# Stadiums built with expansion in mind



## EquestrianClaret (Dec 31, 2011)

Many new stadiums are designed and built to take an expansion, should the users ever need it, in future.

In England, the Amex Arena (Falmer) for Brighton and Hove Albion had an incomplete upper tier in one stand, which they have since completed, in addition to adding seats to the corners. 










I quite like this as an idea because you don't have to demolish and rebuild much - the roof can stay on through out this. 

In France, the same firm of architects have produced two stadiums - some years apart - which can have a second tier added without re-working the roof structure:

Firstly, Stade Licorne:











Secondly, Stade des Alpes:










These French stadiums have a certain elegance and don't look incomplete, yet can be simply expanded.

The new one in Essen can have its corners filled in to raise the capacity a few thousand:




















Are there any other stadiums that are built to accommodate expansion without major rebuilding of an existing structure (e.g. without having to replace the roof? Or by leaving space for extra stands in the corners?Save
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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

Knights Stadium in Charlotte was built to be expanded to MLB standards, if an expansion team was ever awarded, but the call never came, and now the stadium's era is actually over, obsolete. City settled for a new, small park downtown.










Obvious what they were going for here


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

Coca Cola Field in Buffalo.


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## Bigmac1212 (Nov 2, 2004)

Most college football stadiums in the United States come to mind. Too many to count...


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## Gadiri (Oct 30, 2009)

*Tangiers
From 45.000 to 69.000
*


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## eMKay (Feb 2, 2007)

Coca Cola Field, Buffalo, NY. It's a minor league ballpark. When it was built in 1988 Buffalo was trying to get a Major League expansion team (They were one of the 4 finalists but they failed, the teams went to Miami and Denver in 1993). It seated 19,500 when opened and was designed to have a 3rd deck installed along with some outfield seating bringing it to 40,000 in one offseason.


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

Coors Field was originally planned to have a capacity around 43,000, but after the Rockies drew so well at Mile High Stadium their first 2 seasons, it was designed to hold over 50,000. Hindsight has proven that they should have stuck with the original figure.


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## Bigmac1212 (Nov 2, 2004)

Phantom Dreamer said:


> Coors Field was originally planned to have a capacity around 43,000, but after the Rockies drew so well at Mile High Stadium their first 2 seasons, it was designed to hold over 50,000. Hindsight has proven that they should have stuck with the original figure.


Are you so high and mighty to disprove everything? Please get off this sanctimonious BS against new ballparks.


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## alexandru.mircea (May 18, 2011)

I always thought that the stadiums in Amiens and Grenoble looked a bit awkward, now I know why! Cheers


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## Dcarnys (Nov 5, 2011)

Scba said:


> Knights Stadium in Charlotte was built to be expanded to MLB standards, if an expansion team was ever awarded, but the call never came, and now the stadium's era is actually over, obsolete. City settled for a new, small park downtown.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Used to work there. Was a crappy stadium but I miss that place.


I just remembered, came across ahwile back what it was to look like had it been expanded.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/2628628033/in/photostream
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/2628626659/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/2629444316/in/photostream/


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

Real cutting-edge vision they had there, boy.


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## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

US College football stadiums are always being expanded. Some plan their expansions better than others: They don't have roofs, and can usually just add another deck above or have open endzones they can fill in:

TFC Bank stadium is a good example with the open end:










Papa Johns Stadium:









SMU:


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## MikeC9180 (Mar 23, 2015)

The Stadium of Light in Sunderland was built originally with a capacity of 42.000.

https://www.google.se/imgres?imgurl...7PNAhXGkSwKHW-rDbMQMwhZKC0wLQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

...it was then expanded to 49.000 by continuing the upper tier further around the ground..

https://www.google.se/imgres?imgurl...7PNAhXGkSwKHW-rDbMQMwhcKDAwMA&iact=mrc&uact=8

And has been designed to be expanded up to 80.000 if the need ever arises. Now there's optimism for you!


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## canarywondergod (Apr 24, 2006)

MikeC9180 said:


> The Stadium of Light in Sunderland was built originally with a capacity of 42.000.
> 
> https://www.google.se/imgres?imgurl...7PNAhXGkSwKHW-rDbMQMwhZKC0wLQ&iact=mrc&uact=8
> 
> ...



If they complete the second tier all the way around what would the capacity be then? 60,000?


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## AstroBiont (Nov 20, 2007)

Stadium mk in Milton Keynes, England.












> Description: Stadium mk
> 
> First proposal to build a stadium in Milton Keynes was made in 2002, when Wimbledon were granted permission to relocate. The venue was to be opened in 2004, but construction works hadn’t even started before that date. Groundbreaking took place in 2005 and the stadium designed by world-famous Populous was ready in mid-2007.
> 
> ...


http://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/eng/stadiummk


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## AstroBiont (Nov 20, 2007)

canarywondergod said:


> If they complete the second tier all the way around what would the capacity be then? 60,000?


I think I've read 64,000, but Wikipedia says 63,000. That article also says that the theoretical maximum capacity is 84,000(!):

"The stadium's design allows possible expansion of a further tier; completed expansion of the whole upper tier would produce a capacity of 63,000, although it is known that the stadium can expand to a maximum capacity of 84,000, this would never be exercised as the demand for space is at a minimum."


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## DouglasFir33 (May 27, 2015)

weava said:


> US College football stadiums are always being expanded. Some plan their expansions better than others: They don't have roofs, and can usually just add another deck above or have open endzones they can fill in:
> 
> TFC Bank stadium is a good example with the open end:
> 
> ...


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## fidalgo (Mar 10, 2007)

Estádio João Havelange (Engenhão) in Rio de Janeiro


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## whoareyou123 (Jun 20, 2016)

I think it's built in a way that they could just plop another level on there and keep the horseshoe open for the scoreboard/framed view of downtown Minneapolis


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## Phantom Dreamer (Apr 2, 2016)

Bigmac1212 said:


> Are you so high and mighty to disprove everything? Please get off this sanctimonious BS against new ballparks.


Hindsight has proven that it was mistake to construct Coors with such a large capacity. The whole right field upper deck gives it an unsightly "multipurpose" vibe. Joe Robbie in reverse.


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