Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium is one of several high profile projects the DRL Group has renovated. The overhaul included concourse expansions, new sky box suites and an expanded press box. | Photo courtesy of UH Athletics
In January, more than 7,000 students voted “yes” on the referendum that allows the UH Board of Regents to approve construction of a new stadium. The turnout of nearly 10,000 students was a record for any referendum in school history.
“What a great day for UH athletics,” said Athletics Director Mack Rhoades. “The athletics department can’t thank everyone enough for all the great work they did.”
In June, the department announced the PageSoutherlandPage and the DLR Group would join forces as architects on the project. PageSoutherlandPage has designed many buildings on campus. The DLR Group is nationally acclaimed and has designed football stadiums for both the University of Florida and University of Nebraska.
“We are excited to welcome the architectural firms of PageSoutherlandPage and DLR Group onto our team,” Rhoades said. “The new stadium will become a centerpiece of our campus, and we look forward to working with these two outstanding firms in completing a vision that our fans, university community, and student athletes will enjoy with great pride.”
Construction of the new stadium will begin following the final home game of the 2012 Cougar football season. Plans for the project include an upgrade to 40,000 seats and possibly 60,000 seats. The $105 million project includes premium seating options.
“This building and its functions will attract more visitors to the University of Houston campus – from loyal alumni and major donors to neighborhood kids with collegiate dreams – than any other,” said Lawrence Speck, PageSoutherlandPage’s design principal. “It will create a critical outreach to the community and a conspicuous window for Houstonians into their primary hometown academic institution.”
Construction of the new stadium will continue through 2013 and the Cougars will move to the new facility during the 2014 season.
“We want the University to be recognized for the outstanding institution that it is,” said PageSoutherlandPage’s principal in charge Jeffery Bricker. “It’s a very exciting project with so much potential, and we are excited to work with the university and its athletics department.”
I only hope they save the historical architectural heritage of wonderful old Jeppesen details as UC Berkeley is doing with Memorial. It would be a shame to lose the great concrete facade and end up with what the published drawings are showing. Lets save what little history we still have and incorporate it.
If you notice in the photo above of Nebraska’s stadium, they have the same style of a stepped back, ziggarat style pyramids at each end that Robertson has at the base of the light standards. Thankfully they kept this design element at Nebraska. They’ve done a great job of integrating the old facade into the new design. Lets hope we get the same respect and keep the great details and that we won’t be looking at old photos of Jeppesen in 5 years lamenting what’s been lost. Hopefully the published photos are very preliminary treatments and not the final design.