(06-20-2016 02:09 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Fan tarps create theater. It's an illusion that alters the psyche of fans in attendance. Fireworks and video boards do the same thing. It's not an attempt to "fool" anyone. It's simply a strategy for beautifying the stadium and making it feel more like a big-time college football atmosphere. It would be better than looking at an enormous, empty deck of seats. Who can honestly argue against that? I think it's unique and exciting. If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't act like it's such a terrible idea when the only solution you offer up is 'solar paint.' This isn't a discussion on sources of renewable energy.

More evidence of your poor reading skills.

I haven't acted like it's a terrible idea. I've repeatedly said that the administration will make such a determination and while i don't think they will do so, they certainly could agree with you.

I understand that UH athletics only cares about students because they want to charge them fees to pay for construction, but at Rice, it generally behooves us to try and integrate the operations with academics. I wouldn't begin to tell those people how best to use the stadium, but it seems obvious that the upper east sits empty for 360+ days per year and it gets awfully hot in the summers. If you have another suggestion, have at it... but 'paint' related to renewable energy is something that Rice is already working on... both spending money on and getting research grants for it. Out here in California, Fresno State has to lease space if they want to conduct practical 'solar energy' research.

I probably should just do as others do and ignore you, but there are lots of people on here who aren't on here often enough to know where your allegiances really lie, and that your opinions are in the vast minority.

w/r/t creating theater, as I and others have said... there is absolutely nothing exciting about tarps. Tarps can be aesthetically preferable to concrete, but no more so than paint... and paint doesn't have to be removed or stored. They don't do ANYTHING for the atmosphere.... except remove 10,000 prime seats (between the 30's).

(06-20-2016 09:40 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  And as far as the swipe at UH is concerned, there are plenty of people here who would trade Rice's athletic lot in life for UH's. You'd be a damn liar if you denied it. Talk all the smack you want about UH, but you know as well as I do that your little fan club here is full of envious members. It sucks doesn't it?

I've never met anyone who is as bad at anything as you are at message board posting.

Looks like they are installing light-weight white sarcophagi for the victims (or honorees), where the players' ramp will be.

(06-20-2016 01:22 PM)Grungy Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 11:13 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  I HAVE suggested that we build a new press box and even suites in front of the old one... which would be closer to the game AND push west siders further down. Leave the old area as a 'work space' or even a green room for media or even a museum of sorts.

Shade.
Add something that provides more shade.
Have you ever watched the crowd on the ends of the lower West side migrate to be in the shade?
The same thing happens as the shadow of the press box swings around.
Somewhere I have pictures of this, from my seat in the solar dutch oven section.

YES! I can't wait to get chastised for this one, but why can't some kind of temporary canopy be erected on the lower east side of the stadium? Nothing cheap of course, and something that's sturdy enough to stay in place until it needs to be removed for a big game. No one sits in the upper west stands, so there's no worries about having to block anyone's view. Something needs to be done. The MOB, students, and visiting fans are over there baking in the sun. It's hell. I can't stand it myself.

(06-22-2016 11:12 AM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 01:22 PM)Grungy Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 11:13 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  I HAVE suggested that we build a new press box and even suites in front of the old one... which would be closer to the game AND push west siders further down. Leave the old area as a 'work space' or even a green room for media or even a museum of sorts.

Shade.
Add something that provides more shade.
Have you ever watched the crowd on the ends of the lower West side migrate to be in the shade?
The same thing happens as the shadow of the press box swings around.
Somewhere I have pictures of this, from my seat in the solar dutch oven section.

YES! I can't wait to get chastised for this one, but why can't some kind of temporary canopy be erected on the lower east side of the stadium? Nothing cheap of course, and something that's sturdy enough to stay in place until it needs to be removed for a big game. No one sits in the upper west stands, so there's no worries about having to block anyone's view. Something needs to be done. The MOB, students, and visiting fans are over there baking in the sun. It's hell. I can't stand it myself.

We've been talking about this issue for years....

but you're making no sense.

No canopy erected on the lower east would help with the mid-day and afternoon sun in the west that causes them the heat.... at least not one that wouldn't block their view of the field....

unless you're suggesting a half-dome over the west?

and we sell thousands of upper west season tickets precisely because they get the shade of the press box in the late afternoon... which is specifically the comment that you were responding to.

First panel of the scoreboard display going in place.

Proposal from 1966...

(06-22-2016 12:06 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(06-22-2016 11:12 AM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 01:22 PM)Grungy Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 11:13 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  I HAVE suggested that we build a new press box and even suites in front of the old one... which would be closer to the game AND push west siders further down. Leave the old area as a 'work space' or even a green room for media or even a museum of sorts.

Shade.
Add something that provides more shade.
Have you ever watched the crowd on the ends of the lower West side migrate to be in the shade?
The same thing happens as the shadow of the press box swings around.
Somewhere I have pictures of this, from my seat in the solar dutch oven section.

YES! I can't wait to get chastised for this one, but why can't some kind of temporary canopy be erected on the lower east side of the stadium? Nothing cheap of course, and something that's sturdy enough to stay in place until it needs to be removed for a big game. No one sits in the upper west stands, so there's no worries about having to block anyone's view. Something needs to be done. The MOB, students, and visiting fans are over there baking in the sun. It's hell. I can't stand it myself.

We've been talking about this issue for years....

but you're making no sense.

No canopy erected on the lower east would help with the mid-day and afternoon sun in the west that causes them the heat.... at least not one that wouldn't block their view of the field....

unless you're suggesting a half-dome over the west?

and we sell thousands of upper west season tickets precisely because they get the shade of the press box in the late afternoon... which is specifically the comment that you were responding to.

I meant to say 'upper east stands.' I notice on the Rice Athletics website that the upper east seats aren't even for sale this year. Is the deck going to be closed off completely? The bottom line is that something can be done to shade those folks who sit in the lower east side. If no one will be sitting above, why worry about blocking anyone's view? I'm just brainstorming here. I'd love to here other ideas.

(06-22-2016 01:53 PM)Grungy Wrote:  Proposal from 1966...

Very interesting. The canopy I have in mind would start at the bottom of the upper deck and extend about 70 feet out toward the field. It would be plenty enough to keep fans from retreating to the concourse, but not enough to shade everyone if the lower deck were sold out.

This would make the parachute-the-game-ball-in pregame stunt quite challenging.

(06-22-2016 01:53 PM)Grungy Wrote:  

(06-22-2016 02:18 PM)Grungy Wrote:  This would make the parachute-the-game-ball-in pregame stunt quite challenging.

(06-22-2016 01:53 PM)Grungy Wrote:  

Seems to be inspired by Saarinen

(06-22-2016 02:18 PM)Grungy Wrote:  This would make the parachute-the-game-ball-in pregame stunt quite challenging.

(06-22-2016 01:53 PM)Grungy Wrote:  

Maybe that's why they didn't move forward with it.

For those who like "construction porn" -- they're lifting a segment of the new video board into place RIGHT NOW.

What's with the enormous white boxes being used on the ramp? Has anyone ever seen that before?

(06-23-2016 01:03 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  What's with the enormous white boxes being used on the ramp? Has anyone ever seen that before?

I mentioned it in post 843, but there have been no other guesses yet.

Top row of the center part of the score board going up.
The white "boxes" on the ramp are being handled as if they are made of styrofoam.
Forms for something, perhaps?
May be drainage for the ramp/bowl, to channel rainwater (I would guess into the pump house directly).

(06-24-2016 08:41 AM)Grungy Wrote:  Top row of the center part of the score board going up.
The white "boxes" on the ramp are being handled as if they are made of styrofoam.
Forms for something, perhaps?
May be drainage for the ramp/bowl, to channel rainwater (I would guess into the pump house directly).

I'm assuming that the speakers will be installed in the open spaces to the left and right?

Because that would make sense?
They were building a cage of steel members that could approximate the missing upper segment, which could be for containing the speakers.
They were using the crane to reposition it to work on it, in the lay-down area visible off to the right.

(06-24-2016 09:55 AM)Grungy Wrote:  Because that would make sense?
They were building a cage of steel members that could approximate the missing upper segment, which could be for containing the speakers.
They were using the crane to reposition it to work on it, in the lay-down area visible off to the right.

Sounds good

Twitter pic from John Simmons.