Urban Stadia: Integrating Stadium Design with

Mixed-Use Building Tactics to Rejuvenate an

Urban Neighborhood
Thesis Book

Mitchell Clark Borgen

North Dakota State University
Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Sections

I. Thesis Proposal......................................................................................................Page 1

II. Thesis Program.....................................................................................................Page 58

III. Final Design.........................................................................................................Page 125

Urban Stadia: Integrating Stadium Design with
Mixed-Use Building Tactics to Rejuvenate an
Urban Neighborhood
Thesis Proposal

Mitchell Clark Borgen

North Dakota State University
Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Figure 01 - View of Minneapolis skyline from site

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Table of Contents

Cover Page...............................................................................................................Page 1
Project Title and Signature Page................................................................................Page 2
Table of Contents......................................................................................................Page 4
List of Tables and Figures..........................................................................................Page 5
Thesis Abstract.........................................................................................................Page 7
The Narrative of the Theoretical Aspect of the Thesis................................................. Page 8
The Building Typology...............................................................................................Page 12
Typological Research................................................................................................Page 13
Major Project Elements.............................................................................................Page 29
User/Client Description.............................................................................................Page 30
Site Information........................................................................................................Page 33
Project Emphasis......................................................................................................Page 43
Goals of the Thesis Project........................................................................................Page 44
Plan for Proceeding...................................................................................................Page 47
Appendix: Reference List.......................................................................................... Page 54
Appendix: Previous Studio Experience.......................................................................Page 56
Appendix: Personal Identification...............................................................................Page 57

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List of Tables and Figures

Figure 01 - View of Minneapolis skyline from site

Figure 02 - Anaheim Angels Baseball Stadium in California
Figure 03 - Kansas City’s Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums
Figure 04 - San Francisco Giants AT&T Stadium
Figure 05 - A proposed stadium design for the AC Milan soccer team (designed by ARUP Architects)
Figure 06 - Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Figure 07 - Olympic Stadium at night in Kiev
Figure 08-10 - Olympic Stadium floor plans and sections
Figure 11-13 - Olympic Stadium structure
Figure 14 & 15 - Olympic Stadium and hotel interiors
Figure 16 - Telenor Arena with view of offices
Figure 17-20 - Arena concert usage, structure and office interiors
Figure 21 - California Memorial Stadium exterior
Figure 22 & 23 - Memorial Stadium floor plan and site
Figure 24-26 - Memorial Stadium section, gym entrance and interior
Figure 27-30 - Memorial Stadium club and chancellor’s box interiors
Figure 31 - Parken Stadium interior
Figure 32-34 - Parken Stadium exterior, roof structure and upper deck
Figure 35-37 - AC Milan exterior and interior renderings and site placement
Figure 38 - Minnesota FC United soccer team logo
Figure 39 - Hennepin County, Minnesota
Figure 40 - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Figure 41 - Farmers Market neighborhood
Figure 42 - Possible stadium site area
Figure 43 - Map of site pictures
Figure 44 - One of the office buildings up for lease on the possible soccer stadum site
Figure 45 - Minneapolis Farmers Market shelter
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Figure 46 - View of the industrial district to the south of the of the proposed stadium site
Figure 47 - View of the lightrail that runs to the south and east of the proposed stadium site
Figure 48 - View of the stretch along the west side of the proposed site, next to the Farmers Market shelters
Figure 49 - View of the Minneapolis skyline from the southeast corner of the proposed site
Figure 50 - View of the new and redeveloped apartment buildings to the south of the proposed site
Figure 51 - View from the intersection of Olson Memorial Highway (off of I-94) and East Lydale Ave N
Figure 52 - West approach to Target Field on N 7th St
Figure 53 - View of Olson Memorial Highway on the north side of the proposed site
Figure 54 - View of lightrail and parking lot for commuters southeast of the proposed site
Figure 55 - Parking lot on proposed site, severe elevation change to take into consideration

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Thesis Abstract
Sporting stadiums impact the socio-economic capabilities in all of the areas in which
they exist. Some have a good impact, they are able to fully integrate into the urban environ-
ment and benefit the area through areas such as economics, walkability, transportation, etc.
But there are many that do not accomplish this. They essentially become ginormous concrete
structures that are surrounded by thousands of asphalt-laden parking spaces and they only
end up serving the community on the days in which the sporting team plays, usually once
or twice a week. What if the same tactics we are using to rejuvenate our downtown areas can
serve a bigger part in getting one of the most expensive typologies in this world back on track?
With this thesis, I look to delve into just what type of impact a stadium will have on an urban
environment, when combined with mixed-use building tactics.

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The Narrative of the Theoretical
Aspect of the Thesis
Sporting stadiums have a large impact on the area in which they are built.
Not only do they affect the economy of the area, they affect circulation of pedestrians
and other forms of transportation. They affect the environment, the very land on which
they are built. Some inspire progress in the area of urban design and some do not.
Although I do believe that as a whole stadiums are being more effectively designed,
there is still much progress to be made with fully integrating stadiums into an urban
environment.
I think we have learned over the years that although stadiums are much larger
projects than those in other typologies like residential, they still require the same type
of design elements in order to be successful. Many stadiums constructed in the past,
like the Angels Baseball Stadium in Los Angeles, look like large monuments to acres
and acres of parking spaces, with more of a connection to asphalt than any of the
surrounding city life. As our knowledge of how to successfully create urban environ-
ments has grown, so has our ability as designers to make stadiums a part of the cities
in which they reside.

Figure 02 - Anaheim Angels Baseball

Stadium in California
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Figure 03 - Kansas City’s Arrowhead
and Kauffman Stadiums, showing the
area of impact that two stadiums can
have together, when not integrated into
the urban environment

A design typology that has a lot of success in creating lively and functional
urban environments is mixed-use buildings. They are able to fulfill many of the needs
around them such as residential spaces, office spaces, and retail spaces, so the
building is always being used and that is all being accomplished with one building’s
worth of space, which is very beneficial to dense, urban environments. Mixed-use
buildings also combine old and new design tactics to create very walkable areas.
What if these mixed-use design elements were to be infused with the design of an
urban soccer stadium?
Sports teams and stadiums have always been staples of the city and states in
which they reside. Our country has always put a lot of stock into sporting teams and
us as citizens derive a lot of our identity by how our sports teams are doing. If sports
are so important to us and we are willing to invest so much into them, why don’t we
design the structures in which they reside to serve more purposes that to house sport-
ing events once or twice a week?

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Figure 04 - San Francisco Giants AT&T
Stadium, a good example of stadium
design integration into its site

I believe that stadiums can be fully integrated into their urban environments
using mixed-use building strategies. The west loop neighborhood of Minneapolis next
to the International Market square is an appropriate location for which to study the ef-
fects of molding two different typologies together in a declining urban neighborhood.
The west loop neighborhood is a declining urban environment surrounded
with newly developing areas. On the east side, Target field has induced much de-
velopment around it. On the other side, rich buildings like the International Market
Building have spurred on many residential developments. In the middle of these two
areas, the west loop is filled with abandoned warehouses, office buildings and truck
depots. This site is begging to be renovated to coalesce with the emerging energy
around it. The west loop neighborhood also needs to be rejuvenated in order to reflect
the culture and rich environment created by the daily international Farmer’s Market.
Soccer stadiums have often been facilitators of cultural integrity around the world and
I believe it would be a good building typology to reflect this unique part of the Twin
Cities.
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A soccer stadium is needed in the area to house the brand new

Minnesota soccer team FC United. The new U.S. Bank stadium that is being
constructed for the Vikings is not an effective stadium option for the team as it
houses three times more than the team is looking to have for a capacity
(18,500). FC United wants a more intimate venue for both themselves and
their growing fan base to enjoy.
Stadium design has gone through a lot of stages of evolution, and I
look to continue this process by using mixed-use properties and lessons from
successful designs in the past while renewing an area’s socio-economic status
effectively connecting it to its surroundings.

Figure 05 - A proposed mixed-use sta-

dium design for the AC Milan soccer

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The Building Typology
The building typology used in this design investigation is a mixed-used soccer stadium,
designed for the new FC United soccer team in Minnesota. The team is looking for a more
intimate venue to play soccer in than the new U. S. Bank stadium that is being constructed for
the Minnesota Vikings. The approximate capacity needed for seating in the stadium is 18,500,
less than a third that is planned for the U.S. Bank stadium. The smaller amount of seating that
is needed will allow for the mixed-use design elements to be infused with the stadium area.
Along with the progression of soccer in the United States and Minnesota, the mixed-use stadi-
um typology needs to keep progressing in order fully realize the potential of stadium integra-
tion into an urban neighborhood.

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Typological Research

Figure 06 - Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 13 | Page

Olympic Stadium
GMP (Gerkan, Marg und Partner)
Kiev, Ukraine

Typology: Mixed-Use Olympic Soccer Stadium (Renovated) Figure 07 - Olympic Stadium at night in Kiev
Year Built: 2011
Size: 1.6 million
Seating Capacity: 68,000
Cost: $380 million
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Olympic Stadium
GMP (Gerkan, Marg und Partner)
Kiev, Ukraine
An Olympic-Sized Mixed-Use Stadium:
After its renovations, the Olympic Stadium in
Kiev is 1,015 ft. by 722 ft. The large stadium
still manages to blend somewhat into the urban
skyline because of the adjacent buildings and
the topography. Sixty steps separate the sidewalk
from the terrace that surrounds the stadium. 40
gates allow the 68,000 possible spectators to
enter into the primarily glass and steel structure.
This stadium has a seating arrangement that is
much different than other stadiums in this typo-
logical study. The seating areas are placed further
from the pitch than many other fields in order to
accomodate the olympic-sized track around the
soccer pitch. With the renovation, box seats were
brought into the design on the west stand, a plaza
to the west of the stadium, a garage below it, and
a park that has been landscaped. The entrance for
VIP’s is served through the lobby of a hotel that is
adjacent to the structure.

Figure 08-10 - Olympic Stadium floor plans and sections

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Olympic Stadium
GMP (Gerkan, Marg und Partner)
Kiev, Ukraine
Innovative Structure:
Olympic Stadium looks similar to a crown that is encased in a glass and steel enclosure. This structure sits on top of a plinth
that is clad of granite that reaches around the lower bowl of the stadium and extends to the hotel. The upper section of seats is
surrounded by an exoskeleton created by 80 slim columns made of steel. These columns stand 42 feet high above the con-
crete and support the roof of the stadium that is designed like a bike wheel, where the spokes tie a tension ring in the center
of the roof to a couple of rings on the perimeter of the stadium that serve as compression agents. There are screens made of
glass that give the circulation spaces shelter and tie all of the structural elements together into one cohesive unit. The new
structure is pretty much in-line with the concrete of the structure, but there are some parts that aren’t in order to make the roof
cable system symmetrical. The tops of the columns are leaned in towards the middle of the stadium to support the parts of
the canopy that are furthest towards the middle. The roof is made of PFTE (glass-coated textile) material that is reinforced by
panels that are star-shaped at the locations of the skylights. Flying masts support the domed skylights. The roof contains 640
of these skylights.

Figure 11-13 - Olympic Stadium structure 16 | Page

Olympic Stadium
GMP (Gerkan, Marg und Partner)
Kiev, Ukraine

Mixed-Use Combining Styles: Figure 14 & 15 - Olympic Stadium and hotel interiors
The court in the hotel that serves as the VIP entrance to the stadium, is an italian style of architecture and was built in the
1950s. This court serves as the link to a stadium space that is of a much different style as you can see in the picture above
on the right. The glass walls that allow the citizens outside of the arena to see its structure are 50 feet tall. These glass walls
also protect galleries on the 2nd tier of the stadium that came with the renovation. The top tier of the olympic stadium can be
accessed not only by the stadard path up the circulation stairs from the lower tier but also from bridges that are from a park
that resides behind the stadium.

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Telenor Arena
HRTB
Fornebu, Bærum, Norway

Typology: Mixed-Use Indoor Arena Figure 16 - Telenor Arena with view of offices
Year Built: 2009
Size: 124,861 sq. ft.
Seating Capacity: 15,000 for soccer, 23,000 for concerts
Cost: 585 million Norwegian Kroner or $72,039,913
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Telenor Arena
HRTB
Fornebu, Bærum, Norway

Mixed Use Arena:

Telenor Arena serves as a multi-purpose arena that has been home to
a variety of events that include concerts, exhibitions, action shows,
and soccer. It has seating possibilities for a 23,000 capacity. It has a
permanent roof structure made up of long-span trusses and a textile
roof membrane. The floor of the arena is made of asphalt which
allows for a variety of uses.
Modern Office Spaces:
Scandinavia’s largest indoor stadium has offices, a conference center,
restaurants, bars, dressing rooms, press rooms, VIP lounges, a fitness
center and high-end modern offices.

Figure 17-20 - Arena concert usage, structure and office interiors

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California Memorial Stadium and Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance
HNTB Architecture and STUDIOS Architecture
Berkeley, California

Typology: College Football Stadium Renovation Figure 21 - California memorial stadium exterior
Year Built: 2012
Size: 454,000 sq. ft.
Seating Capacity: 63,000
Cost: $474 million
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California Memorial Stadium and Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance
HNTB Architecture and STUDIOS Architecture
Berkeley, California
Redesigning a Floor Plan:
The floor plan of the stadium was renovated for acces-
siblity and structural reasons as well as to increase the
stadium’s square footage by 50%. A lot of the extra space
they were looking for was found underground within the
slope of the site the stadium was on. The feature that
attracted the fans the most to the renovation was the area
they have to congregate before the games on the acre-
and-a-half plaza.

Design Integration with the Site:

The original memorial stadium was built at the base of
the foothills of Berkeley, California right on the Hayward
Fault. Even with the stadium’s size of over 450,000 sq.
ft., the stadium nestles nicely into the university’s cam-
pus, running right along one of the school’s main streets,
Piedmont Avenue. The stadium has incredible views of
San Francisco to the west.

Figure 22 & 23 - Memorial stadium floor plan and site

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California Memorial Stadium and Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance
HNTB Architecture and STUDIOS Architecture
Berkeley, California
Renovating for Mixed-Use:
The concrete structure of the stadium borrows heavily from past coliseum
and ampitheater designs. The renovation wasn’t easy as they were tasked
to better the structural design of the facility for protection against any
seismic activity from the fault on which it is located, without changing
the board-formed-concrete facade. As you can see on the three pictures
to the right, they designed an eight story building into the front hill of the
site after demolishing much of the previously existing structure (excluding
the hillside and the facade). The seating bowl does have some features as
well. As you can see in the top picture to the right, a 2-story canopy made
of glass and steel was designed to house the press box and a club for
donors. This structure that divides the old stadium from the new addi-
tion is supported by two elevators that are one of the structural features
to prevent seismic activity from harming the stadium. One of the largest
features that is included in the portion of the stadium underground was
the Simpson Center for student-athlete performance, whose entrance was
located between two substantial walls made of concrete and limestone.
The 145,000 sq. ft. center sky-lit training center has an amazingly open
feel to it.

Figure 24-26 - Memorial stadium section, gym entrance and interior

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California Memorial Stadium and Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance
HNTB Architecture and STUDIOS Architecture
Berkeley, California
Modern Interiors for the Fans and Alumni:
While the design of the renovated stadium fully respects the ancient
stylings of the coliseum-esque exterior, many lush and modern interior
spaces were designed to bring the stadium into the 21st century. These
spaces were part of the eight-story insertion previously mentioned. 3 of
these new spaces are donor clubs, those spaces are pictured in the top
2 images and bottom image to the left. These spaces were designed to
hold banquets and other special events. The top picture is the field club,
which specializes in holding larger award ceremonies or banquet func-
tions. The bottom photo to the right shows the stadium club, which offers
great views of the whole bay area as well as a bar and lounge seating. This
space is best for hosting receptions or networking events. The picture 2nd
from the top to the left shows the university club that is located above the
new press box. This space is considered the ‘penthouse’ of the stadium
and has access to a glass-deck balcony. This exclusive area is perfectly
designed for corporate-related events or fundraisers. The picture 3rd down
from the right shows the Chancellor’s Box which is a more intimate space
for small dinners or gatherings. These spaces and this stadium are great
case studies showing all stadium designers that even traditional-looking
stadiums can mix many modern elements effectively into the architecture.

Figure 27-30 - Memorial stadium club and chancellor’s box interiors

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Parken Stadium
Gert Andersson
Copenhagen, Denmark

Typology: Mixed-Use Soccer Stadium Figure 31 - Parken stadium interior

Year Built: 1992
Seating Capacity: 38,065 for soccer, 50,000 with end-stage setup and 55,000 for middle-stage setup
Cost: 640,000,000 Danish Kroner or $97,641,357

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Parken Stadium
Gert Andersson
Copenhagen, Denmark
Mixed Usage:
Parken Stadium is the home field of the FC Copenhagen and the
national soccer team of Denmark. It is a mixed-use stadium that
houses the F.C. Kobenhavn MegaStore, which is a club store,
as well as pubs like Lions & Barrels, and a reception area. The
exterior of the stadium represents a mixed-use typology, and the
corners of the building bring a modern office style and intersects it
with the stadium bowl area.
Rectractable Roof Structure:
PVC architectural fabric is the material that makes up the movable roof
at Parken Stadium. The roof is made up of 12 membrane cushions
made of textiles. Each of these cushions are 92 meters long and 7
meters wide and are filled with air by special blowers when the roof is
closed. This system is supported by 13 four-boom traveling trusses
and two gantry girders that run parallel to each other down the lengths
of the stadium roof. The roof is rated as a permanent structure as it can
withstand the weight of snow along with other elements. The roof takes
30 min. to completely close or open.
Field Viewability:
Parken Stadium has two seating decks on three sides of the field that
contribute to most of the stadium’s 38,065 seating capacity. The upper
decks are angled greater than the field seating in order to be able to
see the entire field from any seat. You can see evidence of this from the
photo to the left showing the view of an upper deck seat.
Figure 32-34 - Parken stadium exteior, roof structure and upper deck view 25 | Page
AC Milan Stadium Design (Not Built)
ARUP Architects
Milan, Italy
Mixed-Usage and Sustainability:
This innovative design for the AC Milan soccer team was going to
include many things besides the soccer stadium housing more than
40,000 fans. Plans included a hotel, a sports college, restaurants, a
children’s playground, green areas, and public spaces that could’ve
been used by the city.

Innovative Technology:
Sight lines for each fan in their seat were analyzed by Arup’s paramet-
ric tool and designed so that everyone would have the best possible
view of the soccer action. VIP areas and spectator areas were designed
to have many high tech resources. VIP areas were designed to have
special lounge spaces with views to the mixed-zone and the athletes
area that was connected to the pitch. The roof was also designed to be
movable in order to lessen the noise impact it had on its surroundings.

Modern Exterior:
The modern exterior design of the building that makes it look like a
high-end office complex allows the large stadium design to nestle
perfectly into its urban surroundings.

Figure 35-37 - AC Milan exterior and interior renderings and site placement 26 | Page
Summary of Typological Research

Sporting stadiums are designed to be all different shapes and sizes. There are
many innovative and responsible decisions made everyday in the sporting stadium field
and that is how we get some of the designs that you just saw. There are a lot of design
and structural solutions that were brought up in this research but they may not all be ben-
eficial or smart for the type of stadium that is planned to come from this thesis study. Not
all solutions work for every climate and for every site, and that is the beauty of stadium
architecture. When designing stadiums you have a chance to be innovative creatively as
well as design something that fully represents the area in which it is built.

The California Memorial Stadium showed how a stadium can be fully integrated
into the site in which it sits. Not only did it do this by featuring renovations that react
when the earth it sits on is unstable but it also used the excavation of that earth to make
way for a revolutionary student-athlete space and fitness center. The California Stadium
was intriguing as well because most of the seating around the field was contained within
just one bowl of seating and was still able to have 68,000 guests. When looking at the
possible capacity of MN United’s stadium of around three times less than that, the new
soccer club’s stadium may have a variety of seating arrangement possiblities.

The Parken Stadium showed a great example of a seating arrangement that hugs
the field on everyside and an example of exterior space designing that fits in with an ur-
ban environment. The Parken stadium features the use of an upper deck of seating around
the field and has to raise the inclination of the seating in these areas so fans can still see
all the soccer action. The Parken Stadium also shows an example of retractable roofing,
something that may be involved in the MN United project seeing as the MLS season
schedule they will have has games from early March to late October.


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Telenor Arena was a great example of a stadium with a fixed roof structure and
modern office spaces. It also showed what type of materials are very useful to us on an
arena floor in order to have quick transitions from athletic events to concerts or business
conferences. The fixed-roof structure on this stadium might be a possibility for the MN
United stadium as well.

Olympic Stadium’s inclusion of an olympic-sized track showed what impact that
has on the arrangement and location of seats around the soccer field and how that im-
pacts the shape of the design around it. It was also a great example of pedestrian access
from unique locations such as a city park. Olympic Stadium also shows a very innovative
use of structure that ties the whole design together. This is an element that will be very
important to the MN United design, the structural design should be innovative and well-
planned to fit with the new Twins and Vikings stadiums that are now in the downtown
Minneapolis area.

The AC Milan design showed a progressive version of how a soccer stadium can
be designed to completely fit in with a modern urban neighborhood without skipping a
beat. It also showed how a modern soccer complex can integrate sustainability measures
not usually found in stadiums such as accessible green roofs.

All of these stadium typology studies will be able to have an impact on the
MN United design as they have made innovations in exterior design, interior design,
mixed-usage, structural design, transportation integration, and pedestrian circulation.

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Major Project Elements

• Major league soccer regulation field

• Spectator seating (approx. 17,500 to 20,000 seats)
• Specialty seating and press box space for both owners and managers of the soccer team and for specta-
tors
• Team areas / locker rooms
• Concession spaces
• Service / mechanical areas
• Parking spaces for the soccer organization, the fans, the users of the mixed-use typologies of the design
• Ticket booths
• Multiple entry gates
• Mixed-use spaces
- Commercial
- Offices
- Restaurants / bars
- Coffee Shop
• Retractable roof
• Bathrooms
• Circulation space
• Connection to lightrail station and other forms of vehicular circulation

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User / Client Description

Who is this project designed for?

Minnesota FC United Soccer Team

Figure 38 - Minnesota FC United soccer team

logo

Who else will use the stadium?

Retail Stores
Businesses (Office Spaces)
Minneapolis Farmers Market
Restaurants / Bars
Coffee Shop

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Minnesota FC United Soccer Team Twin Cities Bike Rental / Repair
Peak Usage: Game days, practices Peak Usage: 6am-6pm
Parking Requirements: 3,500 cars, 175 buses Parking Requirements: 10 spaces
Other Requirements: 17,500-20,000 spectator seats, Other Requirements: Bike maintenance station,
locker rooms for both the home and away teams, box new bike display area, employee area, and bike
seating for owners, reception areas for team events and tire fillup station
fitness area, maintenance/storage area, controllable
lighting

Farmers Market Grocery (Organic Food Store) Minneapolis Farmers Market

Peak Usage: 8am-8pm, everyday Peak Usage: Once a month in summer
Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces Parking Requirements: 50-60 spaces
Other Requirements: Food display areas, worker break Other Requirements: Food truck access, field
area, check-out area, area for farmer’s market foods convertability to walkable surface for large
market gatherings

Small Retail Store #1: MN FC Team Clothing Store Restaurant / Bar #1: Sammy’s Sandwich Shop
Peak Usage: 8am-8pm, everyday Peak Usage: 8am-8pm, everyday
Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces Parking Requirements: 15-20 Spaces
Other Requirements: employee spaces, Other Requirements: Dining Area, kitchen, staff
team clothing areas, check-out space, offices area

Small Retail Store #2: Downtown 401 Clothing Restaurant / Bar #2: Marioti’s Restaurant
Peak Usage: 8am-8pm, everyday Peak Usage: 4-12pm, Thurs-Sun.
Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces Parking Requirements: 25-30 spaces
Other Requirements: employee spaces, Other Requirements: Large dining area, modern
team clothing areas, check-out space, offices state of the art culinary kitchen, full-sized bar,
staff area

Coffee Shop: Beans United Restaurant / Bar #3: Barney’s Pub

Peak Usage: 6am-8pm, everyday Peak Usage: 4-12pm, Thurs-Sun.
Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces Parking Requirements: 25-30 spaces
Other Requirements: Seating/lounge spaces, coffee Other Requirements: Large seating area, full-sized
brewing area, bar/serving area, office space bar, full industrial kitchen, waiting area, office

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Office Space #1 : United Noodle Wholesale Office Space #2 : Accent Store Fixtures
Peak Usage: 8-6pm, weekdays Peak Usage: 8-6pm, weekdays
Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces
Other Requirements: office spaces, Other Requirements: office spaces, conference
conference rooms, storage for stock rooms, reception, retail space


Office Space # 3 : American Office Products Office Space #4 : Stark Electronics
Peak Usage: 8am-6pm, weekdays Peak Usage: 8am-6pm, weekdays
Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces
Other Requirements: Office spaces, Other Requirements: Office spaces, storage for
retail space stock, technology maintenance space


Office Space #5 : Ameritrust Bank Office Space #6 : FHC Architects
Peak Usage: 8am-5pm, weekdays Peak Usage: 8am-5pm, weekdays
Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces Parking Requirements: 15-20 spaces
Other Requirements: Office spaces, teller Other Requirements: Open office area, conference
desks, lobby/refreshment area, meeting areas, rooms, reception area, kitchen area, printing/
conference rooms scanning area, plotting area

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Site Information

County Map City Map

Figure 39 - Hennepin County, Minnesota Figure 40 - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Neighborhood Map Site Map

Figure 41 - Farmers Market neighborhood Figure 42 - Possible stadium site area

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Reason for Site Selection

The west loop of the Minneapolis Farmers Market neighborhood would be a great site
for the new FC United soccer stadium. As previously explained, the Farmers Market would be
able to infuse the stadium’s site with a rich culture and the lightrail that runs through the Twin
Cities is not far from the site and a small addition to the rail could be built to run north along
Royalston Ave next to the possible stadium site. The existing site is occupied with many old
office buildings and truck delivery stations that are now being put up for lease. The suggest-
ed area for the stadium is 853,125 square feet. The extra area that could be used for further
development is approximately 467,500 square feet. The addition of the soccer stadium on this
site would fully connect all of the new housing developments to the west and the new devel-
opments to the east spurred on by Target Field.

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Pictures From Around the Site Location

Figure 43 - Map of site pictures

36 | Page
Pictures From Around the Site Location

Figure 44 - One of the office buildings up for lease on the possible soccer stadum site

Figure 45 - Minneapolis Farmers Market, these shelters where they sell the produce is
west of the proposed soccer stadium site
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Pictures From Around the Site Location

Figure 46 - View of the industrial district to the south of the of the proposed stadium site

Figure 47 - View of the lightrail that runs to the south and east of the proposed stadium
site
38 | Page
Pictures From Around the Site Location

Figure 48 - View of the stretch along the west side of the proposed site, next to the Farm-
ers Market shelters

Figure 49 - View of the Minneapolis skyline from the southeast corner of the proposed
site
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Pictures From Around the Site Location

Figure 50 - View of the new and redeveloped apartment buildings to the south of the
proposed site

Figure 51 - View from the intersection of Olson Memorial Highway (off of I-94) and East
Lydale Ave N
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Pictures From Around the Site Location

Figure 52 - West approach to Target Field on N 7th St

Figure 53 - View of Olson Memorial Highway on the north side of the proposed site

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Pictures From Around the Site Location

Figure 54 - View of lightrail and parking lot for commuters southeast of the proposed site

Figure 55 - Parking lot on proposed site, severe elevation change to take into consider-
ation
42 | Page
Project Emphasis

1. Studying impact of different sporting stadiums on different area’s econo-

mies, in order to inform design for FC United Stadium and better benefit the Twin
Cities and Minnesota economies
Tactic: Showing data graphs and diagrams of stadium impact on area
economies

2. Studying stadium transportation system integration into neighborhood

aesthetic in order to better understand how to full mesh the FC United stadium with
the existing transportation systems in Minneapolis, such as the lightrail system
Tactic: Creating a transportation map to study how neighborhood transpor-
tation tactics can mesh with the tactics used in stadium design

3. Studying the integration of stadium structure with that of mixed-use build-

ings in order to create an iconic, but effective structural system that will inform the
rest of the design
Tactic: Creating a 3-d model showing the interaction of stadium and
mixed-use building structure and its integration with the rest of the design

4. Studying the integration of spatial and circulation planning in order to effec-

tively integrate the spaces and circulation needs of the mixed-use typology and the
stadium typology
Tactic: Creating different 3-d model iterations of stadium and mixed-use
spaces and circulation and evaluating which solution is most effective

43 | Page
Goals of the Thesis Project

With this thesis project, there are many goals that are set out to be
achieved. The theoretical goal is to find the answer to the question, “What is the im-
pact of sporting stadiums on an urban neighborhood environment, when combined
with mixed-use building tactics?” There are three environments in which this goal
exists: the academic, the professional, and the personal. The academic environment
that the goal of answering this question is that it will take both the knowledge of all
the things I have learned in the NDSU College of Architecture so far as well as my
enjoyment, knowledge and constant studying of stadium design in order to answer a
question such as this. From the steel structure design of my high rise project, to the
long-span steel structure and roofing system of the border crossing that I designed
for Otay Mesa in San Diego, I have the previous experience to understand the enor-
mity of the structure that will be required to get a project like the one described in
this thesis accomplished. The professional environment associated with this theoret-
ical goal is as follows: With my thesis project, I hope that it is not merely a solution
for the FC United soccer club in Minnesota, I hope that the solution that is derived
from this project can have a lasting impact on many stadium designs. I hope that the
research derived from this project with form a blueprint from which future stadium
designs can use to be more effective in their integration of mixed-use building
tactics in order to better fit their environments.
A physical goal I have associated with this project is that I want to learn
as many of the facets of stadium design as I can so that I am able to design one in
the future and have it built. Academically this goal will take me lots of research to
accomplish, from learning how stadium structure works to learning how to design
an effective place for tens of thousands of people to watch sports. Personally, it has
always been my goal to design sporting stadiums one day. Their designs have been
a passion of mine for a long time. Whenever I have a lunch break at work, I watch
YouTube videos of the latest stadium designs. It doesn’t matter
44 | Page
whether it is soccer, football, baseball or basketball, I have always had a passion for
beautiful and innovative designs that make going to sporting events a special time
for the fans. I enjoy that each stadium is unique in its own nature and each design
has the chance to say something about the city and the environment in which it rep-
resents. My professional goal as a student is to finish school, get licensed and work
in a stadium design firm such as HOK Sport, HKS, etc. I have received much advice
on how to approach the thesis project, but the most important advice that I think I
have gotten is to work on a project or typology that you would like to work on in the
future and that is exactly what I am doing.
Lastly, the social goal that I have for this project is to learn how to create a
space that protects what we all love about sports and the stadium experience, while
also bringing new design tactics that make the stadiums better fit the environment
that we live in and reflect the growth of intelligence in our decisions and the way we
live. When I was younger I started drawing very rough sketches of baseball stadium
designs while in church services. Usually I would only change up the design of the
outfield fence or the shape of the first level of seating or the foul ball areas, but I
would draw many different iterations. To this day I still believe that little things like
that only fueled my interest in the stadium design profession and I am still draw-
ing stadiums in church services. One of my personal goals was and is to design a
real sporting stadium one day, to be able to prove to my younger self that all those
sketches weren’t a pipe dream, that they led to a real-life stadium design that hun-
dreds of thousands of people get to experience every year and cheer on their favorite
teams in. As a child, I lived in Peoria, Illinois cheering on Michael Jordan and the
Bulls. I also lived in St. Louis and got to cheer on Mark McGwire as he set the then
single-season home run record of 70. I still have a picture of my dad and I both
wearing the 1991 world series sweaters when the Minnesota Twins won when I was
only a month or two old. Sports have had an impact in my life and have given
45 | Page
me many special memories and I know that many others can say the same. Whether
it is going to a ball game with your dad, or doing a group cheer at a soccer game,
sports are a very human experience. And this is an experience that I would love to
facilitate through my designs. This project may be a small step in the direction of
achieving my ultimate career goals, but it is a step in the right direction. The reason
that I chose to go into architecture wasn’t because of the professional prestige, or
the money, it was because I enjoyed designing things, having the opportunity to use
my creativity in a new way every day. And I feel that if I got into this profession while
chasing something that I enjoy, might as well let that chasing continue to see what
experiences I get to enjoy next.

46 | Page
Plan for Proceeding
Definition of Research Direction
Theoretical Premise / Unifying Idea :
Sporting Stadiums can combine the multi-use aspect of mixed-use typologies to create a stadium design that blends in with
the urban neighborhood around while also creating a space that can be used for multiple functions instead of just sporting
events, making it more economical for the city and more active for its citizens. How do they do this?
Tools: Future visits to stadiums that impact their surrounding environment and drawing from previous experiences, studying
existing economic impact from consumer price reports.
Expected Conclusions / Outcomes: Stadiums that have a positive impact on their surroundings do so because they are inte-
grated into their environment not only architecturally but economically and socially as well.
Typology :
How can mixed-use building techniques combine with stadium design to have a positive socio-economic impact on a ne-
glected urban neighborhood?
Secondary Questions:
1. How to define a process on how to design a stadium with integrated mixed-use.
2. How to define a process to assess how the design works or is effective.
Tools: Computer programs for spatial planning, structural integration analysis and consumer price reports with which to study
economic impact
Expected Conclusions / Outcomes: I believe that these processes will help create stadium designs that are fully integrated with
mixed-use design techniques and that they will enhance the socio-economic capabilities of the area in which they are built. I
believe that a process can be defined to these 2 steps:
1. Design a stadium with integrated mixed-use.
2. Assess how the design works or is effective.
Historical Context :
How have stadiums in the past been successful at benefitting their surroundings on a socio-economic level?
Tools: Average attendance studies, square footage studies, typology studies, study of events held besides sports, revenue
studies
Expected Conclusions / Outcomes: Reasons for why stadiums in the past have been successful, able to use things that did
work for stadiums in MN United stadium design 472 || Page
Page
Definition of Research Direction
Site Analysis :
What orientation of the field would be best on the site?
How extensive would the excavation be to place the lower bowl seating of the stadium beneath ground level?
Which corner of the building should the main entance be located?
How should the site design be handled so that transportation circulation is at its most efficient?
Tools: Programs like Anylogic can be used to study circulation patterns, studies of the soil on the site and what buildings pre-
viously inhabited the site will give clues as to how stable the ground would be during an excavation, and sun, wind, and light
studies would inform how the field should be oriented and which corner the entrance should be placed
Expected Conclusions / Outcomes: Information that tells how to place the building on the site and how to integrate transporta-
tion around it

Program Requirements :
How are spaces, circulation and structure of a stadium brought into cohesion with that of a mixed-use building?
Tools: Experience reports from stadium architects, previously stated research findings
Expected Conclusions / Outcomes: Getting useful tactics and lessons learned while trying to mix a stadium design with a
typology so urban as mixed-use

48 | Page
Design Methodology

1. Create space planning alternatives for the soccer stadium using Sketchup including the following areas :
- Total sq. ft.
- Parking configurations and layouts
- Square footage for different spatial areas
- Restaurants/bars
- Stadium seating and circulation
- Apartments
- Business areas
- Coffee shop

2. Measure the transportation and economic impacts of each space planning alternative
- Creating a transportation map to study how neighborhood transportation tactics can be integrated into those
used with stadium design (including vehicles, light rail, pedestrian and biking)
- Using AnyLogic 7.03 for transportation studies
- Showing data of the following two areas for each design iteration:
- Rental Values per [Link]. (Quantitative Research)
- Cost of Construction (Quantitative Research)
- Get info from using RS Means online program

49 | Page
Design Methodology

3. Creating a 3-d model showing the interaction of stadium and mixed-use building structure
- Using Autodesk Revit for structural integration studies
- Studying stadiums that have integrated mixed-use structure and design strategies in the past using the book
Sports Architecture by Rod Sheard
- Studying different long-span structural elements that could be incorporated into the stadium and mixed-use
design strategies using the book Tragsysteme by Heino Engel and the NDSU link to the Architectural Records
site with stadium designs that includes drawings of their plans and sections:
[Link]

4. Develop a design strategy for a mixed-use soccer stadium based on an analysis of the impacts
- Use following info beforehand:
Assess the meaning of the economic data by synthesizing that info with Consumer Price Index reports while
using the economic data graphs provided with different stadium designs in the book Developing Sports,
Convention and Performing Arts Centers by David C. Petersen

50 | Page
Design Documentation
Design Software Used :
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Autodesk Revit
- Sketchup 2015

Presentation Software Used :

- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe In-Design
- Adobe Photoshop

Design Methods :
- Conduct thesis research project in fall studio semester
- Building 3-D model iterations for studio circulation and spatial planning
- Review work weekly with studio professor
- Adjust project based on review
- When research project is done, save findings and integrate into spring semester’s schedule of work
- Back-up all info with hard drive
- Update thesis book as soon as something is added
- Update works cited of thesis book as soon as new resources are discovered

Thesis Book Publication :

All material from studio research project and other pertinent info to this thesis will be made available in book format
and at the NDSU Institutional Repository

51 | Page
Thesis Schedule / Deliverables

PROJECT DELIVERABLES
Thesis Program Work: Oct. 15th - Dec.
TIMELINE 14th
- Results from theoretical premise research
- Project justification
- Historical, social and cultural context of the
thesis
Thesis Proposal Work: Aug. 20th - Oct. - Site analysis
15th - Final building program (space allocation)

PROJECT START- THESIS PROPOSAL

SITE ANALYSIS DRAFT DUE THESIS PROPOSAL DUE THESIS PROGRAM DUE
8/1/15 9/8/15 10/15/15 12/14/15

1 Aug 1 Sep 1 Oct 1 Nov 1 Dec 1 Jan

52 | Page
Thesis Schedule / Deliverables Development of Presenta-
tion: Apr. 1st - May 9th
-Presentation drawings
-Models
-Thesis book development
-Reviews
Design Development: Feb. 15th - Apr. 21st
- Taking spatial organization determined to be most
Schematic Design: effective from research and developing rest of design
Jan. 15th - Feb. 15th - Structural design, both building and roofing
- Analysis of site context, - Elevation studies, integration of mixed-use design
spatial organization and techniques
masses, study of sun, wind - Intergration of materials typically used in mixed-use
and light patterns typology
- Integration of thesis - Developing sections and studying seating arrange-
research project results ment and angle of viewing towards soccer field
- Environmental impact - Systems
studies - Assemblies/details
ALL PHYSICAL EXHIBITS DUE
4/25/16

ANNUAL THESIS EXHIBIT

4/25/16-4/27/16
FINAL
THESIS
THESIS PROGRAM FINAL
REVIEW
EDITED COPY DUE
5/2/16-
3/11/16
5/5/16

Jan 1 Feb 1 Mar 1 Apr 1 May 1 Jun

DIGITAL COPY OF
MID-TERM THESIS REVIEWS
COMPLETE THESIS
3/7/16-3/11/16
BOOK DUE 5/9/16
DIGITAL COPY OF
THESIS EXHIBIT DUE THESIS BOOK DUE
4/21/16 5/13/16

53 | Page
Appendix : Reference List
Figure 35 A.C. Milan unveils its new stadium. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
com/News/2015_02_February/4_February_ACMilan_unveils_its_new_stadium.aspx
AC Milan Stadium Rendering. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from [Link]
[Link]/players/uk/7572451-ac-milan-will-have-a-new-stadium/gallery/im
age/[Link]
Figure 36 AC Milan interior. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2015, from [Link]
pictures/2015/2/4/1423057659252/[Link]
Figure 02 Anaheim Angels Stadium. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from [Link]
ball/All-Star-Game/i-stXvQgF/0/M/[Link]
Figure 03 Arrowhead and Kauffmann Stadiums. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from [Link]
[Link]/2012/02/aerial_od_09.jpg
Figure 23 Cal stadium on site. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
Figure 26 California Gym. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
Types_Study/stadiums/2013/images/1310-California-Memorial-Stadium-and-Simpson-Center-for-Stu
[Link]
Figure 21 California Memorial Stadium. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2015, from [Link]
fault/files/Photo 1_1.jpg
Figure 24 California Stadium exterior. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
[Link]/cal/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Cal-Catering-2013-020813-CMS-football-signing-
Picks_1909-[Link]
Figure 28 California Stadium interior. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2015, from [Link]
cal/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IMG_8986-[Link]
Figure 30 California bar space. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IMG_9550-[Link]
Figure 25 California entrance to gym area. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2015, from [Link]
projects/Building_Types_Study/stadiums/2013/images/1310-California-Memorial-Stadium-and-Simp
son-Center-for-Student-Athlete-High-performance-HNTB-Architecture-and-STUDIOS-Architecture_main.
jpg
Figure 27 California memorial inside big space. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2015, from [Link]
fault/files/inspiration-images/116//cal_memorial_stadium-recessed_lighting-06_download.jpg
Figure 29 California office space. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2015, from [Link]
wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IMG_9688-[Link]
Figures 40-43 Google Maps - International Farmers Market Minneapolis. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from [Link]
[Link]/maps/search/International Farmers Market Minneapolis
List of arenas in last 16 years. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
years/
Figure 37 Milan site pic. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2015, from [Link]
show/2015/02/3042051-slide-s-10-a-48000-person-stadium-that-you-might-not-even-know-is-there.
jpg
Figure 05 Milan stadium picture. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
e58e/ce14/7000/0040/large_jpg/006_ext_notte.jpg?1423262160
54 | Page
Figure 38 Minnesota FC United Logo. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from [Link]
es/523874471849914368/[Link]
Minnesota MLS Stadium | Minnesota United FC. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from [Link]
com/minnesota-mls-stadium
Figure 39 Minnesota State Map. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from [Link]
thumb/b/b5/Map_of_Minnesota_counties_blank.svg/900px-Map_of_Minnesota_counties_blank.[Link]
Figure 07 Olympic Stadium. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2015, from [Link]
jpg
Figures 8-15 Olympic Stadium. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
Types_Study/stadiums/2012/[Link]?bts=SSF
PVC architectural fabric / for retractable tensile structures / fire-retardant PARKEN-STADIUM Ceno Membrane
Technology GmbH. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2015, from [Link]
brane-technology-gmbh/[Link]
Figure 34 Parken 2nd tier. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2015, from [Link]
img_4738.jpg
Figure 31 Parken Stadium. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2015, from [Link]
MG_2022.jpg
Figure 06 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2015, from [Link]
files-dk/node-images/41/4/[Link]
Figure 33 Parken Structure. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
[Link]
Figure 32 Parken mixed use outside. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2015, from [Link]
y6SQURZrI/AAAAAAAAPuM/1X_6S7BlENQ/s1600/[Link]
Photo Gallery | California Memorial Stadium – Event & Wedding Venue Rental – Berkeley, San Francisco, East Bay
Area. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2015, from [Link]
Figure 04 San Francisco Giants Stadium. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from [Link]
blog/022714_att.jpg
Figure 16 Telenor Arena. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2015, from [Link]
jpg
Telenor Arena. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from [Link]
Telenor-Arena/
Figure 20 Telenor Arena Office Space. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2015, from [Link]
loads/telenor-arena_2.jpg
Figure 19 Telenor Arena structure. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2015, from [Link]
BrrxImixqccjwboylspCT_gPYKM1WdTT14/mtime:1387458229/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/
International/References/[Link]?itok=UHNn9rvE done
Figure 17 Telenor close exterior. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2015, from [Link]
loads/2013/06/xxIMG_7993.jpg
Figure 18 Telenor concert image. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2015, from [Link]
Oslo/Day_14/Telenor_Arena/IG_IMG_4432.JPG
Telia Parken Stadium - F.C. Copenhagen | Football Tripper. (2014, August 11). Retrieved October 12, 2015.
55 | Page
Appendix : Previous Studio
Experience

2nd Year
Fall : Joan Vorderbruggen
Tea House - Fargo, ND
Minneapolis Boat House - Minneapolis, MN
Spring : Stephen Wischer
Twin House - Fargo, ND
Center for Baroque Music Appreciation - Fargo, ND

3rd Year
Fall : Milt Yergens
Guitar Center - Healdsburg, CA
Mixed-Use Urban Building - Glasgow, Scotland
S p r i n g : B a k r A l y A h m e d
Culinary School / Institute - Fargo, ND
Border Crossing Station - Otay Mesa, San Diego

4th Year
Fall : David Crutchfield
Urban High Rise – San Francisco, CA
Spring : Steve Martens
Adaptive Reuse of Ada Village Hall – Ada, MN

56 | Page
Appendix :
Personal Identification

Mitchell Clark Borgen

Address – 547 32nd ½ St N

Moorhead, MN 56550
Telephone Number – 612.272.3125
Email – [Link]@[Link]

“My experience at NDSU has made it possible for me to achieve my dreams

someday and design sporting stadiums. I used to draw plans for sporting fields
on church service programs with no hope of making those designs come to life,
and that has all changed.”

57 | Page
Urban Stadia: Integrating Stadium Design with
Mixed-Use Building Tactics to Rejuvenate an
Urban Neighborhood
Thesis Program

Mitchell Clark Borgen

North Dakota State University
Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Table of Contents

Cover Page...............................................................................................................Page 58
Table of Contents......................................................................................................Page 59
List of Tables and Figures..........................................................................................Page 60
Theoretical Premise / Unifying Idea Research............................................................ Page 62
Project Justification...................................................................................................Page 73
Historical, Social and Cultural Context of the Thesis..................................................Page 76
Site Analysis.............................................................................................................Page 84
Final Building Program (Space Allocation)................................................................Page 99
Appendix: Extra Programmatic Elements....................................................................Page 102
Appendix: Research Journal Article........................................................................... Page 106
Appendix: Reference List.......................................................................................... Page 122

59 | Page
List of Tables and Figures

Figure 56 - Diagram with seating height and viewing calculations

Figure 57 - Chart showing different sized stadiums and their development trends
Figure 58 - Organizational diagram showing functional aspects of a stadium design
Figure 59 - Different structural designs for long-spanning systems
Figure 60 - Proposed Detroit Events Center
Figure 61 - Oakland Coliseum during a Raiders football game
Figure 62 - Old Picture of Manchester United fans
Figure 63 - Century Link Field, home to the Seattle Seahawks NFL team and the Sounders MLS team
Figure 64 - Entry elevation of Ford Field in Detroit, home of the NFL team the Detroit Lions
Figure 65 - Topographic map of the north/west loop of Minneapolis
Figure 66 - Side view of the berm and Stark Electronics
Figure 67 & 68 - One of the street parking payment recepticles on the site and the store Accent Store Fixtures
Figure 69 - Soil classification map of the site
Figure 70 & 71 - Zoning district map of Minneapolis and picture of G&K services and their truck lot
Figure 72 - Map A : tree & vegetative cover, water, contours
Figure 73 - Map B : road, bridges, buildings
Figure 74 - Photo grid map of site
Figure 75 - Picture of west side of site
Figure 76 - Picture of north side of site
Figure 77 - Picture of east side of site
Figure 78 - Picture of south side of site
Figure 79 & 80 - Temperature and relative humidity charts for Minneapolis, MN
Figure 81 & 82 - Precipitation and cloud cover charts for Minneapolis, MN
Figure 83 & 84 - Wind speed and wind direction charts for Minneapolis, MN
Figure 85 & 86 - Sun path and sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times for Minneapolis, MN
Figure 87 - Picture of apartment buildings on Glenwood Ave and the International Market Square
Figure 88 - Picture of the Minneapolis Farmers Market logo
60 | Page
Figure 89 - Map showing the path of the southwest Light Rail transit project
Figure 90 - Top view of stadium iteration #1
Figure 91 - Perspective of stadium iteration #1
Figure 92 - Top view of stadium iteration #2
Figure 93 - Perspective of stadium iteration #2
Figure 94 - Top view of stadium iteration #3
Figure 95 - Perspective of stadium iteration #3

61 | Page
Theoretical Premise / Unifying Idea
Research
A soccer stadium is needed to house the brand new Minnesota soccer team FC United.
The new U.S. Bank stadium that is being constructed for the Vikings is not an effective stadium
option for the team as it houses three times more than the team is looking to have for a capacity
(20,000). FC United wants a more intimate venue for both themselves and their growing fan base
to enjoy. Stadium design has gone through a lot of stages of evolution, and I look to continue
this process by developing a process on how to design a stadium with integrated mixed-use and
a process with which to assess how the design works or is effective.
There are three texts and five online texts that will help me with the developing of these
processes. A couple will allow me to pull ideas from past stadium designs when designing a
structure that incorporates both mixed-use and stadium design techniques. Another book will
allow me to study different stadium designs while looking at some of the economic statistics of
each design and what each one is used for.
One book titled Sports Architecture by Rod Sheard includes features many different sta-
dium designs that are for many different sports and it also includes many of the facts about the
capacity of each stadium, the location of each stadium as well as the cost of each stadium. There
are also floor plans and sections in the book which will give me many clues into which structural
designs would be most appropriate for the mixed-use design that I am planning for the Minne-
sota FC United Soccer Team. Rod Sheard is one of the principals of Populous Architects who has
done the majority of major sporting stadiums in the United States and around the world and the
book includes many of the lessons that Rod and his staff learned with each of the projects which
is a valuable resource for me as I try to define a revolutionary process to designing urban stadia.
Even when this book was published in the year 2000, Rod Sheard and his staff at Pop-
ulous architects are at the leading edge of transforming stadium design in order to bring it into
the next century. They understand that stadiums and their design are not only important to the
economic success of their own venue but that they can also be lightning rods of commercial and
economic success to the areas of the city around it. In the book there is mention of economic
62 | Page
studies that were conducted in Britain and America showing that for “every pound or dollar spent
inside a stadium, between five and ten are spent outside, in the city itself”. They also have drawn
comparisons between the evolution of airports and what stadiums are trying to evolve into. The
studies they have derived from airports show that “40 per cent of the total revenue generated at
airports derives from merchandising- a figure which is increasingly being met by leading sports
clubs and stadium operators.” The reason why this research is so important to stadium devel-
opment is the fact that people often spend the same amount of time in both types of buildings,
usually 2-4 hours. This comparison shows that stadiums, if they want to evolve in how econom-
ical they can be, they will take a page from the airports playbook and design their buildings to
include many more ways that people can be spending their money. That’s why so many airports
now look like shopping malls with airports attached to them, there is a large amount of time
that a lot of people spend in those buildings and they are now designing them to take economic
advantage of that fact.
There are also many other areas of stadium design that can be learned from Rod Sheard
and his staff. There are chapters that are designed to teach how to design for the comfort of the
fans by allowing appropriate dimensions to each spectators seat (between 475mm to 500mm
wide) and depths of the tread that they sit on (between 760mm and 800mm deep). They also
state some of the requirements they have in certain countries for how many spectator seats can
be placed in a row before there needs to be an aisle. Sheard lists the range of 24-32 seats being
the right range of seats per row, but he also states that some countries allow up to 40 seats to be
placed in a row while the UK only allows up to 28. Rod and his staff also have an equation they
use to see whether or not the viewing angle for all of the spectators in the stadium are adequate
or not.
Rod’s book also describes the needs of both the participants in the sports that the spec-
tators watch and the required spaces for officials and all of the other spaces needed to make a
stadium operate successfully. I think perhaps though the most important thing that I have learned
63 | Page
from studying this book is that the reason Rod states for his and his co-workers primary involve-
ment in stadium design is that was what their clients needed. They first created a relationship
with clients who were as passionate about their companies and teams as Rod and his staff were
about their design firm. These clients just happened to be owners of different sports teams. This
approach to running a firm, putting the client’s needs first and above all, gave Rod and his firm
the start and continuing success they needed to become one of the world leaders in sporting
stadium design.

Figure 56 - Diagram with

seating height and view-
ing calculations

64 | Page
A book titled Tragsysteme by Heino Engel will also prove a great resource for my re-
search as the book takes large structural systems of every type and strips them down into pieces
so that they are easier to understand. The resources provided in this book will allow my structural
research to retain its validity as I will be able to design stadium structure that would work in the
real world. This book shows examples of structure using many different types of materials as
well which will be really useful to myself because combining mixed-use building techniques
and stadium techniques will more than likely include the use of many different materials both
for aesthetic purposes and structural purposes. Engel’s book will be a good one to look at to
understand how different structural materials can be combined safely and beautifully.
With the help of Engel’s book I will be able to figure out all the formulas and configura-
tions of geometrical shapes to make sure that however I design the roof of the mixed-use soccer
stadium and whether or not it has a retractable roof, I will be able to know that the design is
safe and effective. I will be able to reference Engel’s book for any structural load formula I need
whether it has to do with force, loads, gravitational force, moment, stress, resistance, or equi-
librium. There is examples of how to solve all of the previously stated for the structural system
that you decide to employ and there is also diagrams for each of them showing what physics
the mathematical equations are solving so that you can have a better understanding of your
structure. There are also many diagrams showing various different types of structures, including
pneumatic, cable, tent, arch, flat trusses, transmitted flat trusses, curved trusses, space trusses,
and many others. The diagrams that I will more intently be focusing on are the “wide-span roof
enclosures”. These diagrams show possible structural solutions for a soccer stadium designed
to fit 20,000 spectators. The book mainly focuses on singular structural systems, so it will re-
main to be seen if further expertise and research is required to effectively integrate the structural
system of the stadium area of the building and the structure covering the mixed-use area of the
building.
Another book that I will be using in my research is titled Developing Sports, Convention,
65 | Page
and Performing Arts Centers by David C. Petersen. This book also looks at many different types
of stadiums and designs, but instead focuses on the economic impact of the stadium designs
and also looks at the differences that mixed-usage has on their integration into the city’s activity.
This book includes sections showing data from stadiums that include different sports and other
things like entertainment venues and how that brings in a greater volume of both people and
revenue for the city in which the stadium is located. The book also includes sections that help
estimate future use or occupancy of stadiums which will be very useful to me as I try to develop
a process with which to assess how the design works or is effective (one of my two secondary
goals).
Unlike the previous two books described, David’s book focuses on the economics of
stadiums. This shows in many different studies shown throughout the book. The book reiterates
what I state in other areas of this program that stadium design has gotten away from the design
of multi-sport stadiums. They list the same reason as I have, when one large space tries to
accommodate space for different sports that require such different seating arrangements for all,
instead of making many different great ways to enjoy sports in one building, you are creating
many different sub-par ways to enjoy sports in one building. Another way that this book shows
its dedication to sport stadium economics is the discussion on things like stadium parking. In
the book it states that “stadiums and large arenas typically require a parking space for every two
to four attendees. If mass transit is not available or is not used by fans, parking lots or structures
must be provided to accommodate as many as 7,000 cars for a 23,000-seat arena and 20,000 or
more cars for a 70,000-seat arena.” The book also discusses how any stadium should be placed
nearby other amenities that the surrounding area has to offer like convention centers, hotels,
restaurants, etc. and it also gives charts that help evaluate a potential site to see how economical
placing a stadium there would be.
There is also many other economic lessons to be gleaned from David’s book such as the
prices of construction cost of convention/sports centers which at the time of the publication
66 | Page
of this book (2001) was “$250 to $400 per square foot.” This will have to be synthesized with
current cost data, but it will still be effective in allowing me to understand whether or not the cost
calculations done for the mixed-use soccer design are accurate. Extra means of revenue are also
discussed within the book which include the designing and offering of premium seating options
and permanent seat licenses which are also discussed later in this program. These options can
be costlier to include in the design of the stadium, but with individual seat licenses now worth in
the $1000s of dollars, this can be a very effective way to offset the economic cost of building a
stadium that costs hundreds of millions of dollars.
The first online book that I will be using information from in order to design a success-
ful stadium for the MN United soccer team is an online thesis titled “It Takes a Ballpark Village:
Stadiums, Coalitions, and Growth in Two Cities” by Anna O. Bently. This thesis studies the story
of a city looking to “spark revitalization, provide new jobs and industry, and increase civic pride”
with the development of a sporting stadium. Anna’s thesis suggests that instead of developing a
stadium with those goals in mind, guiding the stadium development process with “growth and
general development as the outcome” might be more effective. Anna uses case studies from
San Diego and St. Louis and studies their “stadium planning process, groups involved, motives
for participation and the outcomes of the projects” in each state along with an element that is
growing in popularity with stadium projects, the “ballpark village” development. This is a great
resource to use because it is a thesis about community development much like mine and it will
better inform what goals to have in mind when designing the stadium. It also is a great study on
the development around stadiums and how that is becoming more and more popular with stadi-
ums even being built today like the new Atlanta Braves stadium.
The “Marquette Sports Law Review Book” that is in an online format has provided great
case study information for this thesis project. As you can see below, it contains lists of stadiums
of all uses and sizes, what their overall costs were, and how much and what type of commercial
and mixed-use developments was spurred on near the stadium after it was built. With this
67 | Page
information, I will be able to look up the stadiums included in that list, find the ones that most
fit the characteristics of the stadium being designed in this thesis and see how they were able to
integrate mixed-usage with their stadium or connect them by other means such as landscaping,
skyways, or other modes of transportation.

Figure 57 - Chart showing

different sized stadiums
and their development
trends

68 | Page
Beyond the Scoreboard is a book written by Rick Horrow who used to work as the official
facilities consultant for the NFL. The whole book is about the business of sports and it sheds
light on some great tips that I can use in the design of a mixed-use sporting stadium to make
it that much more effective economically. One big thing to generating revenue in a stadium is
holding “mega-events”. Rick states in the book that every community that hosts a SuperBowl,
the championship game in the NFL, generates about $300-$400 million dollars of economic
activity. Now while the stadium being designed in this thesis is not designed for an NFL team
nor will it be big enough, there is a lesson to be learned here. In order for the stadium designed
in this thesis to produce a healthy amount of revenue, then the stadium must be designed to ef-
fectively host many different types of events like concerts. This will also ensure that the stadium
area of the building is used on days other than when a sporting events is being held.
One of the online sources is a study on the sustainable development for professional
sports stadiums by Brianna Ridge, who works at the School of City & Regional Planning at the
Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture. The most important part of this resource
that I will be able to use in this thesis is in the conclusion, where Brianna lists four recommen-
dations that would “improve the sustainability of professional athletic stadium sites within the
United States.” The following are those four recommendations that will be surely integrated into
the design process for the mixed-use stadium in this thesis:
- Locate stadium adjacent to the eight prime land uses (office, hotels, dining, commer-
cial, transit, nearby residential, limited parking, other points of interest)
- Stadium’s site located in the core or at the central edge of a city
- Locate the stadium by a transit station or establish a new transit station at the stadium
- Form an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere of local retailers that turns the stadium
inside-out
Another one of the online books that will certainly help with this thesis study is called “A
Blueprint for Successful Stadium development” by KPMH. This book guides the reader through
69 | Page
A Blueprint for Successful Stadium Development | 45

every process of stadium design, from giving charts that document the key phases, milestones,
timings, and the main professionals that are involved through all of those steps in the develop-
ment process
Integrate toarchitectural
showing the phasesintothat
programme every successful stadium design process goes through
design

to studyThe
thearchitectural
marketing and financial
programme refers to thefeasibility of theThestadium.
functional aspects finishing ofThis online
VIP areas book
and other also
lounges suchhas many
as shown
which need to be incorporated into a stadium. These below are crucial to the overall impression of the facility, and
graphs and charts
functions showing
include the interior that trends
and exterior in stadium
spaces that are design likegeneration
the revenue premium seating
potential and cityoperation.
of the hospitality locations
standard in all modern stadiums. Many of these functions Lounge spaces are fitted with bars and buffet stations and
that are growing
are regulatedinby popularity in the
local planning codes, andUnited
in order toStates
host arearealso true inon many
often located the outerother countries
perimeter around
of the section,
different grades of professional football matches. Interior providing a common space for VIP guests to congregate.
the world. This
spaces
diagram.
canmeans thatinto
be generalised thetheinformation
categories shown and lessons learned from this thesis will be able to be
in the

used worldwide. As you can see in the picture below, this book with blueprint in its title is also a
“blueprint” forFunctional
understanding all of the different spaces and people that interact with the building
aspects of design

on a daily basis. This information will help me be able to design a soccer stadium that works
excellent for everyone involved.

Sport
Area incorporates the access,
interior facilities and circulation
throughout the stadium and
onto the pitch for players,
coaches and their attendants.
Spectators
Administration Largest group of people
Office and administration using the stadium,
facilities tend to be relatively therefore the planning
simple to fit into the stadium as must be well thought
they do not require a lot of internal out based upon the stadium
space nor have specific needs. capacity and services
They may however require provided. Sanitary
natural daylight to abide by and kiosk facilities account
local regulations. for a largest amount of
spaces used by Figure 58 - Organiza-
the normal spectator.

Functional
tional diagram showing
aspects
functional aspects of a
Media
During sporting events
reporters are separated from
stadium design
Stadium facilitators the players and VIP spectators.
Large rooms for MEP and Spaces provided for the
storage are generally planned media typically include working
below the lower stands. rooms, special tier seating,
Access to these spaces for large TV studios for interviews, large
vehicles is necessary. open spaces for quick flash
interviews, individual internal
circulation and parking
VIP Spectators spaces.
VIP spectators are generally
provided with separate
controlled entrances, lounges
with catering services,
VIP boxes and parking facilities.

70 | Page

*Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing

Source: gmp

© 2013 KPMG Central and Eastern Europe Ltd., a limited liability company and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative
(“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved.
Stadium design has been around for centuries and there has been many developments
over the years. I am looking to create processes that designers can use to help them fully inte-
grate their stadium designs into the urban neighborhoods that surround them. The books that I
am looking at will provide information to me about how different stadiums integrate long-span
structure into their designs, how those structural systems really work and how they can be inte-
grated with the structural systems and materials used in mixed-use buildings. These resources
will also collectively help me further understand the different impacts a stadium can have and
how to estimate a stadium’s role in a city’s socio-economic capabilities.
Designing a mixed-use soccer stadium complex that is hundreds of thousand of square
feet can be a huge undertaking, but this is another way that I will be able to use the resources
previously described, many of the books have case studies of stadiums provided with floor plans
and sections. Combining these with the helpful master lists provided in the texts that state all of
the different spaces that need to be included in a stadium will make sure that I not only design
for all of the needs of the stadium, but that they are placed in an effective way.
Stadium design is a typology where it is essential that you design through looking at
floor plans and sections. This is due to many factors, but one main one is that stadium seating
takes up a large portion of the area of a stadium’s space and it is placed at an angle, creating
underneath spaces that need to be utilized in order for the stadium to be effeicient. Using the
mathematical formulas that I have found in the previous texts will help me in designing a stadium
that features a cohesion between stadium seating space, circulation space, and mixed-usage
areas.
Many of the texts previously described will be an asset to this thesis as they always keep
in perspective the goals of their studies. Whether the content of the books is about structure, or
economic impact, or sustainable design, they always refer back to what the main goal of their
studies was. This may be the most important lesson that I learn from all of these guides. In order
for me to accomplish the goals of my thesis, I am going to have to keep my eyes on the goal,
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which is to determine a process or methodology that designers can use to create urban stadiums
that rejuventate neighborhoods. I can’t get stuck on all of the little details like the placement of
seats one-by-one in a digital model if I want this project to mean something on a larger scale.
Stadiums are huge projects and that means when done right, they can have a big impact. This
thesis will provide the MN United soccer team a blueprint on how to do just that.

Figure 59 - Different
structural designs for
long-spanning systems

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Project Justification

According to Plunkett Research, the sporting industry in the United States is worth
$498.4 million and throughout the world it is worth $1.5 trillion. The industry has been around
for decades and sports have become part of many country’s identities. Instead of trying to take
down the industry and prevent spending on the sporting stadiums, I think we should study how
to design stadiums so that they fit in with the cities around them and perform several functions.
If we can learn to design stadiums to have a mixed-use element with them like office or retail
spaces for example, the stadium is able to more easily recover the cost of the its construction
and it is also able to save the city money that would’ve been spent constructing the spaces that
are now a part of the stadium.
Plunkett Research states that the MLS (Major League Soccer) industry is worth $600
million in the U.S., showing that although it may not be the most popular sport in the country,
its fan base is steadily growing. The Minnesota United soccer team is an expansion team of the
MLS looking to create a home for themselves in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. A large sta-
dium for the Minnesota Vikings is being constructed, but the MN United team is looking to play
in a stadium that has a seating capacity that is about one-third the size of the Vikings stadium to
create a more intimate venue for their fans.
Stadium design has become more advanced over the years, becoming more tech-savvy
and environmentally friendly. Stadium designs still leave much to be desired when it comes to
truly fitting into an urban streetscape and feeling like a building that you could as easily walk into
off the sidewalk and enjoy a cup of coffee as you could watch a sporting event in. With this the-
sis project, my goal is to create a process that allows stadium designers to more fully integrate
their stadium ideas into the surrounding cities while designing a state-of-the-art mixed usage
soccer stadium for the MN United team in Minneapolis, MN.
This thesis project will take all of the knowledge that I have learned during my duration
of architecture school at North Dakota State University. The stadium will require all of the infor-
mation that I have learned about long-span structure as the stadium will require just that to
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house both the soccer stadium and mixed-usage spaces. I will also have to employ my knowl-
edge of spatial planning and integration in order to make the mixed-usage spaces mix effectively
with the surrounding sporting stadium. Urban planning and streetscape design lessons that I
have learned will help me out in designing a stadium that is both large enough to fit the program
that I have planned, but also be intimate enough to make pedestrians want to use the mixed-us-
age spaces even when a sporting event is not going on. This project will require a lot of site
analysis to understand what measure will have to be taken to make the west market loop neigh-
borhood in Minneapolis a place where a 18,500 seat, mixed-usage stadium can be built.
Transportation studies will be key in fully integrating the stadium into the Minneapolis
site, and the need to create flexible modes of travel for both urban dwellers and people living
outside the city will be hugely important to the success of the project. As said before, stadiums
are starting to employ cutting-edge tactics of environmental sustainability and in order to inte-
grate these into the MN United stadium, my knowledge of HVAC and mechanical systems will be
tested. Landscape and parking design will be essential to completely transform the ones used
by truck depots and failed office spaces into an exciting urban node and to make-sure the site is
accommodating to the all of the building occupants needs.
One of the goals of this project is to effectively integrate the existing farmers market
that has been such a rich part of the area for so long into the stadium experience. Designing the
stadium site in order to fit with the market and make it a part of the MN United experience will
require my knowledge of site design as well as spatial planning. In order to create a stadium that
mixes well with the urban landscape of Minneapolis will also test my knowledge of materiality.
Stadiums in the area like Target Field (home of the Minnesota Twins) used limestone, a product
found heavily in MN, as one of the main components of the exterior stadium cladding. With the
MN United Stadium, I am looking to use a cladding system on the stadium that both reflects the
area that it resides in as well as fit in with its urban context. With all of the usages that I plan on
including in this stadium design, I want to design the materiality of the stadium so that it looks
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like a building that can fit an office building, a coffee shop and a soccer stadium all under one
roof.
I believe that although the amount spent on stadiums on a world scale is staggering, we
can create a process for designers to make their stadium designs work more for the city around
them and also look more like the city around them. If this process can effectively change the way
we design our stadiums, then a huge impact will have been made on one of the largest and most
expensive typologies exisiting. Stadiums will become urban nodes of activity and not just on the
days that a sporting event is taking place, it will be one everyday, just like the rest of the city.

Figure 60 - Proposed Detroit Events Center

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Historical,Social and Cultural
Context of the Thesis
Historically, sporting events have drawn the attention of millions. Sports are something
that can rally a whole city together for one cause. They are so engrained into the fabric of our
world’s culture. The first stadium ever designed was in the 8th century BC in Greece and there
have been 1,000s of stadium designed and built since then. Some have taken steps back in
stadium design and some have introduced elements that change the typology forever. Many have
been successful from a safety standpoint, but some have failed in that regard. When a stadium
design truly works, it can be a symbol of pride for the city and country/state for which it is in.
When a design goes wrong, the result can be catastrophic because of how many lives occupy
the space of a stadiums. Stadiums can have the power to drastically change its surroundings in
good ways and bad. Stadiums and their designers are starting to evolve with the world around
them. There are now many stadiums with retractable roof systems, mixed-use spaces, green
roofs and other state-of-the-art technology featuring video screens that are thousands of square
feet large. Some stadiums have been able to integrate into their environments, but stadiums still
have yet to fully fit into the urban streetscape around it and blend in. Buildings that are thousands
of square feet large are hard to blend into the environment around them, and it may take many
advances in the typology in order to accomplish this, but I believe it can be done.
There are currently just over 60 stadiums being constructed at this moment with many of
them costing millions of dollars. There has been much controversy over the massive amount of
money that is put into stadiums and where is comes from. There has also been controversy about
the construction techniques of stadiums in countries like Qatar and Brazil where many workers
are migrants who come to those countries looking for work and get treated and paid very poorly
and many die due to the grueling conditions they are put under. There are many reasons why
people are against the building of stadiums, about as many as there are for their building. My
argument is this, as long as stadiums are going to continue being built at the rate they are today
and there is little we can do to slow them down, then why don’t we work to reform the way that
they are built? Let’s work to make sporting stadiums work for our cities once again.
76 | Page
Let’s create a methodology for designers that helps them create spaces that aren’t large
empty reminders of mis-spent money or mis-managed construction, let’s take what we have
learned from stadiums in the past, combine it with what we have learned about them in the mod-
ern era and form a new era of stadium design where large stadiums are large for a reason. Let us
make that reason be that they are constantly brimming with activity due to successful integration
of the stadium into the urban landscape of our cities. Let us make sure that all future stadiums
are accomplishing this through successful integration of mixed-use spaces in the stadium to
bring constant traffic throughout the building. Effective integration of multiple modes of transpor-
tation with a stadium can help. Site placement can also be a big difference in whether a stadium
is economically viable because stadiums can have as much mixed-usage incorporated into its
design as the client wants, but if the stadium is placed in an area where there is no foot traffic,
then those business’ might not make any financial impact for the stadium whatsoever. There are
many other factors that go into designing a stadium that has a beneficial impact on the neighbor-
hood or city around it. In order to study all of these factors more closely and see whether dif-
ferent design choices worked or didn’t work for the financial feasibility of different stadiums, we
need to delve deeper into the history of stadiums and how they evolved into mixed-use stadiums
and what things along that creative path worked or didn’t.
In the 70’s and 80’s in America there was a large number of stadiums built in the
cookie-cutter style. These were coliseum-type stadiums that weren’t designed for any sport in
specific, they instead were designed in a mostly circular shape in order to house many different
configurations of seating. Some examples of this type of stadium was the Coliseum in Oakland,
Candlestick Park in San Francisco and the Metrodome that was located in the same city as the
one my MN United design iteration is meant for. All of these coliseum-type stadiums were able
to house many different sports because of their simple shape, but because of this design there
was much lacking from the spectators experience in whichever arrangement the stadium was in
at the time. Instead of these stadiums being purely designed for one sport with one config-
77 | Page
Figure 61 - Oakland Col-
iseum during a Raiders
football game

uration, they made the necessary concessions to house all of the sporting field configurations
turning a possibly great experience into more sub-par experiences. Over time, all of these
cookie-cutter style stadiums started to wear down with age and stadium styles started changing.
In the years of the late 90’s and early 2000’s stadium design in America started to transform into
more sport-specific stadiums and some even started to integrate more mixed-usage into their
buildings. A good example of this is Ford Field, an NFL football stadium that was built in 2002.
This 1.5 million square foot stadium was built in the warehouse district in Detroit. It was the first
NFL stadium to integrate mixed-use commercial development that leverages the stadium struc-
ture for year-round use. This stadium was a critical piece in rejuvenating downtown Detroit. From
2002 to 2015 more stadiums have been built and some integrated the mixed-use tactics of Ford
Field into their plans and some didn’t, but one thing was becoming clear, with more and more
stadiums being designed for a single sporting use like they were in first half of the century,
78 | Page
more stadiums needed to be built to house all of the sporting teams. With more stadiums need-
ing to be built, that meant cities and states with sporting teams in need of stadiums had to spend
that much more money. Even in the late 90s and early 2000s little had still been proven that
stadiums could be economically-viable ventures for the cities that they are in. This is where the
location of the stadiums and inclusion of mixed-use can be so important for stadiums. If there is
going to be more and more money spent on stadiums in the future, then we need to find a way to
design these coliseums smarter so that they can give back to the city that is supporting them
financially.

Figure 62 - Old Picture of

Manchester United fans

79 | Page

Figure 63 - Century Link
Field, home to the Seattle
Seahawks NFL team and
the Sounders MLS team

Socially, sports are also a juggernaut. The most popular sport in the world is soccer with
approximately 3.5 billion estimated fans and even though it is not the most popular in America, it
is growing in popularity every year. With this project I am looking to design a stadium that if built
would cause as much positive change in the popularity of soccer in Minneapolis, MN as the de-
sign would cause for the stadia typology. The millennial generation are now adults and the social
preferences of that generation is changing the world. Many of us prefer living in urban areas with
lots of mixed-usage buildings. Those areas best fit our style of living, they are high energy and
are connected to so many different outlets of entertainment. Stadiums are a part of those urban
environments that the millenials are populating and they need to adapt to the changes that they
are bringing with them. One of the biggest ways that stadiums can integrate into the urban neigh-
borhoods around them is to study the social trends of the people in that neighborhood. In
Minneapolis there is a growing number of millenials as mentioned before. If that is the group
of people that will be buying tickets to see soccer games and concerts in a new stadium that is
being designed, then the smartest thing to do economically-speaking is to design it around their
lifestyle. Ford Field, the football stadium for the Detroit Lions football team features a team store,
a nightclub/restaurant, 200-room hotel, office spaces and various retail areas. This is the level of
mixed-use that needs to start being adapted into all new stadiums that hope to successfully inte-
80 | Page

Figure 64 - Entry ele-
vation of Ford Field in
Detroit, home of the NFL
team the Detroit Lions

grate into their urban landscapes. Before the inclusion of mixed-usage to pull in people off the
street and into the stadium, the stadium also needs to be placed in an urban location that is
in close vicinity to a large number of people and walkable areas. The more walkable the area
surrounding a stadium, the more foot traffic that stadium is going to get inside it. Kauffman
stadium (MLB) and the Chiefs stadium (NFL) are both very beautiful stadiums for their respective
sports, but they provide little extra earning possibilities for the city of Kansas City because they
are only designed to house sporting events. And even if they were designed with mixed-usage,
it wouldn’t matter because both stadiums are placed in the middle of nothing in the city, they are
very far away from the urban areas of the city and are surrounded by 19,000 parking spaces.
The next generation of sporting event attenders want to see the design of sporting stadi-
81 | Page
ums fit their lifestyle in the form of mixed-uses and cities want to see the mixed-usage revenue
to help offset the costs that building a stadium incurs. Unfortunately, getting a mixed-use stadi
um approved is hard when there are more potential owners of the stadium involved, and that can
become true with mixed-usage. Trying to balance the legislation, the public and private funding,
and the sporting associations when trying to get a stadium built for a single tenant is hard
enough, but with mixed-use there are many more tenants and much more to juggle on the
political side of getting a stadium approved. There are many stadiums in the present day that are
including mixed-uses within their stadium or are spurring it on in the form of development
outside the stadium walls. The new San Francisco 49ers stadium, the new Vikings stadium in
Minneapolis, MN and the planned Braves baseball stadium all have plans for mixed-use residen-
tial (hotels and apartments) and retail developments (shopping centers) nearby the stadiums.
This is showing that even if mixed-use isn’t built within the stadium, a stadium that is expertly
placed in the middle of a bustling urban area will have mixed-use developments follow. With
thoughtful design, no longer do stadiums have to be located on the coasts with storied franchis-
es to be financially successful like in the past.
Culturally, soccer has always had great influence. It is the one sport that the whole world
plays. Every four years the World Cup is held and teams from all around the world compete to
win the honor of being called the best soccer team in the world for the following four years.
Wherever the World Cup has been held, it has always been a way for that country to show itself
off to the rest of the world including the people, the architecture, the food, etc. The best stadiums
around the world are able to represent the country and culture around them through their designs.
With this soccer stadium design for the MN United team, I am looking to represent the city of
Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota around it. The fact that the building of a soccer-specific
stadium for Minnesota is even in the works is a product of cultural change in the state of Minne-
sota and the country of the United States. Since the modern era of American football started in
1932, that sport has steadily grown into the most popular sport in the United States by a wide
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margin. Soccer was widely regarded as the least popular of the main sports in America, but that
has been changing over the last 15 years or so. Even before the latest World Cup in which team
U.S.A.’s participation garnered much greater soccer viewership, there has been a surge in televi-
sion ratings for the games played in the Premier League with ratings nearly doubling from 2012
to 2013. Not only that but MLS teams have been noticing a greater success at the local level as
well, with attendance increasing consistently over the past 14 years despite the great increase
in MLS teams. Total attendance topped 6 million in the 2013 and 2014 seasons, with the 2015
season bringing in a total attendance of just over 7.3 million. Whether it is due to there being a
wider cultural range of people now living in the U.S. and bringing their love of soccer with, the
greatly increasing knowledge of the danger present in the popular sport of American football, the
increased televising of soccer in the U.S., or the possibility of the millennial generation liking
soccer more than the past generations, overall attendance and viewership of soccer is rising and
the growing amount of soccer stadiums being built in the United States is showing that.
The progression of mixed-usage in stadium design and the growing popularity of soccer
in the United States (12 soccer-specific stadiums have been built in the past 12 years), this is
the perfect time to be capitalizing and designing a mixed-use stadium for an excellent fanbase
in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Combining the lessons learned about stadium history, the social
changes that the millennial generation has brought and the ever growing culture of soccer in the
United States, the MN United stadium will be designed for the team, for the fans, for the city.

83 | Page
Site Analysis

Views
The MN United stadium design will need to incorporate views of the Minneapolis skyline
around it by keeping views from inside the stadium to the outside open on the south-
eastern corner of the proposed site.
Built Features
Most of the built features that are represented on the site are the office/retail buildings on the
site. The other features include the berm mentioned before that runs north-soutth through the
middle of the site and the built concrete platforms that support the roofing structures used by the
Farmers Market.
Light Quality
The light quality on the site is very generous as it is not surrounded by many of the tall skyscrap-
ers that are to the east of the site that would block out the sunlight. This works very well for the
stadium project if there is going to be a retractable roof with the sunlight then able to fall through
the roof onto the field. The regular season in MLS goes from March to October, which is when
Minneapolis and the rest of the state of Minnesota has more of its sunny days, which will also
help there be plenty of sunshine onto the soccer field during play. Unlike many of the soc-
cer-specific stadiums located in the southern states in the U.S., the changing seasons in Minne-
apolis mean a large swing in the location and timing of sunlight. This will have to be taken into
account with planning the artificial light system and the orientation of the stadium on the site.
Utilities
There are electrical systems present on the site in the form of transformers. there are also
telephone wires. The benefit this site provides to the furture usage of a stadium is that the areas
has been inhabited by so many different businesses which means that many of the necessities
the stadium will need in electrical connections have already been started. Sure there will have
to be much expansion on these systems in order to support the much larger needs of a stadium
housing 20,000 soccer fans, but at least the site isn’t starting from square one.
84 | Page
Existing Topography
There is a large berm that is running through middle of the proposed stadium site along the
north-south axis. This change in topography would need to be leveled before the construction
of a stadium on the site, or that feature would simply have to be worked into the stadium site
design. Maybe the stadium rests on the east side of the proposed site with a large plaza staircase
leading up to the stadium from the west side to counteract the change in elevation the berm
presents. The 93.8% of the site that has the U4A classification of soil is described as urban
land-udipsamments (cut and fill land), it is also described as complex which explains the many
different possible soils it could be (described in the soils section) and that it has a 0 to 2 %
slope. This means that this area has some spaces that have a slope of under 1% which means it
does not drain well unless it is paved and carefully finished. The part of that area that is between
1 & 2% will seem flat and are usable for all kinds of activity. The part of the site that has a U3B
soil classification is also described as unorthodents (cut and full land), and that the area this soil
inhabits can have anywhere from a 0 to 6% slope. That means it includes the two classifications
of slope found with the area that the U4A soil inhabits, but with the extra slope category of 4 to
10% with are defined as easy grades, and are suitable for movement and informal activity.

Site Location
The elevation above sea level that the Farmers Market
(just south of the site) is listed at is 826 ft. The rest
of the site is at a higher elevation, but due to the fact
there is little change in topography, the rest of the site
should not be more than 10-15 feet higher that.

Figure 65 - Topographic map of the north/west loop of Minneapolis 85 | Page

Existing Vegetation
There isn’t a large amount of vegetation on the proposed site as the site is occupied mostly of
office buildings for lease or truck depots. The line of trees that follows the east border of the
proposed site would allow for a great processional type feeling as you drive up towards the
southeastern corner of the site. Maybe this would be a great corner to feature the main entrance
of the stadium with much of that part of the elevation being glass to allow views to the skyscrap-
er skyline of Minneapolis?
Wind
The main landform that affects the flow of the wind is the berm that runs north-south just to the
east of Border Ave. The berm is large enough that when on the west side of it, the lower side,
you are protected by most any wind movement. You can tell in the image below that the berm is
about as tall as a the delivery truck next to it so the height of that berm could be as tall as 12-14
ft. None of the buildings prevent too much airflow because they are 2 stories tall or shorter. As
mentioned later, there is few instances of vegetation found on the site except for on the outskirts
so there is little wind cover provided by that.
Figure 66 - Side view
of the berm and Stark
Electronics

86 | Page
Human Characteristics
One of the most significant features on the site is the large berm that has been built to keep
one of the business’ parking lots level throughout the downward slope experienced when going
west on Holden St N. There is people present on the site, mostly people that work at the various
businesses that are still open.
Figure 67 & 68 - One of
the street parking payment
recepticles on the site and
the store Accent Store
Fixtures

Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic

The only business that has much of a retail function is the Accent Store Fixture business and
Party Value business that is on the west side of the site, located right off of Lakeside Ave. This is
the only business on the site that receives much commercial traffic. All of the traffic that occurs
on the site seems to be vehicular because the neighborhood is not very close to any residential
areas. The Farmers Market that is located on the south end of the site brings quite a few people
to the area. By far the most active area of the entire site is on the west side of the sight between
Accent Store Fixtures, the Farmers Market, and I-94. On the east side there is a decent amount of
both pedestrian traffic and vehicular traffic with roads to the nearby Target Field and access to the
lightrail. There is also a pay and park system located on the site that has various machines that
collect payment for street parking during the weekdays.
87 | Page
Soils
The majority of the site that the stadium will be located on has soil that has a classification
number of 4A. This soil takes up 93.8% of the site. This means the soil on the site could be
any combination of the following: loose to medium dense sands; firm to stiff clays and silts; or
alluvial fills. The allowable soil bearing pressure associated with this type of soil is 1500 psf,
the blow count is 18-23 and the torque probe value (inch-pounds) is 276-350. The minority soil
type that is found on the southeast corner of the site has a classification number U3B. This soil
type takes up 6.1% of the site. The soil in this part of the site could be made of any combination
of the following: sand, silty sand, clayey sand, silty gravel, medium dense course sands, sandy
gravel, very stiff silt, and/or sand clays. This type of soil has an allowable soil bearing pressure
of 1500, a blow count of 18-23 and a torque probe (inch-pounds) of 351-550. The soils on the
proposed site may have to be tested as there may be a chance of soil contamination with the
large amounf of office parking and truck depots that have inhabited the site in its history. The
foundation and structural techniques used by the other stadiums that share this soil (ex. Target
Field) will be studied to determine how to best approach the same for this stadium.
Figure 69 - Soil classifi-
cation map of the site

88 | Page
Distress and Site Character
The distress that I found on the site is of a human variety. The neighborhood that surrounds the
site is classified as an I2 or “medium industrial district”. This is shown in some of the many of
industrial businesses that call the land between Lakeside Ave and Royalston Ave N their home.
Because of this, there is a lot of asphalt and concrete paving for delivery trucks like the ones
seen at G&K Services. This is leaves little space for green space in the neighborhood. I didn’t
notice any dying trees when I visited the site, but I did notice that some of the businesses that
call that neighborhood their home are already vacated and are looking for tenants. I didn’t see
much erosion or other damage to the land, but the buildings that inhabit the neighborhood are
all older and most are not well kept. The distress in general and is on a macro level, affecting the
entire site.

Site Location

Figure 70 & 71- Zoning

district map of Minneap-
olis and picture of G&K
services and their trucking
parking lot

89 | Page
Base Maps

In Map B, the light green color represents grassy

areas, while the light grey represents paved areas. The
dark grey color shows roads, the middle grey color
represents buildings outside of the site boundaries
and the buildings in blue are the buildings within the
site boundaries.

Figure 72 - Map A : tree & vegetative cover, water, contours

Figure 73 - Map B : road, bridges,

buildings

Map A is the Urban Tree Canopy

(UTC) map for Minneapolis.

90 | Page
Photo Grid
Figure 76 - Picture of north side of site

Figure 77 - Picture of east side of site

Figure 74 - Photo grid map of site

Figure 75 - Picture of west side of site Figure 78 - Picture of south side of site

91 | Page
Climate Data
Daily High and Low
Temperature
The coldest part of the year
lasts from Novermber 26th
until March 4th. The average
temperature during this time
is 34 degrees Fahrenheit. The
warmest part of the year lasts
from May 21st to September
16th. The average tempera-
ture during this time is 71
degrees Fahrenheit.

Relative Humidity

The humidity in Minneapo-

lis greatly varies based on
what season it is in, with the
highest humidity being found
in late August, and the least
humid or driest days being
found in late April.
Figure 79 & 80 - Temperature
and relative humidity charts
for Minneapolis, MN
92 | Page
Daily Chances of
Precipitation
On the days that have re-
corded precipitation over the
year light snow happened on
32% of those days, light rain
happened on 20% of those
days, thunderstorms hap-
pened 20% of the time, and
moderate rain happened 12%
of the time.

Median Cloud Cover

The part of the year that is

the clearest from cloud cover
starts around June 5th. the
part of the year that is cloudi-
er starts around October 5th.

Figure 81 & 82 - Precipita-

tion and cloud cover charts
for Minneapolis, MN

93 | Page
Wind Speed

In Minneapolis, wind speeds

can vary from 1 mph to 19
mph, but very few times is
the wind speed greater than
25 mph. The time of year
when the average wind speed
is greatest can be found in
early April and the time of
year when the average wind
speed is lowest is in late
July.

Yearly Wind Direction

Percentages
As you can tell from the chart
to the left, the wind in Min-
neapolis comes most from
the Northwest, but there are
many times of the year when
it is coming from any other
direction.

Figure 83 & 84 - Wind speed and wind direction charts for Minneapolis, MN
94 | Page
Sun Path

As you can tell from the sun

path chart, the summer days
in Minneapolis are very long
and the winter days are very
short.

Sunrise, Sunset, Dawn

and Dusk Times Graph

Key:
Yellow - Sunshine
Grey - Darkness
Pink - Dusk
Blue - Dawn

Figure 85 & 86 - Sun path

and sunrise, sunset, dawn
and dusk times for Minneap-
olis, MN
95 | Page
Climate Summary
As proven by the climate graphs, the most temperate time for climate in Minneapolis
is found from late spring to late fall. The soccer season starts in March, which means the first
month or so of the season will be met with pretty cold temperatures. It will be useful to feature
a retractable roof on the soccer stadium so that it can be closed during the beginning of the
soccer season, open during the nice summer months that are less cloudy and daylight lasts long
into the evening, and then closed again late in the season and during the winter months so that
the stadium can be protected from snow and be a venue for other events like concerts. Having
a rectractable roof during the peak summer days with the most humidity will also allow for the
building to be enclosed and better block out those dangerous conditions to the athletes and fans.
Site Analysis Conclusions
The analysis of the selected site for the mixed-use soccer stadium for the MN United
MLS team has provided evidence that although there will have to be some work done on the site
in order to get it ready to house the stadium, the potential difference that this stadium can make
for the west loop neighborhood of Minneapolis is great.
While there are many things that need to change about the site, there are elements of the
site that can be integrated into the stadium design. The part of Royalston Ave that runs north and
south on the east side of the site can be used as the main road to the plaza and main entrance
of the stadium and also act as the main entrance to the stadium from the lightrail extension that
would allow it to run along the east side of Royalston Ave and connect right back up with the
existing part of the light rail track that wraps around the north end of Target field. The northwest
corner of the stadium site at the intersection of Olson Memorial Hwy and East Lyndale Ave N
could also allow for a great secondary entrance for mostly pedestrians as there are nice side-
walks running along Olson and East Lyndale. There is a nice green space at this corner of the site
with a few trees and a sidewalk headed towards the middle of the site that could be expanded
upon to create a secondary plaza/entrance path to the stadium.
There are also many parts of the site that would need to be changed in order to make a 96 | Page
soccer stadium work on the site. There are a lot of buildings on the site that would need to be
removed in order for a 17,500 – 20,000 seat stadium to fit on the site. This project is all about
rejuvenating this west loop neighborhood of Minneapolis and I feel that in order for the site to
become something new, its needs to wipe its hands clean of the run-down poorly-designed
retail, truck depot, offices, and storage buildings that exist on the site and start fresh. Thankfully
some the buildings on the site are already up for rent as they no longer have any owners. Once
the buildings were removed, the stadium would have to be designed to work around the berm
that runs down the middle of the site or the berm would have to be leveled with the rest of the
site.
The shelters of the Minneapolis Farmers market that are located to the south of the site,
could be renovated in order to fit more with the eventual design of the soccer stadium and left
where they are at. In order for this to work and the farmer’s market still be integrated successful-
ly into the plaza of the stadium, the plaza might have to move to the west and be located more
on the south-southwest side of the stadium. The other option is to relocate the Farmers Market
to the southeast corner of the site, which would work better with the idea of having the main
entrance/glass façade of the stadium be located at this corner in order for the fans in the stadium
to have a nice view of the Minneapolis skyline.
One thing that was noticed during the site analysis was that although the site didn’t have
a lot of pedestrian or vehicle traffic for a Twin Cities area, there were some bright spots of activity
at the Farmers Market and at some of the retail stores along East Lyndale Ave., showing that the
site is in a great location being next to I-94 to the west. There are many reasons to expect a great
increase of foot and vehicle traffic on the site if it were to have a soccer stadium with nice access
to the site from I-94 using East Lyndale Ave N along with nice access to the site from Olson Me-
morial Hwy, which connects to a nicely developing residential area to the west of the site. There
are also many nice bike paths and a nearby lightrail that is close enough to bring people near the
stadium even if an extension along Royalston Ave wasn’t possible. Although there is some park 97 | Page
ing lots near the site, most of them are privately owned so there may need to be some parking
designed for the stadium on the site, especially to accommodate for team buses. The visibility of
the stadium should be good from about any location around the site which will help the mixed-
use spaces be successful along with the stadium. The climate and weather of Minneapolis will
more than likely dictate that this stadium have a fixed or retractable roof in order for the stadium
to be effective economically and be used year-round. It would be preferable for the roof to be
retractable or see-through in order for fans to enjoy the long summer days of Minnesota.
Some testing of the soils on the site would more than likely have to be done to deter-
mine whether or not the area has been contaminated enough by the use of diesel trucks in order
to classify it as a brownfield site. If this site is indeed a brownfield area, then measures would
have to be taken in order to rectify the soils and get it ready for a large complex to be designed
on it. There may be LEED points for the taking if the brownfield soils can be rectified.
All in all, the site between Royalston Ave N and East Lyndale Ave N in the west loop
neighborhood of Minneapolis has a lot of potential to be a successful site for a mixed-use soc-
cer stadium.

Figure 87 - Picture of
apartment buildings on
Glenwood Ave and the Inter-
national Market Square

98 | Page
Final Building Program
(Space Allocation)
Soccer Stadium
Users: Minnesota FC United Soccer Team
Square Footage:
Major league soccer regulation field
115 x 74 yards = 8,510 sq. yds. or 76,590 sq. ft.
Spectator seating (approx. 17,500 to 20,000 seats)
= 110,000 sq. ft.*
Specialty seating and press box space for both owners and managers of the soccer team and for spectators
= 16,350 sq. ft.*
Team areas / locker rooms
10,000 sq. ft. (locker rooms) + 20,000 sq. ft. (training areas and weight rooms) = 30,000 sq. ft.
Coaches Areas
2 spaces x 2,700 sq. ft. / space= 5,400 sq. ft.
Kitchen Areas
2 spaces x 6,000 sq. ft. / space= 12,000 sq. ft.
Concession spaces (including space for Famer’s Market vendors and other concessions)
= 20,000 sq. ft.
Ticket booths / entry gates
= 36,000 sq. ft.
Circulation space / bathrooms
= 300,000 sq. ft.
TOTAL (Soccer Stadium)
= 606,340 sq. ft.

* Square footages based off of estimates ([Link]. / seat) for the new 18,000 seat soccer stadium design approved for the
Orlando City SC soccer team - [Link]
soccer-stadium-orlando-city-sc
99 | Page
Mixed-Use

Minnesota FC United Soccer Team Offices Twin Cities Bike Rental / Repair
Square Footage: 6,000 sq. ft. Square Footage: 3,700 sq. ft.
Farmers Market Grocery (Organic Food Store) Event Space
Square Footage: 2,700 sq. ft. Square Footage: 6,000 sq. ft.
Small Retail Store #1: MN FC Team Clothing Store Restaurant / Bar #1: Sammy’s Sandwich Shop
Square Footage: 2,700 sq. ft. Square Footage: 3,700 sq. ft.
Small Retail Store #2: Downtown 401 Clothing Restaurant / Bar #2: Marioti’s Restaurant
Square Footage: 2,700 sq. ft. Square Footage: 3,700 sq. ft.
Coffee Shop: Beans United Restaurant / Bar #3: Barney’s Pub
Square Footage: 2,700 sq. ft. Square Footage: 3,700 sq. ft.
Office Space #1 : United Noodle Wholesale Office Space #2 : Accent Store Fixtures
Square Footage: 6,000 sq. ft. Square Footage: 6,000 sq. ft.
Office Space # 3 : American Office Products Office Space #4 : Stark Electronics
Square Footage: 6,000 sq. ft. Square Footage: 6,000 sq. ft.
Office Space #5 : Ameritrust Bank Office Space #6 : FHC Architects
Square Footage: 6,000 sq. ft. Square Footage: 6,000 sq. ft.

TOTAL (Mixed-Usage)
= 73,600 sq. ft.
TOTAL (Mixed-Usage + Soccer Stadium)
= 679,940 sq. ft.
Service / Mechanical areas
= Approx. 10% of total building sq. ft. = 67,994 sq. ft.
TOTAL (Mixed-Usage + Soccer Stadium + Service / Mechanical area + Storage (55,000 sq. ft.) =
= 802,934 sq. ft.

100 | Page
Parking
Users: MN United, the fans, the users of the mixed-use typologies of the design
Square Footage: 3,000 car spaces + 75 bus spaces = 500,000 sq. ft.

TOTAL (Mixed-Usage + Soccer Stadium + Service / Mechanical area + Storage (55,000 sq. ft.) + Parking) =
= 1,302,934 sq. ft.

Final Building Program Summary

With the spatial allocation of the stadium I wanted to include enough different mixed-use spaces to show a full integration
of the sporting stadium typology and the mixed-use typology. For many of the stadium-related spatial allocations, a stadium
proposal for the Orlando City SC team which includes a very similar number of seats as the MN United team wants was used
for fan seating and circulation square footages. When determining the size of spaces for the mixed-usage areas, I used the
approximate square footages of mixed-use spaces in the downtown Fargo area like Kittsona (approx. 100 ft. x 20 ft.) for the
retail spaces and pub spaces like the Toasted Frog (approx. 100 ft. x 30 ft. ) to approximate the size of an urban pub space. My
experience at the Grand Forks, ND branch of JLG architects which is around 8,000 sq. ft. gave me something to refer to when
allocating spaces for modern banking and architecture office spaces. Downtown Fargo is a great example of an urban area that
has been revitalized through mixed-usage and effective spatial allocation, and those are goals of mine when designing this
mixed-use soccer stadium.

101 | Page
Appendix : Extra
P r o g ra m m a t i c E l e m e n t s
Inclusion of the Farmer’s Market Into the Urban Fabric of the Mixed-Use Stadium
With the design of this mixed-use stadium, I am looking to bring both the urban feel of down-
town Minneapolis to the west loop neighborhood of the market square and also inject some of
the worldly culture that only the world’s #1 sport (soccer) can bring. One way that I am going to
prove this through my design is to incorporate the existing vendors of the nearby farmer’s market
into the stadium concessions area. Adopting organic alternatives for part of the concessions
area of the stadium will strengthen the diverse culture of the stadium that the soccer games
will bring. The main goal of this thesis is to rejuvenate how stadium design is done and help
mesh the stadium typology with the mixed-use designs of downtown areas, and only having the
regular concessions of hot dogs and pretzels does not reiterate that. In order to bring stadium
design fully into the 21st century and fully adapt them to fit into the urban contexts around them,
we need to pay attention to the details and the proposal above is doing just that. Food from the
farmer’s market will also be regularly featured in the organic foods store included in the mixed-
use stadium, Downtown 401.

Figure 88 - Picture of the

Minneapolis Farmers Market
logo

102 | Page
Southwest Light Rail Transit Project Update
The Southwest Light Rail Transit project is an extension of the METRO Green Line in Minneapolis.
This route will connect with the METRO Blue Line, the Northstar Commuter Rail Line, bus routes,
and future transitways. This extension will also pass through the communities of Eden Prairie,
Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Hopkins and it will also pass close to Edina. This route will also be
able to connect with Target Field Station as well as the U of Minnesota, downtown St. Paul and
the State Capitol area. More importantly to this project, this extension of the Light Rail is going
to pass along Royalston Ave N which is on the east side of the proposed site for the mixed-
use soccer stadium for MN United. There is even a station planned for Royalston Ave N, which
means that any fans traveling to the stadium can use this METRO Green Line extension and get
off the Light Rail right at the stadium. The development in transportation around the site is further
confirming that this site is deserving of an MLS stadium.
Figure 89 - Map showing
the path of the southwest
Light Rail transit project

103 | Page
Facts About North Loop/West Loop Minneapolis
The site of the proposed mixed-use stadium is in a location that can often be referred to as the
“west loop” or “north loop” of Minneapolis because of its northwest location in relation to the
downtown area. Much of the history of this warehouse district often refers to the area as the
“north loop” however. The north loop/west loop of Minneapolis is proving to be an excellent
place to put a mixed-use soccer stadium and the following facts only reiterate that :

- the title of the fastest growing neighborhood currently goes to the north loop as it has
grown from 1,500 residents in 2000 to 4300 residents in 2010 and the population is
still growing at an exponential pace

- the age groups of the population were found to be at these percentages:

- 37% for the age group of 25-34
- 17% for the age group of 35-44
- 13% for the age group of 45-54
- 9% for the age group of 55-64

- The north loop has continued to gain accolades from various publications including
the Mpls. / St. Paul Magazine and City Pages who have given it the award of “Best
Neighborhood”, Forbes which has declared north loop the “12th Hippest Neighbor-
hood”, Fast Company which gave north loop the distinction of “Favorite Neighborhood”
and Thrillist, which has called area the “Coolest Neighborhood of America”.
The biking in north loop has been declared as “best biking city” by Bike Score and the
“#3 bicycling city” by Bicycling Magazine

104 | Page
- The Station at Target Field serves as a multi-modal transportation hub and is close
to the site for the proposed soccer stadium. There is also an adjacent public plaza and
ampitheater that attract people to hold special events year round near the site as well.

What these facts mean is that although they represent an area that is mostly north of the site
where the soccer stadium is planned, there is a large amount of the millenial generation that is
living near where the stadium site is located. And because of the highly praised urban area that
is around them and it being one that caters to their interests, they more than likely will continue
to live in that area and recommend it to others. This means that there is a large, young popula-
tion (one that enjoys watching soccer more than any past generation) nearby the stadium site
location. This also means that the stadium should have success being located at the site next
to Royalston Ave and with all of its young attendees, it should have that success for quite some
time. After further understanding the history of the site and seeing that it was part of this indus-
trial district from the early 1900s and it got left behind when all of the other areas of Minneapolis
were being renovated and redeveloped in the 80s after hard times in the 60s and 70s, I believe I
have found the perfect site for a rejuvenation project of this magnitude. The proposed site is one
of the few areas left in this thriving North Loop that has yet to realize its potential with the great
city and citizens around it and a mixed-use building that features the newly popular social event
of going to soccer games, should catch this area up to fit in with its urban environment, further
fulfilling the goal of this entire thesis.

105 | Page
Appendix : Research
Journal Article
Urban Stadia: Integrating Stadium Design with Mixed-Use Building Tactics to Reju-
venate an Urban Neighborhood
Introduction and Background

Principal Investigator - Mitch Borgen

Theory - Sporting Stadiums can combine the multi-use aspect of mixed-use typologies to create
a stadium design that blends in with the urban neighborhood around while also creating a space
that can be used for multiple functions instead of just sporting events, making it more economi-
cal for the city and more active and exciting for its citizens.

Potential Impact - To give all sports stadium designers a process by which they can fully inte-
grate their stadium designs with mixed-use building techniques and then define a process by
which they can determine whether the design will be effective in increasing the socio-economic
capabilities of the neighborhood containing the mixed-use stadium.

Main Question - How can mixed-use building techniques combine with stadium design to have a
positive socio-economic impact on a neglected urban neighborhood?

Secondary Questions -
1. How to design a stadium with integrated mixed-use.
2. How to define a process to assess how the design works or is effective.

Motivation - As a designer and a sports fan, sports stadium design has always been a passion
of mine. I want to develop a process that helps other sporting stadium designers fully integrate
their stadium designs in with the urban landscape around them by combining them with mixed-
use design techniques. 106 | Page
Methodology

Through the initial spatial planning models of the stadium, I started to realize one of
the most prevalent ways that spatial planning can impact the economic activity of a stadium
is through the simple allocation of square footages. The more square footage that the stadium
seating arrangements take up, the less space there will be for the mixed-use areas to be able to
use to generate their revenue. Now the direct impact that the stadium square footage is having
on the mixed-usage square footage is particular to some constants that have been determined
by me, the researcher. One constant is the overall footprint size of the building, I wanted to keep
this the same throughout all of my iterations in order to more effectively study the impact that the
size of the sporting or mixed-use spaces will have on the other. Keeping the iteration’s footprints
the same will allow the price of the building to remain closer to constant so this study can more
clearly focus on the underlying concern of the economic impact of the spatial allowance and
organization of mixed-use and stadium areas. The stadium’s circulation space will be kept the
same for each iteration because the stadium seating capacity of each iteration is staying the
same. This decision will only further specify the results gathered from this report as being due to
the spatial planning of the mixed-use and stadium seating spaces. The stadium seating capacity
was kept the same so that any differences in economic activity that each iteration causes will
truly be able to be tied back to the spatial planning and allocation and not just changed by the
number of ticket buyers that are allowed to watch each game when the stadium is at full capac-
ity. As you can see through the new methodology below, the main purpose of this research has
transformed into its most simple form by merely studying the impact that the spatial planning of
the two most important typologies in this research (sporting and mixed-use) have on each other
and how that impact effects the stadium’s ability to economically rejuventate the area around it.

107 | Page
Methodology Cont.

1. Create space planning alternatives for the soccer stadium using Sketchup including measure-
ments of the following areas:
a. Total Sq. Ft.
i. Sq. Ft. of Stadium Area
ii. Sq. Ft. of Mixed-Use Area
2. Measure the economic impacts of each space planning alternative
a. Determine how much the [Link]. of the mixed-use area will cost to construct (using RS
Means) and compare that to how much revenue the mixed-use space of each design
iteration will generate by determining the revenue generated by each of the following
mixed-use spaces. Percentages that each mixed-use space will take of the overall
mixed-use area allowance is as follows:
- Retail Stores (Clothing and Organic Food) - 8.3%^
- Coffee Shop – 3.5%^
- Restaurants/Bars - 21.7%^
- Business/Office Space – 24.5%^
- Apartments – 42%^
*Using RS Means
^Percentages of each mixed-use space are calculated from the spatial
requirement of each space divided by the total square footage of the
mixed-use typology; this is described in the Thesis Program Draft
b. Determine how much the sq. ft. of the stadium area will cost and compare that to how
much revenue will be brought into the stadium through those seats
* Using RS Means
108 | Page
Methodology Cont.

c. Determine the net gain of the two different typologies (sports area and mixed-use)
and which iteration contains the spatial planning that maximizes the economic gain of
the stadium
*Using RS Means
3. Determine which, if any, of the stadium design iterations most exemplify a stadium
that is designed with both spatial planning and economic impacts in mind

These numbers were kept the same in all of the iterations in order to keep consistency of the
factors that are besides those being studied:

Soccer Field- 225 ft. x 345 ft.

Entire Stadium Footprint- 615 ft. x 695 ft.
Stadium Seating Capacity- 18,236
Square Footage of Circulation Space- 150,000 sq. ft. (gathered from research done for
thesis program)
Total Square Footage of Stadium Seating and Mixed-Usage Areas- 427,425 sq. ft. (area
of entire stadium footprint, used as arbitrary constant for this study)

109 | Page
Research Results

Iteration #1

Total Sq. Ft. of Stadium Seating Area- 154,013 sq. ft.

Total Sq. Ft. of Mixed-Use Area- 123,412 sq. ft. (Total Square Footage of Stadium Seating and
Mixed-Usage Area and Circulation Area- Square Footage of Circulation Space-Total
Square Footage of Stadium Seating)
Retail Stores (Clothing and Organic Food)- 10,243 sq. ft. at $171.94/sq. ft. =
$1,761,152.91
Coffee Shop- 4,319 sq. ft. at $232.28/sq. ft. = $1,003,236.96
Restaurants/Bars- 26,780 sq. ft. at $191.23/sq. ft. = $5,121,052.26
Business Office Space- 30,236 sq. ft. at $177.65/sq. ft. = $5,371,491.85
Apartments- 51,834 sq. ft. at $178.14/sq. ft. = $9,233,659.68
Cost of Stadium Seating Area- 154,013 sq. ft. at $145.92/sq. ft. = $22,473,882.00
Profit of Stadium Seating Area- $14,328,754.64 per year
Cost of Mixed-Use Area- $22,490,593.66 ($182.24/sq. ft.)
Profit of Mixed-Use Area- $9,084,208.80 per year
Retail Stores (Clothing and Organic Food)- $30.60 per square foot (rent) =
$313,435.80/year
Coffee Shop- $30.60 per square foot (rent) = $132,161.40/year
Restaurants/Bars- $30.60 per square foot (rent) = $819,468/year
Business Office Space- $30.60 per square foot (rent) = $925,221.60/year
Apartments- 51,834 sq. ft. x $133 per square foot (rent) = $6,893,922/year
Cost of Both Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $44,964,475.66
Yearly Profit of Both Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $23,412,963.44 110 | Page
Research Results Cont.

Iteration #1

Figure 90 - Top view of stadium iteration #1 Figure 91 - Perspective of stadium iteration #1

111 | Page
Research Results Cont.

Iteration #2

Total Sq. Ft. of Stadium Seating Area- 155,946 sq. ft.

Total Sq. Ft. of Mixed-Use Area- 121,479 sq. ft. (Total Square Footage of Stadium Seating and
Mixed-Usage Area and Circulation Area- Square Footage of Circulation Space-Total Square
Footage of Stadium Seating)
Retail Stores (Clothing and Organic Food)- 10,083 sq. ft. at $173.02/sq. ft. =
$1,744,533.88
Coffee Shop- 4,252 sq. ft. at $234.31/sq. ft. = $996,277.47
Restaurants/Bars- 26,361 sq. ft. at $191.40/sq. ft. = $5,045,492.15
Business Office Space- 29,762 sq. ft. at $178.25/sq. ft. = $5,305,206.88
Apartments- 51,021 sq. ft. at $178.53/sq. ft. = $9,108,651.22
Cost of Stadium Seating Area- 155,946 sq. ft. at $145.80/sq. ft. = $22,736,707.41
Profit of Stadium Seating Area- $14,328,754.64 per year
Cost of Mixed-Use Area- $22,200,161.60 ($182.75/sq. ft.)
Profit of Mixed-Use Area- $8,941,807.80 per year
Retail Stores (Clothing and Organic Food)- $30.60 per square foot (rent) =
$308,539.80/year
Coffee Shop- $30.60 per square foot (rent) = $130,111.20/year
Restaurants/Bars- $30.60 per square foot (rent) = $806,646.60/year
Business Office Space- $30.60 per square foot (rent) = $910,717.20/year
Apartments- 51,021 sq. ft. x $133 per square foot = $6,785,793/year
Cost of Both Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $44,936,869.01
Yearly Profit of Both Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $23,270,562.44 112 | Page
Research Results Cont.

Iteration #2

Figure 92 - Top view of stadium iteration #2 Figure 93 - Perspective of stadium iteration #2

113 | Page
Research Results Cont.

Iteration #3

Total Sq. Ft. of Stadium Seating Area- 175,410 sq. ft.

Total Sq. Ft. of Mixed-Use Area- 102,015 sq. ft. (Total Square Footage of Stadium Seating and
Mixed-Usage Area and Circulation Area- Square Footage of Circulation Space-Total Square
Footage of Stadium Seating)
Retail Stores (Clothing and Organic Food)- 8,467 sq. ft. at $181.16/sq. ft. =
$1,533,902.78
Coffee Shop- 3,571 sq. ft. at $227.24/ sq. ft. = $811,464.89
Restaurants/Bars- 22,137 sq. ft. at $191.36/sq. ft. = $4,236,047.45
Business Office Space- 24,994 sq. ft. at $185.58/sq. ft. = $4,638,440.92
Apartments- 42,846 sq. ft. at $183.25/sq. ft. = $7,851,640.34
Cost of Stadium Seating Area- 175,410 sq. ft. at $144.71/sq. ft. = $25,383,221.92
Profit of Stadium Seating Area- $14,328,754.64 per year
Cost of Mixed-Use Area- $19,071,496.38 (or $186.95/sq. ft.)
Profit of Mixed-Use Area- $7,509,089.40 per year
Retail Stores (Clothing and Organic Food)- $30.60 per square foot (rent) =
$259,090.20/year
Coffee Shop- $30.60 per square foot (rent) = $109,272.60/year
Restaurants/Bars- $30.60 per square foot (rent) = $677,392.20/year
Business Office Space- $30.60 per square foot (rent) = $764,816.40/year
Apartments- 42,846 sq. ft. x $133 per square foot = $5,698,518/year
Cost of Both Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $44,454,718.30
Yearly Profit of Both Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $21,837,844.04 114 | Page

Research Results Cont.

Iteration #3

Figure 94 - Top view of stadium iteration #3 Figure 95 - Perspective of stadium iteration #3

115 | Page
Research Results Cont.

Constants

RS Means Constants
In order to keep the integrity of the study, there were multiple constants that I kept when
studying the construction costs of the different typologies present in this study. Here is a list of
the constants that I kept for each typology:
Stadium seating area
Material: Concrete block/steel frame
Stories: 2
Story Height: 20 ft.
Apartments
Material: Face brick w/concrete block/steel joists
Stories: 3
Story Height: 10 ft.
Offices
Material: Face brick w/concrete block/steel joists
Stories: 2
Story Height: 12 ft.
Restaurant
Material: Face brick w/concrete block/steel joists
Stories: 1
Story Height: 15 ft.

116 | Page
Research Results Cont.

Retail Stores (Clothing and Organic Food)

Material: Face brick w/concrete block/steel joists
Stories: 1
Story Height: 15 ft.
Coffee
Material: Face brick w/concrete block/steel joists
Stories: 1
Story Height: 15 ft.

Contractor Fees: 25%

Architectural Fees: 7%
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Other Pricing Constants-

Average Retail Rent in Minneapolis, MN: $30.60/sq. ft.
Average Apartment Rent in Minneapolis, MN: $133/sq. ft.
Average American MLS Ticket Price ($46.22) x Total Number of Home Games in MLS
Season (17) x Maximum Stadium Seating Capacity (18,236): $14,328,754.64
(Maximum Stadium Seating Profit/Year)

117 | Page
Research Results Cont.

Results

Iteration #1
Square Footage of the Stadium Seating Area- 154,013 sq. ft.
Square Footage of the Mixed-Use Area- 123,412 sq. ft.
Cost of Both the Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $44,964,475.66 ($162.08/
sq. ft.)
Profit of Both the Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $23,412,963.44/year
($84.39/sq. ft.)
Iteration #2
Square Footage of the Stadium Seating Area- 155,946 sq. ft.
Square Footage of the Mixed-Use Area- 121,479 sq. ft.
Cost of Both the Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $44,936,869.01 ($161.98/
sq. ft.)
Profit of Both the Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $23,270,562.44/year
($83.88/sq. ft.)
Iteration #3
Square Footage of the Stadium Seating Area- 175,410 sq. ft.
Square Footage of the Mixed-Use Area- 102,015 sq. ft.
Cost of Both the Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $44,454,718.30 ($160.24/
sq. ft.)
Profit of Both the Stadium Seating Area and Mixed-Use Area- $21,837,844.04/year
($78.72/sq. ft.)
118 | Page
Conclusions and Projections

Conclusion

Iteration #1 and #2 have 25 rows of seats on the main concourse. These iterations
that have more rows of seating on the main concourse take up less square footage for the same
amount of seats as iteration 3, which has only 20 rows in its main concourse. This allows for
both iteration #1 and #2 to have more space for the mixed-usage typology. My theory was that
the stadium designs that allow for more mixed-use square footage will generate more revenue
through that typology and will be the better stadium design choices, economically speaking. The
results of this study confirm my theory as both iteration 1 and 2, the iterations with more space
for mixed-use areas, averaged about $1.5 million more dollars in profit per year than iteration
#3 according to the above calculations. The total square footages were kept the same for all of
the stadium iterations so the main thing that was changing between each iteration was the per-
centage of the overall stadium square footage that the mixed-use and stadium seating areas took
up. We can see that in iteration #1 and #2 when the mixed-use area made up just over 120,000
sq. ft. the combined cost of both the mixed-use and seating spaces was more than $500,000
greater than in iteration #3. When studying the net profit however, the case for iteration #1 and
#2 can be made over #3. The net profit combines both the cost of the stadium seating and
mixed-use areas and combines them with the profits they are able to garner. With iteration #1
and #2 both costing around $500,000 more than iteration #3 but able to make much more
profit ($1.5 million/year), the spatial planning present in iteration #1 and #2 are clearly more
cost-effective than in #3. Now to study the economic difference between #1 and #2. The
spatial planning found in iteration #1 is a little under $30,000 more costly than in iteration #2,
but in iteration #1 yearly profits are over $140,000 more/year than in iteration #2. This makes
iteration #1 the most economical spatial planning out of all three that were studied. 119 | Page
Conclusions and Projections Cont.

Spatial planning is an essential part of designing a successful stadium that integrates

mixed-use and there are a lot of items to consider when picking out the best plan, but the
relationship between seating arrangement and mixed-use spaces in a stadium and how much
square footage they take up of the total stadium square footage clearly makes a difference as
shown through this study. We have determined that the most economical spatial plan was found
in iteration #1 that features a rectangular seating arrangement, curved seating at the corners of
the soccer field, 25 seat-rows on the first level and 20-seat rows on the second level of seating.
With this study, step #1 of the design methodology has mostly been completed which was
stated as : create space planning alternatives for the soccer stadium using Sketchup.
That being said there are still other factors that will need to go into the study of this
spatial planning iteration to get it ready to use in the MN United stadium design, including the
planning of club and other luxury seat options that are more and more becoming a great means
of revenue for the stadium and its owners. The planning of parking around the different stadium
iterations will also cause an economic affect as will the planning of different modes of transpor-
tation. This research though is an essential start to designing an effective Urban Stadia for the
MN United soccer club.
Three different seating iterations were studied for effectiveness in material and space
used to save on construction costs. Using RS Means, it was determined that the center and
bottom iteration with more seats in the first bowl cost less to construct. They also took up less
space from the mixed-use areas, allowing those spaces to generate more revenue. The seating
design in the final stadium is most similar to the one on the bottom. Luxury suites have been
added between the lower and upper decks on the east and west sides of the stadium. The stadi-
um seats 20,000 fans, including 19,889 general seats and 111 handicap accessible spaces.
120 | Page
Conclusions and Projections Cont.

This spatial planning study factored apartment spaces. Apartment spaces did not end up
being included in the final design of the stadium. This was decided due to a few factors. One was
that I wanted to design the building to have office spaces for the buildings and businesses that
would lose their existing space because of the stadium design. It made the most sense in the
eventual design to include these spaces on the second floor of the stadium, where the apart-
ments would have existed. The other reason that apartments weren’t included in the final design
was that I couldn’t justify putting apartment rooms next to a stadium of 20,000 screaming soccer
fans, with only a wall or two between. I have been to many North Dakota State Bison football
games, where the seating capacity is very similar to the 20,000 in this design and if the soccer
stadium in this design got even close to producing the noise level that is present in the Bison
games, then I feel it would be very hard to sell those spaces. One opportunity that I derived from
the discussion I had with the thesis presentation critics after my presentation was that living
spaces could be offered near the stadium if I were to build mixed-usage above the 2-level premi-
um parking ramp on the east side of the stadium design.

121 | Page
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124 | Page

Urban Stadia: Integrating Stadium Design with
Mixed-Use Building Tactics to Rejuvenate an
Urban Neighborhood
Final Design

Mitchell Clark Borgen

North Dakota State University
Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Figure 96 - South elevation render

126 | Page
Table of Contents

Table of Contents......................................................................................................Page 127

List of Tables and Figures......................................................................................... Page 128
Other Stadiums, Good and Bad Summary..................................................................Page 130
Site Selection Summary............................................................................................Page 132
Existing Site / Demo / Rejuvenation...........................................................................Page 133
Design Process / Inspiration Summary......................................................................Page 136
a. Facade Inspiration / Design...................................................................... Page 136
b. Structural System Inspiration / Design / Details........................................Page 138
c. HVAC System Design...............................................................................Page 142
d. Excavation Study......................................................................................Page 143
e. Seating Design Summary......................................................................... Page 144
Final Design Images................................................................................................. Page 146
Lessons Learned....................................................................................................... Page 161
Appendix : Reference List......................................................................................... Page 163

127 | Page
List of Tables and Figures

Figure 96 - South elevation render

Figure 97 - Olympic Stadium, built in 1908
Figure 98 - Kansas City’s Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums
Figure 99 - San Francisco Giant’s AT&T Stadium
Figure 100 - Oakland Coliseum
Figure 101 - Century Link Stadium during football
Figure 102 - Century Link Stadium during soccer
Figure 103 - Proposed stadium site
Figure 104 - Light Rail Green Line extension
Figure 105 - Site Map of existing site
Figure 106 - Demolition Plan Map
Figure 107 - Site Map after insertion of stadium design
Figure 108 - Colonial Warehouse
Figure 109 - Else Warehouse
Figure 110 - Ibrox Stadium
Figure 111 - South / North Elevation Render
Figure 112 - East / West Elevation Render
Figure 113 - Forsyth Barr Stadium
Figure 114 - Structural system render
Figure 115 - Structural system top view
Figure 116 - 1st level fan balcony
Figure 117 - Structural system detail A
Figure 118 - Structural system detail B
Figure 119 - HVAC design
Figure 120 - U.S. Bank stadium section cut
Figure 121 - Section cut B (small)
Figure 122 - Seating iteration #1
128 | Page
List of Tables and Figures

Figure 123 - Seating iteration #2

Figure 124 - Seating iteration #3
Figure 125 - Stadium seating rendering
Figure 126 - Section cut A
Figure 127 - Section cut B
Figure 128 - Basement floor plan
Figure 129 - Basement floor plan key
Figure 130 - First floor plan
Figure 131 - First floor plan key
Figure 132 - Barney’s Pub render
Figure 133 - Second floor plan
Figure 134 - Second floor plan key
Figure 135 - VIP stadium suite render
Figure 136 - Third floor plan
Figure 137 - Third floor plan key
Figure 138 - FHC Architects office render
Figure 139 - Fourth floor plan
Figure 140 - Fourth floor / roof deck plan key
Figure 141 - Roof balcony render

129 | Page
Other Stadiums, Good and Bad Summary

Figure 97 - Olympic Stadium, built in 1908

The first rudimentary athletics tracks were designed in VIII century B.C. and the first stadium with rectilinear stands was intro-
duced in Great Britain as a soccer (futbol) facility. Even with all of those years of stadium building experience, good and bad
examples still exist. Because of their complexity, there are many opportunities for innovation, but there are also many ways
to fail. Studying the history of stadium design, I looked at a lot of different stadium’s and started to ask myself questions. The
answers to these questions helped inform my design decisions such as my site selection and eventual seating design.

Figure 98 - Kansas City’s Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums Figure 99 - San Francisco Giant’s AT&T Stadium
Which stadium design is most effectively integrated into their urban landscape?
130 | Page
Other Stadiums, Good and Bad Summary

Would you rather watch a game in a stadium designed to fairly support the seating organization for a bunch or sports or watch
a game in a stadium designed for an enhanced experience in a few select sports?

Figure 100 - Oakland Coliseum

Figure 101 - Century Link Stadium during football Figure 102 - Century Link Stadium during soccer
131 | Page
Site Selection Summary

Reason for choosing North Loop site for

stadium:

- Neighborhood was left behind when most of the

surrounding areas were renovated in the 1970s, leav-
ing this site presently with many aging or un-main-
tained office buildings of which some are currently
vacant.

Figure 103 - Proposed stadium site - Many existing modes of transportation to the site
including the Metro bus system and the lightrail that
serves neighboring Target Field.

Figure 104 - Light Rail Green Line extension - The site is close to Minneapolis and an emerging
millenial population, which features a growing soccer
fan population.

- The site is right next to where the Light Rail Green

Line extension will be constructed from 2017 to
2019 and opened in 2020. Planned Royalston station
is right across the street from the stadium’s proposed
patio / tailgating area.

132 | Page
Existing Site / Demo / Rejuvenation

The existing site is in a prime

location between I-94, Target
Field and the
International Market Square. The
buildings in blue are the ones
located on the site where the sta-
dium and auxiliary spaces would
be located.

Figure 105 - Site Map of existing site

133 | Page
Existing Site / Demo / Rejuvenation

The construction of the stadium

would include demolishing of 10
different property zones, though
the stadium I have designed has
spaces allocated for many of the
businesses as replacement.

Figure 106 - Demolition Plan Map

134 | Page
Existing Site / Demo / Rejuvenation

Between new parking ramps

providing 3,000 new parking
spaces and a tailgate area located
between the existing Farmer’s
Market and a future Light Rail
station, this stadium is immersed
in its site through many means of
transportation.

Figure 107 - Site Map after insertion of stadium design

135 | Page
Design Process / Inspiration Summary

Facade Inspiration

The Else Warehouse and the Colonial

Warehouse are a couple of the build-
ings that are nearby the proposed site
in the Warehouse District of Minne-
apolis.

Figure 108 - Colonial Warehouse Figure 109 - Else Warehouse

Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland
has a distinct warehouse style about
it which was inspiration for the facade
of the Minnesota FC Stadium. I feel
the brick and glass facade represents
strength and tradition, signaling that
soccer will trive in that stadium and
hopefully this proposal’s design for
many years.

Figure 110 - Ibrox Stadium

136 | Page
Design Process / Inspiration Summary

Facade Design

Figure 111 - South / North Elevation Render

Locally-produced Kasota Limestone is used with brick in the masonry exterior walls, connecting the stadium with many of the
area’s buildings utilizing the same material, including Target Field. The brick material provides a timeless traditional style for
the stadium as well as creates a downtown feel for the mixed-use spaces.

Figure 112 - East / West Elevation Render

137 | Page
Design Process / Inspiration Summary

Structural System Inspiration

Figure 113 - Forsyth Barr Stadium

The Forsyth Barr Stadium in New Zealand features a steel structural system of curved I-beams and Tri-chord trusses that this
stadium proposal borrows elements from. It also includes the use of an EFTE roofing system which allows the stadium to be
fully enclosed while still letting in plenty of diffused daylight for games.

138 | Page
Design Process / Inspiration Summary

Structural System Design

Figure 114 - Structural system render

Figure 115 - Structural system top view Figure 116 - 1st level fan balcony

139 | Page
Design Process / Inspiration Summary

Structural System Detail A

Tensioned Cables

Structural Steel Beam

EFTE Panels

Structural Steel Pipes

Structural Steel Mullions for EFTE Panels

The structural steel pipes run down into ma-

sonry columns at the same height as the brick
parapet wall, the transition from steel at the Figure 117 - Structural system detail A
roof level to brick in the interior levels allows
for warmth and continuation of the facade
design language into the interior spaces.
140 | Page
Design Process / Inspiration Summary

Structural System Detail B

Trichord Steel Truss

Steel Truss with Steel Plate Connection

Figure 118 - Structural system detail B

141 | Page
Design Process / Inspiration Summary

HVAC System Design

Figure 119 - HVAC design

Cooling Ducts Heating Ducts Air Intake

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Design Process / Inspiration Summary

Excavation Study

The majority of the site that the stadium will be located on has soil that has a classification number of 4A. 93.8% of the site
and 100% of the area the stadium would be built on has this soil and its the same type as what is beneath U.S. Bank Stadium,
the new home of the Minnesota Vikings. Consequently I was able to design the first bowl of the stadium 25 ft. into the earth to
allow for easier access from the sidewalk to the mixed-use and stadium area. The stadium feels fully integrated into the site.

Figure 120 - U.S. Bank stadium section cut Figure 121 - Section cut B (small)

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Design Process / Inspiration Summary

Seating Design Summary

Three different seating iterations were studied for effectiveness in

material and space used to save on construction costs. Using RS
Means, it was determined that the center and bottom iteration with
more seats in the first bowl cost less to construct. They also took
up less space from the mixed-use areas, allowing those spaces
to generate more revenue. The seating design in the final stadium
is most similar to the one on the bottom. Luxury suites have been
Figure 122 - Seating iteration #1 added between the lower and upper decks on the east and west
sides of the stadium. The stadium seats 20,000 fans, including
19,889 general seats and 111 handicap accessible spaces. More
in-depth calculations and results from this study are available
starting on page 110.

Figure 123 - Seating iteration #2

Figure 124 - Seating iteration #3

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Design Process / Inspiration Summary

Seating Design Summary

Figure 125 - Stadium seating rendering

Stadiums are very complex structures. And adding as many additional spaces as I have in this program can run the risk of
making it even more complex. That is why I designed the floor plans and seating areas as simply as possible. The simplicity of
the wayfinding in the building allows for inhabitants to free their minds of being lost and allows them to focus on the game, or
the shopping, the eating, or the fact that they can do all of these in one building.

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Final Design Images

Stadium Section Cuts

Circulation Space
Office Space - FHC Architects
Kitchen / Dining Area
Storage Space
Office Space - American
Office Products

Figure 126 - Section cut A

Circulation Space
Locker Room
Concessions Area
Storage Spaces
Mixed Use - Marioti’s
Standard Suite

Figure 127 - Section cut B

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Final Design Images

Basement Floor Plan

Figure 125 - Stadium Seating Rendering

Figure 128 - Basement floor plan

The basement offers home and away locker rooms, a kitchen for both the players and catering events in the 3rd floor event
space, exercise areas, and trainer spaces. The basement is only accessible from the elevators and stairs using key access, this
keeps the public from the designated team areas. The teams access the playing field by entering from the tunnel underneath
the fan balcony in the southwest corner.
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Final Design Images

Basement Floor Plan Key

Stairs / Elevators
Women’s Restroom
Men’s Restroom
Trainer’s Rooms
Mechanical / HVAC Rooms
Storage Spaces
Exercise Spaces
Coach’s Offices
Home Team Men’s Lockeroom
Home Team Men’s Lockeroom
Away Team Women’s Lockeroom
Away Team Men’s Lockeroom
Kitchen / Dining Areas
Figure 129 - Basement floor plan key

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Final Design Images

First Floor Plan

Figure 125 - Stadium Seating Rendering

Figure 130 - First floor plan

The Outer rim of the first-floor is dedicated for mixed-use spaces that are used at least 5 days a week. Access to mixed-use
spaces and circulation to 2nd and 3rd floor office spaces are located before entering stadium area, preventing confusion
between ticket holders and non-ticket holders. There is also a space for the Farmer’s Market to set up an organic grocery store.
I saw this as an opportunity to give them an indoor space to sell during the winter. I also see food from the Farmer’s Market
being sold with the regular concessions food during the games as well. I aimed to rejuvenate many of the aspects of a stadium
experience, including the types of food offered. 149 | Page
Final Design Images

First Floor Plan Key

Stairs / Elevators
Women’s Restroom
Men’s Restroom
Mechanical / HVAC Rooms
E Mixed Use - MN FC Team Clothing
E Mixed Use - Farmers Market Grocery
E Mixed Use - Twin Cities Bike Rental / Repair
E Mixed Use - Sammy’s Sandwich Shop
E Mixed Use - Downtown 401 Clothing
E Mixed Use - Beans United Coffee Shop
E Mixed Use - Marioti’s Restaurant
Mixed Use - Barney’s Pub
Announcer / Team Booth
Concessions Areas
Figure 131 - First floor plan key
R - Replacement Space for Existing Office On Site
E - Space Used Every Day 150 | Page
Final Design Images

First Floor Mixed-Use Area: Barney’s Pub

Figure 125 - Stadium Seating Rendering

Figure 132 - Barney’s Pub render

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Final Design Images

Second Floor Plan

Figure 125 - Stadium Seating Rendering

Figure 133 - Second floor plan

Office spaces created for businesses involved in demolition area. There are 34 luxury suites available. Luxury suites are be-
coming more and more an essential part of stadium design. The ticket prices are higher, generate more revenue, and help pay
for stadiums.

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Works Cited

Second Floor Plan Key

Stairs / Elevators
Women’s Restroom
Men’s Restroom
Mechanical / HVAC Rooms
R E Office Space - United Noodle Wholesale
R E Office Space - Accent Store Fixtures
R E Office Space - American Office Products
R E Office Space - Stark Electronics
Standard Suites
Premium Suites
VIP Suites
Concessions Areas
Figure 134 - Second floor plan key

R - Replacement Space for Existing Office On Site

E - Space Used Every Day
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Final Design Images

VIP Stadium Suite

Figure 135 - VIP stadium suite render

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Final Design Images

Third Floor Plan

Figure 136 - Third floor plan

3rd floor corner office spaces designated for high-profile clients like an architecture firm or bank, one of the corners is desig-
nated for special events.

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Final Design Images

Third Floor Plan Key

Stairs / Elevators
Women’s Restroom
Men’s Restroom
Mechanical / HVAC Rooms
Event Space
Team Executive Office
E Office Space - Ameritrust Bank
E Office Space - FHC Architects
Concessions Areas
Figure 137 - Third floor plan key

R - Replacement Space for Existing Office On Site

E - Space Used Every Day
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Final Design Images

Third Floor Plan Office Space: FHC Architects

Figure 125 - Stadium Seating Rendering

Figure 138 - FHC Architects office render

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Final Design Images

Fourth Floor / Roof Deck Plan

Figure 125 - Stadium Seating Rendering

Figure 139 - Fourth floor plan

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Final Design Images

Fourth Floor / Roof Deck Plan Key

Stairs / Elevators
Unisex Restroom
Mechanical / HVAC Rooms
Figure 140 - Fourth floor / roof deck plan key

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Final Design Images

Roof Balcony

Figure 125 - Stadium Seating Rendering

Figure 141 - Roof balcony render

The fourth floor shows the design’s goals to make a walkable space as the east and west sides of the 4th floor include an
accessible space for pedestrians to enjoy the outdoors while being able to watch the game through the EFTE panels.

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Lessons Learned

Stadium design is changing, for the better - There are many stadiums now incorporating mixed-use in their design plans.
Stadiums are getting more and more expensive and the inclusion of mixed-usage in the designs can help convince the owners
and taxpayers that paying for a stadium is worth it when it can be used daily instead of a couple times each week.

Spatial planning and organization is crucial to mixed-use stadium design - I wanted to include a lot of mixed-use in this project,
to create an urban neighborhood within one building. I wanted all of these spaces to be accessible right off the streets sur-
rounding the stadium, but I had to also make sure that the inhabitants of the mixed-use spaces didn’t also have instant access
to the stadium. So while I was bringing stadium and mixed-use spaces together in one building, for many reasons I still had to
be keep them separate for many reasons.

Combining the stadium and mixed-use aesthetic is a sensitive design process - Designing a facade that fit the stadium typol-
ogy and mixed-use spaces took some balancing. I ended up going with a brick facade that gives the stadium a warehouse/
industrial feel, which also creates a nice, inviting streetscape for the mixed-use spaces on the ground floor.

Technology is advancing along our design techniques - The growing use of EFTE roofing (the same used at U.S. Bank Stadium,
the new home of the Vikings), allows stadiums to have most of the benefits of an open-air stadium while still allowing the
building to be fully enclosed and used year round, further giving stadium investors a return on their investment.

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Lessons Learned

A stadium’s integration into its site is critical - Designing the stadium’s first bowl of stadium seating and the field to be 25 ft.
underneath the ground level allowed for the stadium to be fully immersed into its site as well as further strengthen the walkable
quality that the design possesses as many of the stadium occupants will be able to walk in right off the street and down into
their seats. This also helps with accessibility, an area stadium designs can always improve on. Also placing the site so that it
both incorporates the existing Farmer’s Market and the future Light Rail extension shows that this design was flexible enough
to incorporate what worked on the site previous to the building of the stadium and what will help it in the future and combined
it into one cohesive design solution. This design respects its urban context while looking to improve upon it.

To improve stadium design, we must learn from lessons in the past as well as utilize new building technology- The style of this
stadium is a combination of new and old tactics of stadium building and this relates to the sport of soccer in a sense that it is
also new and old. It is a sport with much history and tradition but a sport that is newly emerging in popularity in America and
into the Twin Cities. My hope is that like the growing popularity of soccer, smarter stadium design keeps growing in
popularity as well.

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Appendix : Reference List

Figure 99 AT&T Ballpark. Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) - Cloud Storage. (n.d.). Retrieved May 03, 2016, from https://
[Link]/
Figure 101 Century Link Stadium during Seahawks game. From the Desk of Mr. Wright. (n.d.). Retrieved May 03, 2016, from
[Link]
Figure 102 Century Link field during Seattle Sounders game. (n.d.). Retrieved May 02, 2016, from [Link]
[Link]
Figure 103 Downtown Minneapolis Image. Google Maps. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04, 2016, from [Link]
Figure 109 ElseWarehouse Apartments in North Loop Minneapolis. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04, 2016, from [Link]
[Link]/
Figure 113 Forsyth Barr Stadium. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04, 2016, from [Link]
Figure 110 Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04, 2016, from [Link]
Figure 98 Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadium. Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) - Cloud Storage. (n.d.). Retrieved May 02,
2016, from [Link]
Figure 104 Light Rail Green Line extension. (n.d.). Retrieved May 01, 2016, from [Link]
Figure 100 Oakland Coliseum. (n.d.). Retrieved May 03, 2016, from [Link]
Figure 97 Olympic Stadium, built in 1908. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2016, from [Link]
Figure 108 [Link] - Commercial Real Estate Property News for Chicago and the Midwest. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04,
2016, from [Link]
Figure 120 U.S. Bank Stadium section cut. Home - Thornton Tomasetti. (n.d.). Retrieved May 04, 2016, from [Link]
[Link]/

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