July 4, 200620 yr Dolphin Stadium Getting $250 Million in Upgrades July 03, 2006 Dolphin Stadium[sFBJ] Reports saying the Dolphins were renovating their stadium seem to understate what construction workers are up to on site. Team and stadium owner H. Wayne Huizenga is spending more than $250 million adding and renovating about 360,000 square feet, said Dolphins Enterprises CEO Joe Bailey. That's the equivalent of building a 32-story office building. The additions are coming in roughly 40,000 square-foot-chunks on both the north and south side of the stadium's four levels between the spiral ramps. Cranes and workers have been busy doing foundation work and adding pillars to support expanded decks. Work has already progressed to the 200 seating level, but the cranes will temporarily disappear by Dec. 15 in preparation for the Jan. 2 Orange Bowl and Feb. 4 Super Bowl, Bailey said. Interior design work will continue after the Super Bowl, but electrical work will be done and the space ready to use for the two bowls, Bailey said. Completion will come in 2009, a press release said. Bailey is tight-lipped about details of the changes, saying renderings will be out in July, but the hiring of a New York City design firm known for trendy clubs and hotels indicates an end to utilitarian concourses and concessions. The Dolphins have assembled what some might term a project dream team. The architect is HOK Sports + Venue + Event, of Kansas City, which lists 36 facilities on its Web site, including the $1 billion plus new Wembley Stadium in London. Design work is being done by Rockwell Group, of New York City, which has a Who's Who client list of restaurants and hotels. No spokesman from Rockwell or HOK could immediately be reached for comment, but Bailey said: "This will be like no other stadium in the world." The Dolphin Stadium renovation price tag is more than twice the $100 million to $115 million then-Dolphins owner Joe Robbie spent to open the venue in 1987. It is all being paid out of Huizenga's pocketbook, Bailey said. "This is his legacy," Bailey added. "It is the reason the Super Bowl is here and the Super Bowl is coming back [in 2010]." NFL owners haven't committed to having their biggest game here every three years, noted Mark Ganis, president of Sportscorp Ltd., who has consulted on Rockwell projects, "but he [Huizenga] might de facto create that by building the facilities and of course having the great South Florida market for the Super Bowls." http://www.finheaven.com/boardvb2/index.php
July 4, 200620 yr Author yeah saw it there and thought would share with folks and all. It should be very kewl
December 12, 200619 yr http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-spd...la-sports-front $250 million overhaul to transform Dolphin Stadium By Sarah Talalay South Florida Sun-Sentinel Posted December 12 2006 MIAMI GARDENS ? The $250 million overhaul of Dolphin Stadium may not look like more than vast concrete platforms protruding from the stadium's north and south sides, but when the job is complete it will transform the 19-year-old venue that was built for $115 million. Renderings on display on the club level show an airy, modern venue with 360,000 square feet of new space dotted with fancy bars, plush furniture and lots of high-definition TVs. Each rendering, however, says the work is "subject to change." Rather than unveil the full plans, which still are under review, stadium officials have launched what they call a "teaser campaign" to give fans, who have grown accustomed to construction work, an idea of what's ahead. "People are asking what's going on," said George Torres, spokesman for Dolphins Enterprises, which includes the stadium. The renderings "give a little bit of a flavor of the design work, what [fans] can expect to see next year." Club seat holders also are being given tours of the expanded concourses, which will be open for parties and events during Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4. After the Super Bowl, Torres said, work to fill in the new concourse areas will begin. The club level is scheduled to be completed in time for the Dolphins' 2007 season; with the rest of the renovation expected to be finished by the end of 2009, stadium officials said. The full project, according to the HOK Sport renderings, envisions plaza display areas on the stadium's ground level. Bars, tables, chairs and TVs are on the 100 level, which along with the 400 level likely will be enclosed by open latticework framing. The 200 level will be enclosed with "dramatic floor to ceiling windows," according to renderings. They will feature "unique entertainment venues and lounges with comfortable club seating and walls of high-definition video screens." There also will be new banks of elevators and escalators. And Dolphin Enterprises CEO Joe Bailey promises state-of-the-art restrooms. He said reams of consumer research and fan surveys conducted after Marlins and Dolphins games show the type of amenities fans are seeking. "One of the things we know is very important is restrooms for men and women," Bailey said. Stadium officials are in talks with Kohler, a Wisconsin-based plumbing fixtures manufacturer, about vastly improving the stadium's restrooms. Other changes have been and will continue to be made as a result of fan complaints and suggestions about the stadium experience on thousands of surveys, said Randy Prange of Stuart-based Insights, which is conducting the surveys. Sarah Talalay can be reached at stalalay@sun-sentinel.com. For more sports-business news, visit www.Sun-Sentinel.com/sportsbusiness Notice nothing is said about the distance between the field of play and the stands, which among the longest in football. Can they do anything about that?
December 12, 200619 yr anyway i could get a link? i was going through the site but couldnt find them.
December 12, 200619 yr Notice nothing is said about the distance between the field of play and the stands, which among the longest in football. Can they do anything about that? :mischief2 First step: Lower the playing surface Second step: Extend lower bowl toward newly lowered playing surface. This could hamper sight lines from the endzone seats though. If they do this, they would also probably have to remove the first few rows of seats from the endzones of both 100 and 400 levels. I would imagine that this would be phase 2 and 3 since wayne does want to expand seating capacity, and move fans closer. Could be the main reason why Mr. H gave the Marlins till 2010 to find a new home. This is what the University of Houston did for thier stadium. 1st Paragraph In some of the photos, you can see where the origional wall met the old field.
December 12, 200619 yr I just hope they get rid of that hideous triangle paint scheme they have in the stands.
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