Populous’ "Living Park"

[csura999]

SI recently asked Populous to create a "ballpark of the future." Here's what they came up with:





:ink: http://mlb.si.com/2014/03/13/populou...ure/?eref=sihp

[alpineinc]

The berm idea is interesting. May need to close off that inside-the-park-HR alley down the left field line though lol. And great view by commuters aside, I can't see a purpose for having public transit directly over the stadium except to have fly balls bounce off them a couple times a week.

[drdg]

SI recently asked Populous to create a "ballpark of the future." Here's what they came up with:





:ink: http://mlb.si.com/2014/03/13/populou...ure/?eref=sihp

something similar to that was suggested for Oakland as a dual purpose football/baseball stadium

but both the A's and Raiders wanted and still do want separate stadium

the above photo is one of the recent proposal just for the A's
http://mlb.si.com/2013/12/18/athleti...tadium-design/

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Sounds kind of dull, and more than a little hippie-ish. I mean, it's fine to lounge around on berms all day and all that, but what about this place's actual useability for baseball? This place gives too much attention to being a CITY park and not enough to being a BASEBALL park. It almost treats baseball as an afterthought.

And why is there so much more distance to left field than right? Bit lopsided, innit?

I do like the proximity to mass transit lines, though. That's always a plus!

[trepye]

SI recently asked Populous to create a "ballpark of the future." Here's what they came up with:





:ink: http://mlb.si.com/2014/03/13/populou...ure/?eref=sihp

The inside-the-park HR alley in left is such a brilliant idea... Citified has a great spot for this (if the visitors bullpen in right is moved) in between the center and right field for a true ITPHR "gap" that can create some real genuine excitement. The batter fiercely running the bases, instead of just leisurely jogging, and the fielder running frantically towards the ball make a play at homeplate instead of just looking up nonchalantly at the ball going over the wall. It would be really neat to just have one little spot on the ballpark where the game is being played as intended by its creators.

[Jessy S]

The inside-the-park HR alley in left is such a brilliant idea... Citified has a great spot for this (if the visitors bullpen in right is moved) in between the center and right field for a true ITPHR "gap" that can create some real genuine excitement. The batter fiercely running the bases, instead of just leisurely jogging, and the fielder running frantically towards the ball make a play at homeplate instead of just looking up nonchalantly at the ball going over the wall. It would be really neat to just have one little spot on the ballpark where the game is being played as intended by its creators.

It is a good idea until you realize that Major League Baseball will never allow design for a power alley like that. For one thing, it is way too narrow and too hard to play to the point that players will complain. A much better design would be to have a deep center field where Center is about 450 ft from home. Yes you will not get much in terms of true home runs, but a good line drive hitter could hit a pitch that rolls to the wall and could get an inside the park run that way.

As for the ballpark in general, I don't really like the idea of mass transit above the stadium. If anything, I would go for a triple decked ballpark with one deck being suites. That was a renovation plan for Yankee Stadium in the 1990's. Of course, the closest we came to that reality was the now demolished Metrodome. One of the concepts I do like is the fake hills in the bleacher section.

[Bazookadale]

I can't see a purpose for having public transit directly over the stadium except to have fly balls bounce off them a couple times a week.

Hmmm - what happens if there is a train wreak right over the seating area?

[ericlc129]

It almost treats baseball as an afterthought.

Isn't that the purpose for $900 million in costs? In some places baseball was always secondary. The big seller for Rogers Centre was the hotel. In Arizona it was the pool. Hell, why do you think there are "fan experience" areas all over the concourses of new stadiums?

Take Target Field's right field plaza...grab Light Rail from home to the park, have a beer or 4, yak with your friends, enjoy the nightlife and the ambience; let's head up to the Budweiser pavillion with the fire going....and play PS3 downstairs....Oh..there's a baseball game going on? So?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Isn't that the purpose for $900 million in costs? In some places baseball was always secondary. The big seller for Rogers Centre was the hotel. In Arizona it was the pool. Hell, why do you think there are "fan experience" areas all over the concourses of new stadiums?

Take Target Field's right field plaza...grab Light Rail from home to the park, have a beer or 4, yak with your friends, enjoy the nightlife and the ambience; let's head up to the Budweiser pavillion with the fire going....and play PS3 downstairs....Oh..there's a baseball game going on? So?

But at least these places you mentioned were built for the purpose of hosting baseball games. This thing we're talking about? It's just some city park where people lay around on the grass all day. Oh yeah, and they might play baseball a few times there too. They're too concerned about making a damn park that blends in with the community and all that sort of crap. Forgetting that the purpose of baseball parks is to HOST BASEBALL.

I really could give a damn how much these things "blend in". They're not supposed to do that. They're supposed to be noticed. They're supposed to stand out!

[trepye]

A much better design would be to have a deep center field where Center is about 450 ft from home. Yes you will not get much in terms of true home runs, but a good line drive hitter could hit a pitch that rolls to the wall and could get an inside the park run that way.

The alley would not work in straightaway centerfield for the same reason it would not work in straightaway right or left; favors the defense too much. The deep outfield placements would have to be at the gaps in between center and right or center and left, or like the pic above shows right at the foul poles. The reason for this is that these are locations where the fielders cannot get a jump on the ball and just run straight back (unless there is the rare overshift) and thus making the deep fence more favorable towards the batter.

[Jessy S]

The alley would not work in straightaway centerfield for the same reason it would not work in straightaway right or left; favors the defense too much. The deep outfield placements would have to be at the gaps in between center and right or center and left, or like the pic above shows right at the foul poles. The reason for this is that these are locations where the fielders cannot get a jump on the ball and just run straight back (unless there is the rare overshift) and thus making the deep fence more favorable towards the batter.

True, but at least it would be in the open field and not some narrow hallway that would be in play. My ideal distance, from left to right, would be 360ft down the left foul line, 410ft left center, 458ft dead center, 390ft right center, 320ft right field line. In this design, we are looking at an alley that is much worse than what was termed no man's land early in Yankee Stadium's history.