The House of Heat could gain some shade

Tempe, AZ – The initial conceptual designs for a renovated Sun Devil Stadium were released over a year ago to luke warm reviews.

On one hand, it was exciting to hear about the much needed plans to redesign and upgrade the home of the Sun Devil football. On the other hand, some of the external design features were met with concern and opposition from fans.

VP of Athletics Steve Patterson has been feeling the heat (for lack of a better word) from Larry Scott and the Pac-12 Network, whose strategy includes scheduling games earlier in the day in order to get the conference more east coast exposure. They have been doing an excellent job at generating more interest in the conference on a national level, all of which generates more revenue for the twelve universities.

This partly drove the design plans to accommodate fans with more shade on game day. Pac-12 considerations aside, some shade would be a big enhancement to the Sun Devil fan’s experience for six to seven home games each year.

Ultimately, that was the main force behind the concept of a complete “tarp” shade covering the entire stadium.

The initial conceptual “tarp” design unveiled by ASU last year.

My initial reaction when I saw the design was that covering the entire stadium would create a partial “greenhouse” effect by trapping heat and reducing air flow. Although the sun would be blocked out creating 100% shade coverage throughout the stadium and a slight temperature drop, the heat inside would have a hard time escaping from the players on the field and fans in the stadium. 

Other fans were simply opposed to such a radical new design for the traditional stadium sitting between the unique buttes in Tempe.

Now that some time has passed, the conversation about shade options is ongoing in order for ASU to reach the best and most cost effective decision.

It would seem that an open air design with large shade canopies is the answer. Not a tarp covering the entire stadium.

We did some research, and the best new stadium design that incorporates this type of shade feature can be found at Baylor University.

The new Baylor stadium with shade covering and open air design.

Baylor is incorporating large shade panels that give the feel of a European soccer stadium. More importantly, the open air design allows for circulation and air flow throughout the stadium.

An open air design like this at ASU would solve the shade issues, and still allow the beautiful Tempe sun to shine bright on game days. There are always design costs and existing structural issues to consider, but we think this type of design would be a great starting point for Sun Devil Stadium.

The future plans for ASU also include artificial field turf to replace the natural grass at Sun Devil Stadium. Although the playing field at ASU has gained a reputation for being one of the fastest fields in the country, field turf is the new wave in college football. As a matter of fact, it is most likely faster than natural grass adding to the Sun Devils home field advantage.

Picture a perfect green field surface including gold painted end-zones with ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS in maroon letters, along with a permanent pitchfork logo at midfield. Field turf is also much more cost effective to maintain than natural grass.

Adding gold, fold down seats to the lower bowl would help reduce seating capacity and give a strong visual impact.

The other design idea that would make a big visual impact would be to install gold fold down chairs throughout the lower bowl in the stadium. This makes sense for a few reasons. First, it helps to reduce seating capacity which is currently at 71,706. In reality, the perfect number of seats should be around 60,000.

Although knocking out the upper level of the north end-zone will remove roughly 5,700 seats and help with the numbers, it wouldn’t hurt to reduce some seating in the lower bowl also. We like the idea of installing separate seats to create a little more elbow room for fans. Also, the visual impact would be attractive, which shows better to fans, recruits and and on TV.

A massive redevelopment project like this doesn’t come around very often. ASU has a big opportunity to put the right stamp on every design detail. Because if it’s done right, they will have proven they are invested in the long term success of Arizona State Football, something that every Sun Devil fan desires.

I can tell you one thing, Coach Graham wouldn’t have it any other way.

Another photo of the design and shade canopy for new Baylor Stadium

The new Baylor Stadium is set to open in roughly a year.

We want to hear collectively from other fans. Everyone’s excited about the new Sun Devil Stadium and the specifics. If you have any ideas or input, post them in the DieHard Forum here.