Conceptual Drawings For Braves New Stadium Released

ajc - The Atlanta Braves released on Wednesday conceptual drawings of their planned 41,000-plus seat Cobb County Stadium.

The images show a stadium with three main decks, including a split upper deck, and a broad sun canopy that’s about three times the size of the overhang at Turner Field. The drawings also provide a glimpse at the design concepts behind the $400 million mixed-use complex to sit around the ballpark.

“This is a very early look at how our vision is shaping up and, even though we are still months away from final plans and drawings, we are very pleased with the progress,” said Braves President John Schuerholz, said in a news release. “The renderings represent the sense of place we intend to create 365 days a year in addition to a world-class ballpark.”

The Braves announced in November their intention to move to Cobb into a new $622 million stadium for the 2017 season. The team also plans to open the first phase of its surrounding mixed-use project, a blend of bars, shops, restaurants, office space, hotels and residences, in 2017 with full completion slated for 2019.

The stadium will have a seating bowl closer to the diamond, Braves officials said.

Derek Schiller, the Braves head of marketing, told reporters in a conference call that the ballpark will be oriented to the southwest. It’s not a typical ballpark layout – given the position of the sun in late afternoon hours and the view for fans and players at-bat.

But Schiller said there are a handful of other stadiums with a similar orientation, and the team and its designers have performed sun studies that have dismissed concerns about the issue. But a listing of ballparks on the Baseball Almanac website did not show any major league stadiums that point west or southwest.

Unlike Turner Field, the stadium also will likely have more character in its outfield. Rather than a curved outfield wall, Schiller said the team is looking at other arrangements with more defined power alleys.

He said, however, that he wouldn’t label the new stadium a hitter’s ballpark, and that the new venue will likely retain Turner Field’s reputation as a more pitcher-friendly field.

The renderings also show green space and a small lake of about 1-to 1.5 acres that will be a prominent feature on the site.

So the Braves released the conceptual drawings for the Cobb County Stadium set to open in 2017.

What I Like

-The new ballpark will hold 41,000 people, about 8,000 less people than Turner Field which  is good because the TED looks empty on most nights.
-The stadium looks fucking awesome and apparently there are more seats closer to the field.
-I dont know why but there is something about the mini lake that I really like.
-I suppose hotels, stores and bars surrounding the stadium will be much nicer than the area surrounding Turner Field which is nothing.

Concerns

-The new Stadium is being built in an area that already has ridiculous traffic problems so I don't imagine a 41,000 seat ballpark is gonna help that situation.

-Currently at Turner Field the parking lots are one huge tailgating party where I am drinking beers that cost less than a dollar.  Are the only pre-gaming options at the new ballpark gonna be the bars around the stadium where beers will probably be $5 plus?
-Finally the most shocking thing about this design to me is that the stadium is gonna be facing to the southwest.  Who the fuck came up with this idea?  Oh they have preformed "sun studies" and there are other stadiums with this orientation.  There are no ballparks in the big leagues that face to the southwest so what stadiums are you talking about?  Your sons fucking little league field?  It just seems dumb to me to point a ballpark in the direction the sun sets but maybe thats just me.