McGuirk Upgrade

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McKinney
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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by McKinney » Mon Feb 25, 2019 3:08 pm

Quann wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 1:10 pm So happy the other white wall is coming down. That's been an eyesore, IMHO. Definitely will make it look less like a glorified high school stadium. These incremental improvements are very nice to see.
I thought it looked nice when we had the north wall. But since the FPC went in the asymmetry with the south wall has looked odd.
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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by Jack » Mon Feb 25, 2019 9:00 pm

Quann wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 1:10 pm So happy the other white wall is coming down. That's been an eyesore, IMHO. Definitely will make it look less like a glorified high school stadium. These incremental improvements are very nice to see.
Agreed, The South End Plaza looks great. Plan is for field level, but if it were elevated say 4 feet above field level w/some concessions it seems like it could be a great place to watch. Consistent incremental improvements on all phases is the key. Tearing down the wall and essentially creating two separate grandstands rather than one connected stadium will hopefully lead to further incremental improvements. :D

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by photoman » Tue Feb 26, 2019 7:24 am

I understand the "tear down" mentality with the endzone wall, but has the general safety and condition of the stands been addressed in any of these plans?

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by Old Cage » Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:41 am

Jack wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 9:00 pmThe South End Plaza looks great. Plan is for field level, but if it were elevated say 4 feet above field level w/some concessions it seems like it could be a great place to watch.
Jack - That though is worth forwarding to Ryan before it is too late.
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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by photoman » Tue Feb 26, 2019 10:50 am

Old Cage wrote: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:41 am
Jack wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 9:00 pmThe South End Plaza looks great. Plan is for field level, but if it were elevated say 4 feet above field level w/some concessions it seems like it could be a great place to watch.
Jack - That though is worth forwarding to Ryan before it is too late.
.
Only thing that would make it not a great place to watch is the fact that the video board is not facing you. End zone seating is okay if you have the video board to catch the action at the far end.

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by harbo » Tue Feb 26, 2019 11:52 am

Jack wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 9:00 pm
Agreed, The South End Plaza looks great. Plan is for field level, but if it were elevated say 4 feet above field level w/some concessions it seems like it could be a great place to watch....
I also like this idea a lot. Throw in some hedges at field level for aesthetics/buffer for a great UMass catch in the back of the endzone.

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by minutefanjsf » Tue Feb 26, 2019 3:05 pm

photoman wrote: Tue Feb 26, 2019 10:50 am
Old Cage wrote: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:41 am
Jack wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 9:00 pmThe South End Plaza looks great. Plan is for field level, but if it were elevated say 4 feet above field level w/some concessions it seems like it could be a great place to watch.
Jack - That though is worth forwarding to Ryan before it is too late.
.
Only thing that would make it not a great place to watch is the fact that the video board is not facing you. End zone seating is okay if you have the video board to catch the action at the far end.
My guess is that there will be some big screen TVs in that area as well.

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by minutefanjsf » Tue Feb 26, 2019 3:06 pm

harbo wrote: Tue Feb 26, 2019 11:52 am
Jack wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 9:00 pm
Agreed, The South End Plaza looks great. Plan is for field level, but if it were elevated say 4 feet above field level w/some concessions it seems like it could be a great place to watch....
I also like this idea a lot. Throw in some hedges at field level for aesthetics/buffer for a great UMass catch in the back of the endzone.
If it is elevated, it would most likely need to be usable as a a foundation for any further seating. A four foot high platform might not work for this.

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by McKinney » Thu Feb 28, 2019 12:15 am

Okay, I'll admit this isn't the best "artist's rendition". But here's my relatively quick attempt at fitting a lower bowl into McGuirk.
  • Expands capacity to ~30k: (estimated 29,690 by surface area) While we don't need the capacity right now, 30k is the smallest capacity in the AAC. By expanding *inward* towards the field, McGuirk becomes a more intimate (and possibly more intimidating) stadium.
  • Retains existing infrastructure: UMass is spending a good amount of money on getting McGuirk up to code. It'd be a shame to put that all to waste and have to scrap the stands. This expansion concept attempts to retain as much as possible.

    The bowl is raked using "riser-style" seating. This means a vertical distance of 7" per row on the grandstand expansion and 8" per row on the endzone expansion. The risers at the Mullins Center are spaced 5.5" for basketball. For reference, the grandstands at McGuirk are vertically spaced ~1' per row. For the best visibility, the vertical distance should decrease as you get closer to the field. While lowering the field could be beneficial to visibility, in this configuration it would not be required (and would be at a substantial additional expense).

    The videoboard would not need to be moved either.
  • Incorporates existing architectural elements: The expansion follows the curves of McGuirk, so it still has that "mid-century modern" feel to it. The elevated walkway is extended around the bowl and incorporated into the FPC viewing deck. Possible additions would be concessions/retail along the walkway to the east and west of the viewing deck.

View from southeast corner. Note the expansion extends the existing elevated walkway around the entire bowl.
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View from northeast corner of the existing East Grandstands. Included is new Manganaro scoreboard.
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Walkway on north endzone seating extends to reach FPC viewing deck.
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Facing south from FPC viewing deck.
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View from Jacobson Skybox
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Facing FPC from West Grandstands.
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Bird's eye view.
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Last edited by McKinney on Thu Feb 28, 2019 8:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by photoman » Thu Feb 28, 2019 8:41 am

Nice graphics and design work! but.... I think you're getting WAY too close to field level. When you're at the lowest level (with the current stands) you can barely see over the players and have a limited view of the field. I think any additional seating should go above the existing, not below. Sadly I just don't see the demand for more seating. Things haven't exactly gone as hoped since the move up in 2012.

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by Swampy » Thu Feb 28, 2019 9:27 am

I think I can see IV tailgating next to the Jacobsen Skybox on the Bird's Eye view.

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by Jack » Thu Feb 28, 2019 10:11 am

Nice graphics and creative design concepts - problem I see is the same problem with the South End Zone Field level plaza - field level is not a great perspective to watch a football game - having some elevation - 4-6 ft above field level provides a vastly superior view of the game. I'd like to see about 5 less lower bowl rows - that might work.

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by McKinney » Thu Feb 28, 2019 11:53 am

Thanks for the feedback guys! I'll definitely take it into account when I make some revisions.
photoman wrote: Thu Feb 28, 2019 8:41 am Nice graphics and design work! but.... I think you're getting WAY too close to field level. When you're at the lowest level (with the current stands) you can barely see over the players and have a limited view of the field. I think any additional seating should go above the existing, not below.
I think you mean this view? This is eye height of an average person sitting in the first row of the current stands at ~25 yard line.
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For comparison, this is eye height of an average person sitting in the first row of the lower bowl. Crowd control barrier added for "effect".
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photoman wrote: Thu Feb 28, 2019 8:41 am Sadly I just don't see the demand for more seating. Things haven't exactly gone as hoped since the move up in 2012.
You can say that again. :lol: :(
Jack wrote: Thu Feb 28, 2019 10:11 am Nice graphics and creative design concepts - problem I see is the same problem with the South End Zone Field level plaza - field level is not a great perspective to watch a football game - having some elevation - 4-6 ft above field level provides a vastly superior view of the game. I'd like to see about 5 less lower bowl rows - that might work.
Could definately take out some rows. Could also reduce the riser from 7" and 8" to 5.5" and 6.5" respectively. 5.5" selected since that's the minimum riser I've seen that can support stadium bucket seats (it's a concept, might as well leave it as an option ya know?). That'd leave the first row's floor something like 2.5' off the ground.

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Last edited by McKinney on Thu Feb 28, 2019 12:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Quann
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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by Quann » Thu Feb 28, 2019 12:02 pm

Nice work. I like your drawing for the end zone seating but you definitely need height on the sidelines in order to see over the players and coaches. Given that I think adding a few rows on each side is feasible and you can still have the height needed.

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Re: McGuirk Upgrade

Post by 69MG » Thu Feb 28, 2019 12:30 pm

^ I think that's correct. You can't yell "down in front" to the players. :lol:

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