Architects, this one is for you

[oudavid1]

What improvement would you make next to the sanctuary that is The Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at Owen Field.

I remember hearing a little while back that the press box was next to be redone, i sure hope so. It has my vote.

Your thoughts?

What would you like to see?

[unbiasedtruth]

construct an upper deck around the north endzone to connect both the east and west upper decks.....

why do anything good for the press.... screw them most are haters anyway....

[oudavid1]

why do anything good for the press.... screw them most are haters anyway....

Lol now thats funny!

But our press box is so old, and i would honestly like to see another huge HD board put in on the north endzone, but bigger than the one texas has.

: PICTURE REMOVED DUE TO ANNOYING SIZE:

[unbiasedtruth]

takes away from the game.... I guarantee you if you were sitting in say the SE corner of DKR Memorial stadium and the play was in the north endzone you'd find yourself watching that huge jumbotron....

[Crucifax Autumn]

More seats, any way we can jam 'em in that isn't ugly.

And I agree with the press box thing regardless of how the press treats the team. I actually think that having state of the art comfort may actually improve coverage and maybe get them a little more on our side.

And hell no to a ridiculous uterus/jerryworld idiot screen. While technically impressive it really does distract from the game and the proper crowd atmosphere.

[Mississippi Sooner]

In my own opinion, video boards are already too big all around the country. The one at DKR and that monstrosity hanging over the field at Jerry World are ridiculous.

I don't know about adding an upper deck in the north end because the north end as it is was part of the original concept of the stadium back in 1921 when they planned to incorporate the student union in the stadium. They could add about 8,000 more seats by filling in the corners of the south end and extending the western upper deck around. That would also give the stadium a more "complete" look.

[Lott's Bandana]

I'd like them to redo the ramps on the east side and open up the entrances to the seating so the ginormous logjam that occurs each game :45 min prior to kickoff stops happening.

I realize part of that problem is the age of the donors that sit along the east side, south of the student section...they have a hard time getting to and fro their seats and create a backup, but a different design would help tremendously.

[soonerloyal]

Just take the damn Gheylord name off'n the place, that would be a vast improvement overall.

[OK2U]

Add the year 2010 the the list of MNCs on the backside of the south endzone scoreboard.

[SoonerDomiNation]

Id like to see em enclose the whole stadium. I think it would be awesome to host a bowl game, what is it like 1000,000 you have to be able to seat before you host one?

[SoonerDomiNation]

oops 100,000

[boomerborn79]

Add the year 2010 the the list of MNCs on the backside of the south endzone scoreboard.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner Best one of all.

[texaspokieokie]

are all you people architects ??

[sooneron]

what is it like 1000,000 you have to be able to seat before you host one?

no, there are plenty of stadiums well below 100k that host bowl games. Decent weather would be a factor and you can almost be guaranteed of an ice storm at some point near bowl season.

[Jacie]

Having sat in the endzone of several stadiums, I have never been a fan of expanding OUr stadium in that dimension. All that does is add more bad seats. If that is your goal, how about putting in some posts so some poor schmuck has to try and peer around them during the game or miss the action on the field (until you've experienced this, you don't know how much a single post between you and the field can obstruct the view). This same philosophy of mine also precludes building up beyond a certain point. The players look like insects scurrying around down there. I guess my whole point is, bigger does not = better.

Concerning that big screen, though, I bet those people appreciate the shade it provides . . .

[oudivesherpa]

Case Study: I'm not an architect, but I have been involved in corporate real estate for a number of years for a Fortune 100 Company, so my answer would be what's the economics of the project? Let's make it simple and look at the worst case senario, say we have a 30 year project and for 20 of those years we have Stoops for a coach but for 10 years we have a John Blake/Gary Gibbs coach.
How much pent up demand is there for non-prime season tickets? If we expanded the end-zone seating by 15,000 seats over a 30 year period (on average) how many extra season tickets/donors could we attract?

Note: If you say 15,000 you get an F, if you say zero, you get an F; if you use the Okie State Expansion model you get an F and your expelled from school and sent to Tech.

[Mississippi Sooner]

are all you people architects ??

Only as a sidelight to our regular jobs as college football coaches. :D

[sooneron]

are all you people architects ??

Not an architect, but I grew up around it. Even toyed with the idea, but hated all the math back in the old days. My Dad has a successful firm in Houston. Lots of trips to jobsites and time with the drafting table...

[oudavid1]

I dont want the south endzone closed, it just wouldnt look good. But Texas has the same upper deck situation where they have 2 different styles and their solution in comparable form to our stadium would be to extend the east deck all the way around the north scoreboard but stop in the corner. Adding lots more suites!

[sooneron]

dkr sucks balls. I was not impressed with that place. It looks piece meal.

[Soonerfan88]

Just take the damn Gheylord name off'n the place, that would be a vast improvement overall.

This would be a great place to start!

[SoonerStormchaser]

Ditch the "Gaylord Family" bull**** moniker and bring back the "Oklahoma Memorial Stadium" name. Boren is a complete sellout who will give naming rights to ANYONE who makes the highest donation to the school.

[sooner rick]

Just take the damn Gheylord name off'n the place, that would be a vast improvement overall.

Amen!

[soonerloyal]

Ditch the "Gaylord Family" bull**** moniker and bring back the "Oklahoma Memorial Stadium" name. Boren is a complete sellout who will give naming rights to ANYONE who makes the highest donation to the school.


I'd say the veterans for whom the "Memorial" moniker was made, who bled and died paid the higher donation. It pi**es me off every time I see that hyphenated bull$#!^. Shame on you, Boren.

[gaylordfan1]

Just take the damn Gheylord name off'n the place, that would be a vast improvement overall.

HEY, I don't know how to take this? :D

[soonerloyal]

HEY, I don't know how to take this? :D

Well young'un, yer username sucks but you're okay! ;)

[silverwheels]

New upper deck, including press box and suites, on the West Side, although putting the parking garage there before doing that makes it a lot harder. Would also like to see the South Endzone (and Switzer Center) redone so that the entire stadium bowl can be closed, or at least one more corner, with the open corner (SE) being a kind of plaza perhaps. And I know those aren't prime seats, but that endzone really bugs me. Don't see the need for a North Endzone upper deck for at least another decade, probably several.

[bluedogok]

I say North End Zone deck for now.....and I am in architecture, just not licensed yet.

[Williesan]

I am an architect. (And I have the parchment and the emotional scars of a nine-part exam to prove it. :)

I think if we could do anything, we should upper deck the north end zone, but don't make the upper rows so far away you're having to give away those seats for the Utah State's, North Texas's and East Popcorn States of the world. (A la aTm.) If the season ticket waiting list grows to the point where it's 25K or more, then it should be done. Don't add in two levels of suites and clubs.

Leave the south endzone the way it is. It's already hot enough for the September games. Close in the open corners and you will have fans dropping like flies from being parboiled by the sheer lack of air circulation inside the bowl. (Then again - the $5 bottles of "designer" labeled water don't help either.)

The biggest thing that needs to be done though is re-configure the north endzone concessions. There's no waiting area as fans cycle through the lines while fighting line-jumpers and passers by for space. I learned this lesson the hard way at the :stunned: game and missed about 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter.

Just my $0.02.

Williesan

[oudavid1]

this^^^^^

[texaspokieokie]

i'm not an architect; & i don't see anything wrong with "Gaylord name".

they paid & should be appreciated.

[Mississippi Sooner]

The best thing about having the Gaylord name on our stadium is that it gives :stunned: another reason to whine about the DOK being Sooner biased. I get a sick joy from hearing Aggies of all kinds cry.

[oudavid1]

i'm not an architect; & i don't see anything wrong with "Gaylord name".

they paid & should be appreciated.

i guess some people dont like the would gay being in anything

[Crucifax Autumn]

Why do you hate gay lords?

[oudavid1]

i dont if your asking me

[Crucifax Autumn]

i just wanted to say gay lords.

[oudavid1]

lol at you then

[talsooner]

A/C the thing. Heat and cool!!

[oudavid1]

not happening ^

[No1Better]

Add a multi level water park that wraps around the South end zone stands. Cap it up top with a party zone that stretches from the East to the West side of the stadium, is standing room only and cooled by fans that spray water.
Have a slide down the backside of water park to OConnell's with a ski lift enabling a quick return (the slide can easily be converted into a ski hill during the late fall and winter). Everyone is issued a tshirt cannon upon arrival to shoot into the crowd or at their least favorite talking head in the press box and beer pong is a required skill for entry.