Archinect - News

Hurricane Milton severely damages Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field Stadium

2024-10-10T17:48:00-04:00

The roof at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, sustained major damage because of high winds associated with Hurricane Milton, which made landfall Wednesday along Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm. According to the Rays, the Trop was built to withstand winds of up to 115 mph. The roof is supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts in what the team calls the "world's largest cable-supported domed roof."

The Populous design in St. Petersburg (formerly called the 'ThunderDome') has existed mostly without sustaining significant storm damage since 1990. The roof system was made from 370,000 square feet of PTFE (fiberglass) Tensile Membrane manufactured by a New York company called Birdair, Inc.

The incident, which was captured on social media, sadly recalls damage sustained to the Louisiana Superdome during Hurricane Katrina for many Americans.

INSIDE LOOK ▶️ The MLB released footage from inside Tropicana Field as Hurricane Milton ripped its roof off.
Wind gusts over 100 mph were recorded in the area: https://t.co/q2ktAMiTik pic.twitter.com/llKNG9XTKg
— 10 Tampa Bay (@10TampaBay) October 10, 2024

Video courtesy 10 Tampa Bay/X

The MLB franchise, which is planning a new $1.3 billion ballpark with Hines for 2028, said they must now "assess the true condition" of the building before the viability of playing the 2025 season there can be determined.

Tampa Bay Rays partner with Hines for new MLB stadium development in St. Petersburg

2023-09-23T09:00:00-04:00

Hines has been announced as the developer of a new 8-million-square-foot mixed-use district and Major League Baseball stadium development in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The new home of the mercurial Tampa Bay Rays franchise is part of a larger $6.5 billion investment in the region that will expand over twenty years to include 4,800 residential units, another 1,200 units of workforce housing, 600 senior residences, a 750-room hotel, 4,000-seat concert venue, and 1.4 million square feet worth of office space, in addition to the 30,000-seat stadium. Another 50,000 square feet of civic space will be added along with a minimum of 90,000 square feet worth of conference space, all of which is bookended by the new Carter G. Woodson African American Museum Of Florida.

Rendering courtesy of Hines

Renderings made public in this week’s announcement from the club reveal a terraced exterior that’s meant to “bring the outside in” with activated concourse levels lined in biophilic elements and framed b...

Europe's new tallest building, The Lakhta Center by RMJM, nearly completed in St. Petersburg

2018-07-31T13:30:00-04:00

For a brief period from 2011 until 2012 Renzo Piano’s 309.7m London skyscraper, The Shard, was the tallest in Europe. However, it has since been dwarfed by three new buildings in Moscow, and, this summer, the title has shifted to Moscow’s second city, St Petersburg, as one of Russia’s largest companies plans its relocation.

The Lakhta Center, designed by British firm RMJM, is set to be Europe's new tallest skyscraper. The nearly completed supertall, located on St. Petersburg's coast, will reach approximately 1,515 feet, which is about 50% taller than The Shard in London. The building will serve as the new headquarters for Russian energy company Gazprom, currently based in Moscow.

Lakhta Center rendering by RMJM, located in St. Petersburg, RU. Image: Lakhta Center.

With piles driven 270 feet into the ground, the 87-story skyscraper also boasts LEED Gold certification. The design features an energy saving ice storage facility, which can accumulate up to 1000 tonnes of ice during the night used to air condition the building during the day.

$5.2M contract approved for new St. Petersburg Pier

2015-07-09T20:57:00-04:00

City of St. Petersburg officials formally approved a $5.2 million contract that will ultimately lead to the construction of the new St. Petersburg Pier. The team consisting of Rogers Partners, ASD, and WORKSHOP: Ken Smith Landscape Architect had the winning proposal for the second run of the St. Petersburg Pier competition that launched last summer. The competition sought a redesign of the pier, but also required the preservation of the structure's iconic inverted pyramid.

The approved $5.2 million will go toward the finalization of design details, demolition of the current Pier, and approach and initial contracting services. The City issued a press statement indicating that the design phase is scheduled to take five months and will include feedback from residents. The community will have additional opportunities to learn more about the redesign during the design refinement process.

The winning proposal, titled "The Pier Park", builds upon the Pier's eclectic history that dates back t...

"The Pier Park" wins New St. Petersburg Pier competition

2015-04-27T15:38:00-04:00

After public comments were provided, the committee discussed the concepts, the input they had received, and deliberated on the ranking. The final ranking of the Design Concepts by the Selection Committee is as follows: The Pier Park by Rogers Partners Architects+Urban Designers, ASD, Ken Smith Destination St. Pete Pier by St. Pete Design Group ALMA by Alfonso Architects, inc. City staff will now present these rankings to City Council for approval at a meeting in the near future.

"We established a pier process that citizens on every side of this issue agreed would result in a fair and objective decision," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. "I am proud that we have stayed true to that process and that it has been transparent and open to the public throughout. I thank the Selection Committee for their diligence and their hard work. This was not an easy job, but it was a necessary one. The iconic St. Petersburg Pier has often been the source of passionate debate in the Sunshine City, but it is also a source of great pride. I'm looking forward to the day we cut the ribbon on a new St. Petersburg Pier."

Click here to see the full The Pier Park proposal (PDF).

Previously:

Three teams left to compete for St. Petersburg Pier redesign

2015-04-15T19:11:00-04:00

Just three proposals left in the second attempt of the St. Petersburg Pier design competition in St. Petersburg, Florida. Back in 2012, "The Lens" by Michael Maltzan Architecture and Tom Leader Studio won the original competition, but that design was kicked to the curb after local group Concerned Citizens of St. Pete fiercely opposed it -- mostly because it eliminated the pier's iconic inverted pyramid that was built in 1973. The group's request to preserve the pyramid became a requirement for RFQ #2.

A final shortlist of seven new proposals was revealed last December. The Pier Selection Committee convened on March 20 to discuss each proposal, and then narrowed down the list to the following three proposals and their current designs:

ALMA by Alfonso Architects
Original proposal.

Destination St. Pete Pier by St. Pete Design Group
Original proposal.

The Pier Park by Rogers Partners Architects+Urban Designers, ASD, Ken Smith
Original proposal.

Each team is now preparing responses to an additio...

Asymptote to design Hermitage satellite museum in abandoned Moscow factory

2015-03-13T14:09:00-04:00

The State Hermitage Museum signed a protocol of intent on Wednesday, 11 March, with the St Petersburg-based LSR development group to open a satellite branch of the museum in Moscow, on the grounds of the landmark former Soviet ZIL automobile plant. [...] Also present was the Canadian architect Hani Rashid who will design the satellite with his New York-based firm Asymptote Architecture. Russian media report that construction is due to be completed by 2018.

New St. Pete Pier – Finalists 2.0

2014-12-30T17:51:00-05:00

Second time's the charm — that's what the eight finalists of the New St. Pete Pier competition must be thinking.

After the first attempt of an architectural competition to redesign the iconic pier in St. Petersburg, FL was off to a bad start (remember? Michael Maltzan's entry "The Lens" was first crowned as winning entry and, after a heated debate, quickly fed to the sharks and never realized), the City of St. Petersburg launched a second RFQ for the pier's redesign.

The latest brief incorporated one of the core arguments brought forward against "The Lens" by the group Concerned Citizens of St. Pete — the preservation of the signature Inverted Pyramid structure built in 1973.

Eight finalists have now been presented to the public; each team equipped with a $30,000 stipend to develop initial design concepts, cost estimates and detailed reports.

↑ Discover Bay Life by VOA - View concept (PDF)

↑ The Pier Park by Rogers Partners Architects+Urban Designers, ASD, Ken Smith - View concept (PDF)

↑...

A second chance for a new St. Petersburg Pier

2014-08-18T19:34:00-04:00

The City of St. Petersburg is up for attempt #2 in selecting a new architect to redesign the historic St. Petersburg Pier after the first proposal, "The Lens", was met with controversy and never built -- even after revisions were made.

In hopes that a new iconic Pier can be built this time around, the City recently set up a two-stage Request for Qualifications where balancing community input will be key. Once the September 5 deadline passes, each Statement of Qualification will be reviewed by the seven-member Selection Committee who will shortlist up to eight teams to be invited to Stage II. Shortlisted teams will each receive a $30,000 stipend and 10 weeks to submit a complete initial design concept.

After a technical review to analyze the concept's feasibility and budget, the committee will select the finalists, whose concepts will be presented to both the committee and the general public. The public will then have the chance to vote in a public survey. The committee will take resu...

The Pier, St. Petersburg's iconic inverted pyramid, closes this Friday, to be demolished in August

2013-05-28T20:24:00-04:00

The modernist five-story glass and steel structure was an attempt by city leaders to shake off the city’s image as a retirement destination. Even more radical was its inverted pyramid shape, chosen by architect William B. Harvard to make the most use of the limited space at the pierhead without blocking views of the city and Tampa Bay.

Tour the spectacular new Mariinsky Theatre with architect Jack Diamond

2013-05-01T13:50:00-04:00

It may seem surprising that a Canadian was chosen to design a Russian state-funded match for the historic Mariinsky Theatre. Gergiev, general and artistic director of the theatre, visited Diamond’s Four Seasons Centre, home of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, and was wowed. When Gergiev and Diamond met for dinner the following year, the two saw eye to eye on everything from acoustics to street continuity.

Jack Diamond, of Diamond Schmitt Architects, takes CBC on a tour of the new Mariinsky Theatre, to open tomorrow in St. Petersburg.

More about the Mariinsky II can be found on D+S's website.

Construction Update of St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport by Grimshaw Architects

2012-12-12T13:48:00-05:00

Grimshaw Architects reveals an interesting glimpse of the massive construction going on at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, Russia. Back in 2007, Grimshaw had won the competition for a new combined international and domestic terminal designed for 17 million passengers a year. The building is scheduled for completion in December 2013.

Michael Maltzan Sinks Underwater Reef Garden Idea for Revised St. Petersburg Pier Design

2012-11-28T12:14:00-05:00

Maltzan and his firm were sent back to the drawing board to revise plans for a pier renovation in St. Petersburg, Florida after scientists disputed the feasibility of the proposal’s main appeal: its underwater reef garden. Today, the firm released details of its revisions – the redesign will add shaded balconies, vehicular transit, and another restaurant — features suggested by the local community — while taking away the quasi-aquarium that helped christen the project “The Lens.”

'The Lens' Draws Sharp Comments at Town Hall Meeting

2012-02-03T17:07:00-05:00

About three-quarters of the people who spoke favored renovating the existing pier or picking a "Mediterranean-style" design for a replacement. The ultra-modern design of "The Lens" did not draw support from most of the people who spoke. "We are paying for $50 million for a sidewalk over the water," one commenter said. "I wanted Mediterranean style. (I) feel we are being locked into (a design) that doesn't have any local flavor."

Michael Maltzan’s “The Lens” Wins St. Petersburg Pier Competition

2012-01-20T13:41:00-05:00

This morning, the jury at the international St. Petersburg Pier competition announced "The Lens" proposal as the winning entry. Designed by Los Angeles firm Michael Maltzan Architecture in collaboration with landscape architects Tom Leader Studio, the scheme proposes a network of looping walkways and sweeping bridges which will add a landmark to the waterfront of St. Petersburg, Florida. The jury, three architects and two elected officials, selected the concept unanimously.

The Design Finalists for the St. Pete Pier

2011-11-30T17:32:52-05:00

The entries in the Pier Design Contest are in, and the options are as interesting as they are different. The three architectural firms, selected from a field of nine diverse semi finalists yesterday are Michael Maltzan Architecture, West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, and BIG.

Big Name Semi-Finalists for the St. Petersburg Pier Design Competition

2011-07-30T10:35:00-04:00

Six New York City firms were selected, including BIG, which Saitowitz said had designs of past projects that were "jaw dropping."

On Friday, a five-member panel narrowed down a list of 23 firms and teams competing to design a new $50 million Pier to nine semifinalists. They are:

West 8 Urban Design, New York City
Michael Maltzan Architecture, Los Angeles
BIG, New York City
James Corner Field Operations, New York City
HOK, Tampa
Frederic Schwartz, New York City
Weiss/Manfredi Architectural/Landscape/Urbanism, NYC
Farshid Moussavi Architecture, London
!melk Urban Design, NYC