The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders presented their Carson stadium plan to the NFL last week, and on Monday shared their trailer with the public. If you like swooping CG renderings and Kiefer Sutherland, it’s, well, got those:
It’s also missing something from earlier static renderings. Try to figure out what it is? (Er, without peeking at my headline.)
Previous plans called for a tower that extends 115 to 120 feet through and above the main concourse of the sleek, futuristic stadium. The tower’s cauldron would change depending on the team: simulated lightning bolts shooting out of a glass ball for the Chargers and a massive flame in honor of legendary owner Al Davis when the Raiders play…
Stadium backers confirmed that the design elements have been scrubbed from the plans. No reason was given, other than the previous renderings, released in April, were preliminary in nature.
Translation: Sure, we threw it in with the initial drawings, but it was too hard to do with our video software, let alone actually build. That would be crazy!
So farewell, giant Van De Graaff generator. We are sad to see you go, but not all that surprised, because that’s why they (okay, I) call i “vaportecture.”
There’s no ambition in architecture anymore.
If you can’t commemorate the life of Al Davis with piles of public money, what is worth commemorating?
It looks neat (and aerodynamic, how does that help?), if they don’t use taxpayer dollars then best of luck to them.
That giant Lombardi Trophy is asinine.
I doubt they’ll really build the giant trophy either. They just needed something to fill the space where the flame/lightning bolts were going to go.
My favorite part is the Hollywood Club, with a retractable glass wall. You know, so that the VIPs dont have to breathe the same air as the miserable peons who only paid $400 a ticket instead of $4000.
You’re probably right, Neil. That thing makes no sense, as anything other than a gap-filler for the lightning.
“….blurring the line between spectator and teammate.”
I’ll pass. Have you seen the hits those guys take?
The first stories had said that the lightning bolt thing/eternal flame would be converted to a Lombardi Trophy for Super Bowls – to me, these newest pictures just show an imagined Super Bowl, so they may still be planning for the tower to be the lightning bolt thing during Charger games (there was actually a story a few weeks after the initial renderings that said Mark Davis had already backed away from the eternal flame idea as it would be offensive the other owners to build such a monument to the guy who sued them so often.)
That said, I’d be stunned if this thing ever gets built so I say the next drawings should have a Lombardi Trophy next to an eternal flame AND a lightning bolt thing all going at once.
Man I hired some flaks to do p.r. bullshit for me but these guys are over the top. Aerodynamic? What, are they going fly it over L.A.? The sacred ritual of tailgating? I only use the word sacred when I’m attending shul, or maybe taking some money out of the bank, but hey, whatever floats your boat!
Just what every good stadium needs: a farmers market!