Memorial Stadium, located on the campus of the campus of the University of Nebraska underwent a major renovation conducted by the DLR Group which included concourse expansions, new skybox suites, an expanded press box and other amenities. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
University of Houston Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades announced Tuesday that Houston-based PageSoutherlandPage/DLR group will be the architect for Houston’s newest football stadium.
DLR Group has designed some of the nation’s premier athletic facilities including Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium and Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — both of which were listed as top ten college football stadiums nationally in a recent CBS Sports Poll.
The award-winning firm PageSoutherlandPage has worked with the UH for years and is the current designer of the new West Dining Hall and the Cougar Place Replacement/Sophomore Housing. The firm was also the architect for the UH Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, home of Houston Swimming and Diving.
UH’s new football stadium will be built on the current site of Robertson Stadium following the 2012 football season. The renovations are expected to cost an estimated $105 million with the facility holding 40,000 fans with a Phase II expansion that could increase the total to 60,000.
Plans call for luxury suites, loge box seating, comfortable club seating and other premium seating options. The stadium will boast home and visiting team locker room facilities, space for Sports Medicine and Equipment Operations and academic and meeting spaces that cover approximately 20,000 square feet.
According to the group, the new stadium will service the entire campus and will be capable of supporting student activities year-round.
DLR Group has also designed for LSU’s Alex Box Stadium (baseball), Oregon’s PK Park (baseball), Nebraska’s PinnacleBank Arena (men’s and women’s basketball), Hawks Field at Haymarket Park (Nebraska baseball), Medlar Field at Lubrano Park (Penn State baseball) and Charlotte’s 49ers Stadium (football). Recently, the University of Minnesota selected the company to design its new baseball stadium.
To help fans as they battle through typical hot Houston summers, the stadium will maximize shading areas and be designed to take advantage of air flowing through the facility.
Hopefully the old design elements from Jeppesen can be retained and integrated. I notice Nebraska has similar towers and they were kept and re-used along with the original facade. UC Berkeley is also incorporating the historical architecture into their new stadium design. Jeppesen left no doubt that it is was a football stadium. The published renderings of the proposed new stadium facade could be mistaken for a medical facility in Tyler, Texas! Please don’t scrap Robertson for a PrimaCare!