Oakland Baseball Stadium. Image Courtesy of Oakland Athletics / Bjarke Ingels Group
Bjarke Ingels Group, James Corner Field Operations, and Gensler have released new renderings of the new Oakland Athletics baseball stadium and surrounding development. The new stadium will replace the Oakland A’s existing 51-year-old Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which the A’s share with the Oakland Raiders football team. The mega-ballpark includes a waterfront “jewel box” stadium at Howard Terminal and would turn the current Coliseum site into a tech and housing hub.
Oakland Baseball Stadium. Image Courtesy of Oakland Athletics / Bjarke Ingels Group
The news comes following a period of speculation for the A’s, with HOK, Sasaki, Snohetta and Studio T-Square all linked to the potential development. A’s President Dave Kaval said that the A’s control of both the Howard Terminal site and the Coliseum site in East Oakland is essential to delivering a “100 percent privately built ballpark.” Kaval said turning portions of the Coliseum site into a park would create a public amenity and avoid shoring the site to protect it against rising sea levels.
As we looked at the Coliseum and Howard Terminal, we wanted a design team for not just a ballpark but a ballpark district that’s best for Oakland […] we wanted a team that could look at the ballpark with a fresh perspective, and this is really a game changer.
-Dave Kaval, President, Oakland Athletics
Oakland Baseball Stadium. Image Courtesy of Oakland Athletics / Bjarke Ingels Group
Oakland Baseball Stadium. Image Courtesy of Oakland Athletics / Bjarke Ingels Group
The ballpark design is situated amid wedge-shaped high-rises looking directly down on the playing field. The stadium would include a publicly accessible rooftop park and an aerial gondola to shuttle fans over Interstate 880 and the railroad tracks to Jack London Square.
We are honored and excited to team with the Oakland A’s to help imagine their future home where sports culture and local community culture unite as one. We envision a stadium district that will be active and inviting 365 days a year for athletes, fans and Oaklanders alike.
-Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG
News via San Francisco Chronicle