New designs for LA’s new Farmers Field were released by Los Angeles-based architectural firm Gensler on Tuesday, and as with each of the previous iterations, they are beautiful and grandiose in concept. The new mock-ups now show a deployable roof, which we assume will not be deployed all that often given the Los Angeles weather. The roof actually gives the stadium the look of having wings when not in use and will be a very recognizable feature within the entire design. According to the LA Times, it will only take a “matter of hours” for it to be in use.
“This makes it feel much more like a football stadium and it will not detract from a beautiful Sunday afternoon,” said Tim Romani, chief executive of Icon Venue Group, which is overseeing the design.
Vacated, the deployable roof leaves “flight-like” wing coverings at the roof line to allow for increased openness.
“You couldn’t do this in Minneapolis or Miami,” Romani said, adding the deployable roof can be taken off and stored “in a matter of hours.”
“This showcases the advantage of being in Los Angeles, how people would rather be outside or inside,” said Ron Turner, principal of the project’s lead architect, Gensler. “We need a symbol, a gateway. It’s important for people to say, ‘Wow! That’s L.A.’ “
The next large step in making the stadium a reality is the environmental impact report which needs to be submitted by the builders in January. If they are able to get approval within 8 months the groundbreaking can take place as projected, next year. AEG believes that the 72,000 seat stadium would be finished and ready for use in late August 2016. They also expect to bid for the 2017 Super Bowl, in an effort to really test the baptism by fire theory.
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