping, angular facets that are primarily directed toward the downtown Minneapolis skyline. Each of the building facades is a dynamic blend of metal panels and transparent or translucent curtain wall or ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) membranes.”
