Red Bull New York on Thursday unveiled the updated design of Red Bull Park, a state-of-the-art soccer-specific facility, to be constructed in Harrison, New Jersey. The stadium's updated design was completed by Rossetti Architects of Los Angeles, CA. Rossetti was the original architect on the project. Red Bull New York also announced the selection of New Jersey-based Hunter Roberts Construction Group, LLC, as the project's construction manager and general contractor. Construction is set to begin in early December 2007 with a yet to be determined completion date in 2009. Red Bull New York took over complete control of the project on November 16, 2007, after purchasing the 50% interests of AEG.
Key to the updated design is a new dynamic form roof - a curving structure that wraps the entire stadium in an elegant metal shell. The unique stadium roof design, which will create a distinguished identity and unique atmosphere for Red Bulls fans, will extend from its leading edge over the entire seating bowl and then curve down to the concourse, creating the dominate architectural statement of power and elegance. The roof will extend 130 feet from the last seat to just over the field's touchlines, with 60 feet of the roof being translucent, letting in natural light.
"Red Bull Park was re-designed to be more in line with soccer facilities worldwide," said Red Bull New York Managing Director Marc de Grandpre. "To fulfill our ultimate goal of creating an elite sports franchise in the United States for our fans, it is vital that we have a home that all of us can be proud of. Red Bull Park will become the benchmark in the North American soccer stadium landscape, setting the standard for other soccer arenas across the nation."
Also included in the update is the location of the seating in relation to the field. The main concourse will be 26-feet high, eliminating the majority of field-level entryways. This will give Red Bull Park's seating bowl a very compact, close-to-the-action feeling. The first row of lower level seats are just 21 feet from the touchlines.
Unique to Red Bull Park will be media seating - which will be in the lower bowl, directly behind the player benches. Set to accommodate 100 media members, the seating will be placed in a section at midfield with access to the main media workroom, located at field level underneath the media seating and near team locker rooms. An additional media area will be located on the 5th level, which will also include three television broadcast booths and three radio booths.
The exterior of Red Bull Park has also been modified to be predominately composed of metal panels, clear polycarbonate panels, and glass. It will feature an overall seating capacity of 25,189 for soccer. Included in the redesign are 30 luxury suites (20 lower level and 10 upper level) and 1,116 club seats. The suite and club seating areas will be located on the west side of the field and each location will have access to their own private club areas.
Red Bull Park is situated on 12.34-acre site bounded by 6th Street to the west and Cape May Street to the South and East. The facility is owned by Red Bull Park, Inc., on a site owned by the Town of Harrison.
About Red Bull New York: RBNY is one of 14 teams that comprise the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States - Major League Soccer. On the field, the team is led by former Premiership striker Juan Pablo Angel, a finalist for the League's Most Valuable Player award, and former U.S. World Cup captain Claudio Reyna. In addition to Red Bull Park, the team is constructing a permanent, state-of-the-art training facility in Hanover, New Jersey. RBNY is owned by Red Bull GmbH, an Austrian company that produces the world's leading energy drink.
About Rossetti: Rossetti is an award-winning architectural firm, with over 100 talented employees, located in Detroit, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Denver and Shanghai. Found in 1969, Rossetti has held the position of a leading sports and entertainment architecture firm for over 35 years.
About Hunter Roberts Construction Group, LLC: Hunter Roberts Construction Group, LLC is providing pre-construction and construction management services for Red Bull New York on their stadium project. Hunter Roberts is a privately held and domestically operated firm committed to continuously cultivating and maintaining client partnerships grounded in experience and integrity. They deliver a broad range of construction services, including pre-construction, program management, value engineering, construction management, general contracting and consulting in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and the Carolina's. Hunter Roberts believes their service capabilities are only as valuable as the quality of the relationships that animate them. Their client focused approach is dynamic and energetic, and is supported by a high level of senior management involvement, streamlined operations and an effective web-based project management system. For more information, please contact Daniel Shea - Director, Business Development at 908-901-4600. www.hunterrobertscg.com.
