UF to Hire Architect for $400 million Renovation to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

He posted an exact number, and I doubt we’re anywhere close to being settled on that at this point in the process. I don’t doubt it will likely be somewhere in that neighborhood and have thought that’s likely about where we’d land since they started talking about it. Any rando on twitter acting like they know exactly what’s going to happen right now is likely FOS though.

 

The pessimism is curious. I'll conjecture that it stems from the fact that nobody can clearly envision and articulate what the "right" renovation looks like and checks off all of the following boxes:

-Improved seating comfort
-Improved concourses w/ expanded concessions/bathroom access
-Improved other amenities (video board, sound, others?)
-Won't cost over $1 billion
-Maintains current character/atmosphere/intimidation of the Swamp

I'm not sure doing all 5 of those things is feasible. The fans here seem mostly concerned with #5, while Stricklin and co. seemed mostly try to address #1-4, so tradeoffs will have to be made that someone inevitably will be unhappy about. I don't think that means the UAA is going to "half-ass" this project or screw it up, its just that there's contradictory goals in that list above that probably can't all be met.

 

It was a benign Q and A that had very little new info and nothing scary, and had nothing to do with the Jags owner whatsoever

 

Has anyone addressed the elephant in the room? Where will the Gators play during the renovation period? Maybe Jax is the obvious answer, or some combo of Jax and Tampa. How many Swamp games would be lost? Could they keep it to just one season, or would it be a season +? Maybe that's not a huge deal to folks, but should be a point of curiosity.

 

The seating capacity will go down regardless of how much we complain about it because the current configuration violates modern safety/building codes. The aisles have to be widened and the seats have to be widened, which is why seating capacity has to go down.

 

Grandfathered in... no laws compelling it to change it now. It's been that way for over 2 decades.

 

Not what I am hearing. When you do a renovation, you have to modernize things based on the current codes and regulations.

 

So if we touch it it has to be changed to today's code is what you're saying? That makes sense... maybe that's why we never messed with real renovation before.

I would like more restrooms and more concessions while we leave the seating alone. We could also work on the lighting and sound and big-screens. I wouldn't even mind a pressure washing of the stadium itself.

I'd like to see the code that makes us change the structure itself if we do NOT mess with the seating arrangements.

That what you said above sounds like some very specific codes in a stadium renovation. Now, I'm not denying that you're in the know about this... I just want more specificity on this whole renovations and how these codes play into it. More information is good. Thank you.

 

True, it is, but what I hear coming out of UAA mouths and the $ figure floated doesn't inspire confidence. That and the mess-up on the O'Connell Center

I get where you are coming from, but they've already done seating studies (someone posted them on the thread), and if those don't make you pessimistic, I'm not sure what would.

Completely renovate (and I mean really gut and renovate...get rid of old offices and ancient dorm rooms) the innards. Widen the rear-end space on the benches (and maybe more comfortable molded plastic benches) and be done with it. We'll lose some seating, sure, but it would preclude a hatchet job that I am concerned is in the works.

 

I missed the post with the seating studies - will go look for it

 

You think they’re going to do a 400 million dollar renovation and not mess with the seating arrangements? You think this still after they have issued public statements directly to the contrary?

 

Post #24 @bgator85

 

I am overall happy that we are going to be investing $400 million on our stadium, I'm just not sure if I will like the give and take of it all. Will the "upgrades" really be upgrades? There are a few important factors that make our stadium so imposing to opposing football teams. And much of that comes from our fans in the stands. There is NO substitute for large crowds all screaming for your team on your home field.

Right now I want to see what the criteria, the acceptable and the unacceptable points of renovation are on this massive project. There will be changes and some upgrades, it just depends on what some of us will define them as upgrades. An upgrade to some might not be an upgrade for others.

I just want to see what the University people are telling these possible architects in advance. What they want and expect in the designs... the perimeters.

 

The good news is Autzen Stadium in Oregon has less people and is considered as loud as the Swamp. Autzen was engineered to be one of the loudest stadiums in college football. It is the structural design of the stadium and how it traps sound that is the biggest factor. That will not change in any way. Maybe they'll even make some improvements that make the Swamp even louder. Losing 10,000 is not that big of a deal. Upgrading the fan experience at the game is a big deal. It will make attending games a lot nicer.

 

Not buying that Autzen Stadium is anywhere a loud as the Swamp at full roar, but I do think that you can engineer sound being more effectively trapped in the stadium. Unfortunately, I'll bet that also traps heat which is a concern in Gainesville, FL, but not in Eugene, OR.

 

We will sell of the stadium we have with the seating capacity we have in all our home games next year and every home game with Lagway and company while he is here... and with a decent economy and decent competition more than 90% of the time in an 88,558 seating capacity stadium. Why downgrade seating to Oregon's level? I see financial incentive to do that. More seats more profit and more fans get to see the Gators play live.

Let's not remake our stadium and cut seating to the point that we will price the average fan out of the stands... like in the NFL. Screw the NFL... I want a college football stadium, not some farm league wannabe NFL team stadium.

 

I can't lie and say I don't share the pessimism. For all the talk about Rupp arena, and other basketball venues it was Tubby Smith that said the Odome was the most hostile environment he ever coached in and in large part because the crowd was immediately on top of you with no buffer zone. that's what makes the Swamp so daunting as well. I dont care if we lost 10k seats because the stadium was still loud as hell with a capacity around 80k but if they change the acoustic dynamics and lower the capacity by more than 10k then I'd be pretty disappointed.

I'm in my 40s and while not necessarily a dinosaur yet, apparently I think like one already because I don't get it. When I was a teenager and a college kid in the 90s comfort at a Gator game didn't matter. We were desperate to win and hostile as a crowd. We stood 90% of the time for any game against a team with a pulse. I always viewed the NFL experience as a totally separate one. I never missed the amenities of a pro stadium when I was at a Gator game because it was just a different level of passion for the product on the field. That's all that mattered and packing us in like sardines so that every additional yell would drown out the opponent was all that mattered.

Now get off my lawn while I shout at clouds.

 

And then we cut seating capacity... Yes, since Tubby Smith was at Kentucky we have cut seating at the O-dome. And we're talking about The Swamp not an indoor basketball facility.

 

They have stated UF will not lose any home games. Looks like there will be phases like TAMU did

 

Some other stadium infrastructure projects in planning stages:
PSU - $750,000,000 - Looks like they are wrapping a nice brick facade around the stadium. From what I saw it has less to do with seating capacity and more about making the existing facility nicer.

FSU - But I think thats more related to a football facility than stadium improvements.

Miami - Still looking for a home. Poor Canes. I thought "Big Money" Ruiz could just nonchalantly drop a billion on a few S Beach lots.

Wait - didn't I see Ruiz selling soda out of a cooler at one of the Coral gables exits? Has his stock cleared a nickle lately??