(11-09-2023 11:33 AM)Ourland Wrote:  I hope they leave everything 'as is,' but just modernize and renovate it. Something significant will have to be done about the endzone, and that will be a big cost. Pulling up the concrete and laying down astroturf is what I would do. As for the press box, I would repurpose it entirely for the coaches and press. Fans can go to the "R" Room now that it's redone. I like the the press box the way it is. I'd miss it if it were replaced.

The problem with sending the stadium club to the R room is that it is a premium donation to be in the stadium club... so you'd either lose the premium or perhaps have to lose at least some of the R Association... both are bad options and TBH, while the EZ view is great, I would not want to give up the sideline view as a premium.

To the press box, as I understand it there simply isn't enough room for 'modern' broadcasts... and of course the equipment... so we need more room for cables and chases and a 'studio' view... but in neither example I gave was I demolishing the existing structure. In fact, I'd be tempted to turn parts of it back to what it looked like in the 50's. Either of my examples was essentially putting a 'new' (or at least an extended) structure in front of the existing box... and mostly/only renovating (for press and coaches) the 'new' (or extended) areas. The rest would be renovated as 'expanded' entertainment space.... of course with new and improved elevators to the new space.

I think of it like taking a West U bungalow and adding replacing the small screened in porch with a new living space that runs the whole width of the house. You can then expand the kitchen or bedrooms and bathrooms in the 'old' part of the house because you can now take over the old living room which has been replaced with the new space. From the front, the house looks the same... and if you match the brick, the back can look like it has always been there... but inside, it can be 'all new' or even turn an old style compartmentalized home into an 'open concept'.

I would NOT tear down the old structure... and even if it were now covered by the addition, I'd keep (and then mirror) the 'Rice University' on the front (like you might an interior exposed brick wall)

Alright, so when the updates to HRS are announced, and a sun shade in included, they should make sure it works like this.

We could possibly tarp the upper deck with these...

https://images.app.goo.gl/YkbvUpQ6DncNhuk59

It may look better than empty seats.

Something for Hambone’s suggestion about alternate power sources and storage:

https://bbc.com/future/article/20220511-...e-problems

Might as well give fans something entertaining at the football stadium...

(11-12-2023 09:20 PM)gsloth Wrote:  Alright, so when the updates to HRS are announced, and a sun shade in included, they should make sure it works like this.

Very cool. If we were able to remove the East deck, we could conceivably build a giant canopy over the entire lower concourse and seating, allowing everyone on that side to sit in shade. Install ceiling fans and chair back seating. Premium.

I wonder how much it would cost to remove that upper deck. Any guesses? That would be a big improvement. $5 million?

(01-09-2024 05:16 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 09:20 PM)gsloth Wrote:  Alright, so when the updates to HRS are announced, and a sun shade in included, they should make sure it works like this.

Very cool. If we were able to remove the East deck, we could conceivably build a giant canopy over the entire lower concourse and seating, allowing everyone on that side to sit in shade. Install ceiling fans and chair back seating. Premium.

I wonder how much it would cost to remove that upper deck. Any guesses? That would be a big improvement. $5 million?

It'll take a nuke to crack that monster.

(01-09-2024 05:57 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(01-09-2024 05:16 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 09:20 PM)gsloth Wrote:  Alright, so when the updates to HRS are announced, and a sun shade in included, they should make sure it works like this.

Very cool. If we were able to remove the East deck, we could conceivably build a giant canopy over the entire lower concourse and seating, allowing everyone on that side to sit in shade. Install ceiling fans and chair back seating. Premium.

I wonder how much it would cost to remove that upper deck. Any guesses? That would be a big improvement. $5 million?

It'll take a nuke to crack that monster.

Let's just reduce the capacity to 20,000 and then we'll fit in with our D-3 brethren. Removing the east upper deck would be an admission of no intent ever to become relevant again.

(01-09-2024 11:16 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Let's just reduce the capacity to 20,000 and then we'll fit in with our D-3 brethren. Removing the east upper deck would be an admission of no intent ever to become relevant again.

There aren't any D3 stadiums that seat 20,000.

(01-09-2024 11:16 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Let's just reduce the capacity to 20,000 and then we'll fit in with our D-3 brethren. Removing the east upper deck would be an admission of no intent ever to become relevant again.

You're right. Someday when the Texans leave town, UH shuts down football, and the SWC is reformed, we may need it.

(01-10-2024 02:30 AM)Ourland Wrote:  

(01-09-2024 11:16 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Let's just reduce the capacity to 20,000 and then we'll fit in with our D-3 brethren. Removing the east upper deck would be an admission of no intent ever to become relevant again.

You're right. Someday when the Texans leave town, UH shuts down football, and the SWC is reformed, we may need it.

No, I think some day when Rice starts to get serious about athletics, tey will ne it.

Unfortunately there might be a better chance of the Texans leaving, UH shutting doen football, and the SWC re-forming.

(01-10-2024 03:18 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(01-10-2024 02:30 AM)Ourland Wrote:  

(01-09-2024 11:16 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Let's just reduce the capacity to 20,000 and then we'll fit in with our D-3 brethren. Removing the east upper deck would be an admission of no intent ever to become relevant again.

You're right. Someday when the Texans leave town, UH shuts down football, and the SWC is reformed, we may need it.

No, I think some day when Rice starts to get serious about athletics, tey will ne it.

Unfortunately there might be a better chance of the Texans leaving, UH shutting doen football, and the SWC re-forming.

Rice hasn't needed that upper deck since the game against Texas in 1996, and it will never need it again. We both know that.

If the money can be found, Rice Stadium needs to be transformed into a great place for the small number of fans that the program can actually attract, not the number it attracted in the 60's. That deck needs to go, and something incredible done with that side of the stadium.

(01-10-2024 04:41 AM)Ourland Wrote:  Rice hasn't needed that upper deck since the game against Texas in 1996, and it will never need it again. We both know that.

If the money can be found, Rice Stadium needs to be transformed into a great place for the small number of fans that the program can actually attract, not the number it attracted in the 60's. That deck needs to go, and something incredible done with that side of the stadium.

Rice had 50,000+ fans for both of the first two home games of the 1997 season (Air Force and UT). Bit of a drought since then...

Stated capacity of HRS is now 47,000.

Rice has played before that many or more in HRS 49 times since opening day in 1950.
Add another 18 games (total 67) for the games of 40,000 or more.

There have been 9 games that were at capacity or SRO.
7 of those were vs UT (50, 54, 58, 60, 62, 64, 70), one vs SMU (50), and one vs A&M (57).
Opening day was not sold out - "only" 68,000.
Rice has played 409 regular season home games, plus one bowl game ('61 Bluebonnet Bowl) in HRS.

The last time we beat UT was in front of 34,700 in 1994.

7-4 in 1996, our first year in the WAC, before an average home crowd of 20,170.

7-4 in our second year in the WAC, 1997, before an average home crowd of 35,509.

HRS attendance highs starting in 1997...

1997: 53,811 vs UT (who had just fallen from the rankings (#10) after losing to UCLA; also the last time we played them in HRS); "Operation Sellout" for the opener against Air Force brought in 53,145
1998: 42,674 vs SMU (opening day); avg 22,114; we were 5-6
1999: 44,217 vs Navy
2000: 40,714 vs UH
2001: 29,317 vs Tulsa
2002: 30,747 vs UH
2003: 27,832 vs Navy
2004: 18,407 vs Fresno State (they were #22 in the final AP poll)
Average 13,961 in HRS in 2004. 12,550 for the home year, adding in
the final "home" game before 8,317 vs LaTech in NRG.
Rice was the statistical national rushing champion that year in a 3-8
season.
2005: 12,714 vs Navy; avg 10,072 in a one-win season
2006: 23,352 vs UH; avg 14,760 (four in HRS) in first bowl season of modern era
2007: 21,543 vs Texas Tech; avg 13,353
2008: 35,534 vs UH; avg 20,179 in second bowl season, 10-3 with bowl victory over Western Michigan before 58,880 @NRG
2009: 19,753 vs Vanderbilt
2010: 26,342 vs UH (who were #18), 4-8 season for Rice
2011: 25,317 vs Purdue
2012: 32,718 vs UH
2013: 22,974 vs Kansas; home opener of 10-4 season; drew 20,247 for C-USA championship game vs Marshall
2014: 21,195 vs UTSA
2015: 24,409 vs Army
2016: 27,047 vs (#16) Baylor
2017: 21,766 vs Army
2018: 26,390 vs UH
2019: 20,367 vs Southern Miss
2020: 2,000 vs UAB (COVID)
2021: 26,253 vs UH
2022: 21,926 vs UAB
2023: 23,425 vs UH

UH games are the only ones north of 30k since 2000, with the last above that threshold at 32,718 in 2012.
Nine of the highest-attended games since 2000 have been vs Houston.
The service academies are the next-highest draw since 1999.

Somewhere in there the count went from turnstile to overall sales.

I think the view of campus without the east deck would be amazing.... but I'm still not in favor of that.

I'm guessing, but I think we probably seat around 45k without either end zone... but only about 35k without the upper east.... and given the bell curve of traditional seating patterns, we'd be losing (just guessing) 5k 'premium' seats (between the 30's and/or low on the upper deck) out of only about 20k of them.

The only way I'd be in favor of removing the upper east would be if we replaced it with something smaller/better that also included lots of other upgrades... which would be nice since the home crowd would be looking at those.....

but it would be VERY expensive.

I'd rather see us (to the extent that I support some downsizing) improve the seating in the bench areas which could cost us some seats (width) or even some rows... SMUs seat widths were horribly narrow... and then do some other things that might reduce capacity, like suites and a party deck on the top of the lower deck or the bottom of the upper deck... and also an enhanced press box that would cost us some seats there as well..... and then go really high tech on the look and amenities.

IMO, it is the look and amenities where we should be spending our money... as opposed to most other places that are trying to add 20% more seats in the same footprint, we can go the other direction... which is a HUGE advantage. Make every seat in the bell curve a 'business class' seat... as opposed to the 'Spirit Airlines' chairs that everyone else is pushing.

This could be a huge engineering opportunity to create a 'retrofit' of chair backs for a stadium designed for benches. That's got to be a solid business idea that could have global applications.... including airlines and other places. They would use the shorter depth to cram in more seats... and we would be using it to allow a seat to go where a bench was previously.


ETA: I think the crowd size has been as reflective of the game day experience as anything else.... which is part of why we move larger crowds to NRG etc.... or why some teams won't come to HRS. Parking, concessions, bathrooms, amenities etc, especially with 30k+ in our stadium has been problematic in the past... I think a lot of that might be better now (not the parking) but its still not what it could be. SMUs parking was HORRENDOUS!!!!! and the concessions were boring... and the concourse experience was ok, but a lot like being in a subway. being able to see the game while walking around is a huge feature

If money was no object, they'd tear the whole thing down and start over.

I've really liked Hambone's idea of turning the lower east into something that extends out to the grassy area where the tailgates are, including improved concessions, lots of TVs covering ours and other games, and I can't remember all of the things he's suggested.

I'd like a Rice sports history museum there, where average fans can view the things that only R-Room patrons have seen for decades (and there are zero trophies on display in there since the renovation).

Replace the entire east second deck with air conditioned suites that include an outdoor porch, for those patrons who want to see the game without looking through a window.
I'd suggest cantilevering two levels, so that they provide shade for the lower east, but this might affect lighting the field.

And let Randy Schaffer have dibs on the suite on the 50.

I wonder if there isn't a way to chop off the top 30 rows, and keep the rest as covered, premium seating with chair backs. That would be nice. I don't think we need an upper East deck, but at least seating would be there as an option for fans. It would be in the shade, at least.

I think removal of the east upper deck would send the strongest possible signal that Rice University has no interest in ever being relevant in intercollegiate athletics again.

According to Tommy Mac’s latest podcast, this is the group to learn more about. And, Tanner is the man leading the charge.

https://populous.com


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