Foundation work has begun on the $250 million, 26,500-seat West End Stadium in Cincinnati, which when it opens in 2021 will be home to FC Cincinnati, the city’s Major League Soccer franchise.
According to the Cincinnati Inquirer, FC Cincinnati is building its stadium close to downtown in a poor, historically black neighborhood that’s going through a gentrification phase.
Turner Construction in partnership with a local firm Jostin Construction is building the horseshoe-shape stadium. MEIS Architects did the original design of the stadium, and Populous was brought in to make refinements and changes that included expanding the stadium’s canopy to cover every seat.
In response to community objections, Populous has toned down the bright orange lighting initially proposed for the stadium’s roof and exterior. Instead, the building’s wave-like façade now has 513 vertical fins, individually lighted with LEDs to create special effects. FC Cincinnati claims that West End will be the only stadium in the world with this specific feature.
LED lights attached to the tip of 513 fins will light up the facade of West End Stadium, and create opportunities for visual effects. Image: Populous
Working with Populous, Buro Happold, the project’s structural engineer, incorporated extensive public plaza space and a grand entry with a staircase rising 30 feet from the Central Parkway. The wrap-around seating bowl will have a dedicated 3,100-seat safe-standing zone and steeply pitched upper mezzanine. Fifty-nine suite boxes will be located above the main seating area, allowing for continuous fan seating and unobstructed sightlines. The closest seat in the stadium will be only 15 ft from the 110-yard-long field.
“The plans for West End Stadium demonstrate how structural design is intrinsically tied to a core goal of any entertainment project—fostering an atmosphere of excitement,” says Phil Skellorn, one of BuroHappold’s sports and entertainment practice leaders.
The West End Stadium project dates back to the team’s bid for an MLS expansion franchise in 2016; Cincinnati was on a short list of three expansion cities, and was chosen in early 2018. As part of a land swap with the Cincinnati Public Schools, West End Stadium is located on the site where Taft High School’s football stadium once stood.
FC Cincinnati will play at Nippert Stadium, a football venue on the campus of the University of Cincinnati, until its new facility opens. The team continues to seek a sponsor for the new stadium’s naming rights.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Oct 12, 2018
Sports venues reach outside their walls
Professional and collegiate facilities invite fans to engage with the community.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Aug 9, 2018
Populous-designed Buffalo Bills training center expansion will begin construction this fall
Arc Building Partners will lead construction efforts on the project.
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
Building Team Awards | May 16, 2018
Game, set, match: United States Tennis Association National Campus
Gold Award: With 100 courts and more than 260,000 sf of vertical construction, the USTA National Campus is a sanctuary for tennis enthusiasts.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 15, 2018
Is this the most environmentally sustainable arena in the country?
The university arena was designed by Architectural Resources Cambridge.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 19, 2018
Watch a time-lapse of Wrigley Field’s most recent phase of renovations
The renovations took place between October 2017 and April 2018.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 19, 2018
Northwestern’s new multi-sport training facility offers expansive views of Lake Michigan
Perkins+Will designed the facility.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 3, 2018
Westminster College’s new athletic stadium includes a turf field and seating for 2,000
The project is the largest capital improvement project on the campus in over a decade.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 30, 2018
Final Four excitement? Here are two collegiate sports facilities to check out before your weekend of hoops
CannonDesign recently shared new images of two collegiate sports projects with interesting ties to college basketball past, present and future.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 27, 2018
The second-oldest basketball arena in NCAA Division I receives $15.5 million update
Bruner/Cott & Associates led the revitalization project.