Architecture studio Gensler has revealed designs for a 22,000-seat stadium for the Chicago Fire FC soccer team that will be the anchor for The 78 development in the city.
Designed for developer Related Midwest, the stadium will be built as part of 63-acre development in the city’s South Loop neighbourhood on a former rail lot that has sat undeveloped for decades.
Visualisations of the project show a symmetrical, low-lying stadium with a steel canopy rising from brick-and-glass volumes.
A central entryway on its west, river-facing side features an industrial-style wall of dark metal with grills above the glass entryway.
Gensler said it was informed “by the historic warehouses that powered the city’s rise as an economic hub” for the open-air stadium’s design.
Meanwhile, Related Midwest stated that the design will follow the Chicago School of Architecture, perhaps referencing the way steel structural systems were combined with brick and stone seen in the Heyworth and Chicago Buildings from the 1900s.
Gensler principal Kirk Funkhouser stated that the stadium was emblematic of the expansion of America’s Major League Soccer League, known as MLS 3.0, with 12 new teams being added over the last 10 years.
He explained that an interview with the Chicago Fire FC team set the tone for the design of the stadium.
One of MLS’s “most ambitious” stadiums
“The vision for the Chicago Fire FC stadium was set during our interview with the team – to exemplify ‘MLS 3.0’ and establish a new standard for the fan and hospitality experience,” said Funkhouser.
“We design every space with an eye toward elevating the match day experience and look forward to delivering an exceptional venue that Chicagoans, players, coaches, and staff will enjoy for years to come.”
The $650 million stadium will be funded by the club’s owner and chairman, Joe Mansueto, according to Related Midwest. Though, extensive public improvements would be necessary to prepare the site, which lacks appropriate water, sewage and power infrastructure, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
The stadium is part of the first phase of The 78 development, named as an addition to the classic 77 “community areas” of Chicago.
Phase one will also incorporate a “pedestrian streetscape”, plaza, parks and a riverwalk.
Later phases in the development include residential and office programs, masterplanned by Gensler.
Visualisations show at least a dozen mid and high-rise buildings flanking the stadium.
Related Midwest said that the project would utilise existing parking garage infrastructure and be accessible via public transportation, while the developer plans on extending 13th Street to service the development.
It added that the stadium will be up and running in 2028.
This portion of land has been eyed by developers for decades. A previous scheme to develop the site included a new stadium for the Chicago White Sox baseball team, and in 2017, SOM was involved in a master plan.
Other proposed soccer stadiums in the United States include an HOK-designed stadium in Queens for New York City FC.
There are more signs that the league is taking off. In 2022, Hastings and Populuos completed America’s “largest purpose-built” soccer stadium in Nashville.
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