University of Houston Football Stadium

[KinkaidAlum]

As a long time Cougar supporter, I was hoping for a renovated Robertson Stadium but the cost estimates came in at $107 million. So, like the rest of Houston, the UH is gonna bomb the old and build new. Here's a look

EXTERIOR press box/club suite side

VIEW FROM NW

CLUB LEVEL

OVERHEAD

Also included is a MUCH needed renovation to Hofheinz Pavilion

right-to-left

Alumni/Athletics Center, new Hofheinz exterior, football stadium

[Urbannizer]

Nice Design.

[King Owl]

Love the design, but I'll believe it when I see it. The announcement seems pretty "timely", given the conference talks that are going on, and $30M for naming rights, is just silly.

[lockmat]

I saw on twitter that the official ground breaking was (I think) today.

[Houston19514]

I saw on twitter that the official ground breaking was (I think) today.

 

Yep.  10:30AM

[Golyadkin]

The speeches started around 10:40, and wrapped up around 11:15. Pretty good speeches, too. There was a table set up with chunks of concrete from Robertson for people to take home. Mack Rhodes mentioned that the design process was 100% complete and the construction docs were 50% complete, and that they are actually a little ahead of schedule at this point. He also mentioned that the field will still be called John O'Quinn Field after a $5 million donation in the past few days by his foundation.

Got a few pictures with my cell phone before the whole thing started:
 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, I'd like to suggest either making this thread officially the stadium thread and making all discussions about the stadium from here on here instead of the general UH development thread, or merge this with that thread.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Golyadkin

[KinkaidAlum]

Great photos. It was such a beautiful day. Bill Worrell was a great MC and Chair Blair, Renu, and Mack all did really well. Had a great time and can't wait til 2014. 

 

The pep band, cheerleaders, and Dolls were a nice touch too. 

[placoors]

I took some photos from the parking garage while on campus this afternoon.

[kennyc05]

Houston is gonna have a great inventory of stadiums!

[Golyadkin]

Didn't get any pictures, but saw a concrete pump crane, well, pumping concrete. Only saw the top of it over the fence while driving by, but it was definitely in an active pouring position.

Edited February 20, 2013 by Golyadkin

[kbates2]

Pouring the player's tunnel. They had pictures up yesterday on their Facebook page. I will post then here when I get a chance.

[Golyadkin]

From around noon today: 
 

 

 

[brijonmang]

Here's a shot off of the earthcam they have set up for the construction.  Nice pano of uptown too.

 

http://s7.photobucket.com/user/brijonmang/media/UH_zps5441085a.jpg.html'>

[Urbannizer]

UH stadium project starting to take shape

 

 

 

 

As it continues to take shape, the University of Houston's new on-campus football stadium will reach another significant milestone in the coming weeks.

 

In mid-July, crews working on the $105 million stadium will begin erecting the steel structure that will make up the framework for the upper seating bowl, the most visible sign of progress since construction began in February.

 

"Once it goes elevated, it changes dramatically," said Matt Doffing, project manager for Manhattan Construction Co. "Within the next couple of months, it's just going to change so dramatically week by week."

 

Mack Rhoades, UH vice president for intercollegiate athletics, said the 40,000-seat stadium - being built on the former site of Robertson Stadium - remains on schedule. The stadium is scheduled to open Aug. 30, 2014.

 

 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/cougars/article/UH-stadium-project-starting-to-take-shape-4637447.php?cmpid=hcec

 

[Urbannizer]

7/13 - Update thanks to tim.hanna86 on Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Matt@DataVox]

Manhattan Construction has a live webcam on site. You can view the progress on their website. Below is a link

 

http://www.earthcam.com/clients/manhattanconstruction/universityofhoustonstadium/?cam=2

 

 

 

[Golyadkin]

Been driving by pretty much every day this week. They have the basic steel frame that will hold up the seats starting to go up in the southern endzone section of the stadium. It is now starting to take the shape of an actual stadium.

[Urbannizer]

From ze webcam:

 

[brijonmang]

Webcam update:

 

[KinkaidAlum]

Beginning to really take shape. Looks like the foundation is poured for the Winston Band Hall and the third deck is framed on the visitor side while they are still working on the foundation for the suites, club, and press levels. Can't wait to see how tall the upper deck on the home side will stand. Hopefully will be visible from I-45.

[Urbannizer]

This morning:

[no1racer]

Does anyone know the reason why they changed the orientation of the stadium from north-south to east-west? I wonder if the was an architectural reason such as future construction space for additional capacity, etc? I would think the current east-west orientation would actually make the sun a bigger factor in regards to gameplay.

[Fortune]

Does anyone know the reason why they changed the orientation of the stadium from north-south to east-west? I wonder if the was an architectural reason such as future construction space for additional capacity, etc? I would think the current east-west orientation would actually make the sun a bigger factor in regards to gameplay.

I believe they said one of the reasons is a better view of the skyline.

[KinkaidAlum]

It was mainly to fit in with the rest of the campus. The architectural firm did a really nice job of placing the stadium in alignment with the rest of the main campus buildings, especially those fronting Cullen Blvd. You can really get a sense of why they made this decision when you see how nicely the stadium fits on the site with the new parking garage. 

 

The firm also did a great study on the sun in Houston during the Fall and it really wont be a factor. There are also several stadiums, mostly in the South, that don't have the typical east-west orientation (Georgia, Okie State, etc...)

[Houston19514]

Why did we change the directional orientation of the stadium?

 

• The new East-West orientation provides more fans and our TV audiences a dynamic view of the Houston skyline.
• The east side seats in Robertson Stadium experienced intense sun during day games. We conducted a comprehensive sun and shade study at three different kickoff times in both early and late fall. The study indicated improved shading and comfort for our fans without hindering the ability of our student-athletes. The new orientation attempts to mitigate the impact of the late summer sun on the fan experience while also achieving several other goals:
  • The north sideline seats are adjacent to the new Stadium Parking Garage for convenient access;
  • The new orientation is congruent with the University’s current grid system;
  • Creates a more efficient surface parking system; and
  • Creates vibrant and relevant interaction with the adjacent academic corridor.
• The new East-West orientation is not unique to the University of Houston. Many FBS football stadiums such as Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Oregon have similar orientations.

[Houston19514]

I think this is what you meant:

 

The firm also did a great study on the sun in Houston during the Fall and it really wont be a factor. There are also several stadiums, mostly in the South, that don't have the typical east-west north-south orientation (Georgia, Okie State, etc...)

 

 

[no1racer]

Why did we change the directional orientation of the stadium?

 

• The new East-West orientation provides more fans and our TV audiences a dynamic view of the Houston skyline.
• The east side seats in Robertson Stadium experienced intense sun during day games. We conducted a comprehensive sun and shade study at three different kickoff times in both early and late fall. The study indicated improved shading and comfort for our fans without hindering the ability of our student-athletes. The new orientation attempts to mitigate the impact of the late summer sun on the fan experience while also achieving several other goals:
  • The north sideline seats are adjacent to the new Stadium Parking Garage for convenient access;
  • The new orientation is congruent with the University’s current grid system;
  • Creates a more efficient surface parking system; and
  • Creates vibrant and relevant interaction with the adjacent academic corridor.
• The new East-West orientation is not unique to the University of Houston. Many FBS football stadiums such as Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Oregon have similar orientations.

 

 

KinkaidAlum & Houston19514, thanks so much for the great detailed replies. That makes perfect sense. I also didn't think about it from a campus perspective. Hopefully they will close Cullen through campus at some point and "island" campus so that it can truly be fully integrated and interactive with campus. Thanks again!

[fatesdisastr]

 Hopefully they will close Cullen through campus at some point and "island" campus so that it can truly be fully integrated and interactive with campus. Thanks again!

 

As far as I know that has always has always been the idea to someday to close Cullen through that part of campus. Not sure what kind of effect that would do the flow of students in and out of university.

[por favor gracias]

As far as I know that has always has always been the idea to someday to close Cullen through that part of campus. Not sure what kind of effect that would do the flow of students in and out of university.

 

It would certainly make their "commute" less bumpy. I feel like I'm driving on the moon over there.

[fatesdisastr]

It would certainly make their "commute" less bumpy. I feel like I'm driving on the moon over there.

 

I agree, its probably one of the worst stretches of road in town. It would however make sense to not invest money in fixing the roadways if they hope to close it off in the coming years. Only time will tell.