Why is Lumen Field considered....

[Maulbert]

....so much better than other NFL stadiums built in the same era? From the point That Everbank Field (Jaguars) and Bank of America Stadium (Panthers) were finished in 1995, and State Farm Stadium (Cardinals) was finished in 2006, There were 15 new stadiums in the NFL (not counting Arizona). Of those 15, 7 are either in the process of planning a replacement or actively being replaced: Everbank, BoA, FedEx Field (Commies), Huntington Bank Field (Browns), Nissan Stadium (Titans), Empower Field (Broncos) and Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles). Another 5, the Ravens, Bucs, Bengals, Texans and Lions, are undertaking massive renovations of their existing stadiums. While the Hawks, Patriots, and Steelers are doing minor upgrades, none of them qualify as major renovations.

So why does Lumen hold up better compared to so many of it's contemporaries? What did Paul Allen get so right?

 

[AROS]

Aesthetics. The arches are a classic look and when you mix in the downtown views, right next to Puget Sound, it’s hard to beat.

It was also designed to not have a bad seat in the house. Intimate, designed to capture the sound of the fans down to the field…

It makes sense why Lumen gets high marks.

 

[Dolomight12]

It's a magical place.

 

[hawker84]

It used to be a magical place, filled with some of the best fans in sports. Not sure what's going on there now. No way 10 years ago would you see the opposing teams fans take over our place like they do now. Sad for us old timers to see.

 

[8-bit]

I heard the Hawks nest will have backrests soon as its a Fifa regulation for stadiums hosting world cup matches.

 

[Aircrew]

I would also add that its a more "compact" design, smaller footprint, which contributes to the intimate viewing experience. I've been to several stadiums around the U.S. and the bigger stadiums have a distant and detached feel to them. Not bad, per se, just different. Lumen is a well thought out design that will outlive many other stadiums throughout the country.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

It's a phenomenal place to watch a game, always has been.

 

[cymatica]

Was next to stage at the Metallica Pantera concert, I was surprised how compact it felt on field level

 

[Chukarhawk]

My brother spent 5 years as a back up QB in the NFL. he said Seattle is his favorite venue.

 

[ivotuk]

Tod Leiweke. I had a hard time finding a general description of who he is, but here's these:

Tod Leiweke - General - National Football Foundation

Tod Leiweke (2017) - The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced that Tod Leiweke, the chief operating officer of the National Football

footballfoundation.org

Why sports and Seattle continue to be a perfect fit

Seattle has abundant storylines around sports and business.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

 

[Glasgow Seahawk]

Isn't it basically based on Husky stadium but with arches and seats? 2 massive stands that that pour noise onto the field and 2 open-ish ends that allow views.

Im guessing Paul Allen got in the best consultants at the time to optimize everything back then.

It's probably due a revamp after the world cup but the only thing really missing on it compared to modern stadiums is the size of the screens.

Only gripe from an non nfl perspective is lack of grass field. That and the stupid monster truck/motocross shows that absolutely wreck the field turf.

 

[sutz]

Don't really see the Husky Stadium comparison, but you do you.

The roof sections are designed as parabolic reflectors that focus the crowd noise on the field. The arches are functional as well as aesthetic.

Hard to maintain grass fields with the rain we have. I guess they're laying sod for the World Cup next year, but it doesn't really work for our brand of football. Gets too torn up.

The other events that are put on there can be destructive to the field, but they would be worse on grass.

 

[Glasgow Seahawk]

Don't really see the Husky Stadium comparison, but you do you.

The roof sections are designed as parabolic reflectors that focus the crowd noise on the field. The arches are functional as well as aesthetic.

Hard to maintain grass fields with the rain we have. I guess they're laying sod for the World Cup next year, but it doesn't really work for our brand of football. Gets too torn up.

The other events that are put on there can be destructive to the field, but they would be worse on grass.

Re the roof sections, so is Husky stadiums. It's why both stadiums are loud (and yes the fans too).

I get the practicalities of not having grass, its just a bug bear as someone who watches the sounders every week where grass would make it perfect.

If it was up to me there wouldn't be the monster truck stuff in the stadium, do it at the Tacoma dome or something. Concerts arent as bad but the sheer weight of all the soil and stuff really does a number.

 

[BocciHawk]

Husky Stadium has a running track around the football field, so it's not nearly as intimate.

I think they were very thoughtful when our building was made. The suites and club levels were done in a fairly intelligent way. The field level suites were a totally new thing that no one else had done.

I went on a tour when it was being finished. There were only a handful of seats installed, that was the main thing they were working on. They rolled out the Field Turf partially on the day I was there. They had two seats installed way up top in the exposed area next to the supports for the arch -- south end, west side, above what became the "Fan Deck" towards the water. My season ticket rep had us go up there during the tour, and he said "these are the worst seats in the entire building" and invited us to sit in them, so I did. Great seats!

Way back when, I had seats in the last row in the north end zone Kingdome. I could stand up and touch the roof. I think it was row 32, maybe 31. It was such a long walk to the bathroom that we'd buy two King Beers each, and whoever finished one first, would establish it as the communal bedpan next to one of the roof columns. Those seats were kind of classic... totally a videogame angle, you could see how plays developed, more of an angle for film than for spectating. Wild crowd!

Those seats were terrible. Cheap, and fun, but terrible. I'd routinely go home and turn on the DVR to figure out what actually happened...

 

[bileever]

We have Paul Allen to thank for the design of the stadium. He was very much involved in the process. He wanted a stadium similar to Husky Stadium, but more intimate. I think he accomplished his goal.

We also have the taxpayers of Washington state to thank. The state paid $300 million, and Paul Allen paid about $150 milion of the construction cost. It's not an overstatement to say Paul Allen saved football in Seattle in more ways than one.

 

[JGreen79]

Isn't there also a clause that states it has to remain in the 10 stadiums?

 

[Sperrydogg]

Because it’s Seattle man.. it’s the great north west. Everything is prettier and so we have a standard to keep and our stadium prioritizes its beauty over the bottom line. Stay green munchie

 

[Chapow]

How sad is this? Almost as if it's an attempt to make Seattle as ugly as possible for all the world to see:

For what it's worth, the mayor's office, city attorney's office, and SPD have all disputed this "story" and have said there has been no policy change regarding making drug related arrests.

 

[DJrmb]

Husky Stadium has a running track around the football field, so it's not nearly as intimate.

I think they were very thoughtful when our building was made. The suites and club levels were done in a fairly intelligent way. The field level suites were a totally new thing that no one else had done.

I went on a tour when it was being finished. There were only a handful of seats installed, that was the main thing they were working on. They rolled out the Field Turf partially on the day I was there. They had two seats installed way up top in the exposed area next to the supports for the arch -- south end, west side, above what became the "Fan Deck" towards the water. My season ticket rep had us go up there during the tour, and he said "these are the worst seats in the entire building" and invited us to sit in them, so I did. Great seats!

Way back when, I had seats in the last row in the north end zone Kingdome. I could stand up and touch the roof. I think it was row 32, maybe 31. It was such a long walk to the bathroom that we'd buy two King Beers each, and whoever finished one first, would establish it as the communal bedpan next to one of the roof columns. Those seats were kind of classic... totally a videogame angle, you could see how plays developed, more of an angle for film than for spectating. Wild crowd!

Those seats were terrible. Cheap, and fun, but terrible. I'd routinely go home and turn on the DVR to figure out what actually happened...

Husky stadium removed the track and brought the seats in closer like Lumen when they remodeled it about 13 years ago.

 

[FrodosFinger]

....so much better than other NFL stadiums built in the same era? From the point That Everbank Field (Jaguars) and Bank of America Stadium (Panthers) were finished in 1995, and State Farm Stadium (Cardinals) was finished in 2006, There were 15 new stadiums in the NFL (not counting Arizona). Of those 15, 7 are either in the process of planning a replacement or actively being replaced: Everbank, BoA, FedEx Field (Commies), Huntington Bank Field (Browns), Nissan Stadium (Titans), Empower Field (Broncos) and Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles). Another 5, the Ravens, Bucs, Bengals, Texans and Lions, are undertaking massive renovations of their existing stadiums. While the Hawks, Patriots, and Steelers are doing minor upgrades, none of them qualify as major renovations.

So why does Lumen hold up better compared to so many of it's contemporaries? What did Paul Allen get so right?

I can definitely say the architecture was flawless. They’ve done upgrades through the years but the stadium has great bones. Great acoustics, steep stands ensuring even nosebleed has a very good view of all of the action. Covered seating, stellar amenities and atmosphere. Paul Allen created an environment for success. Thank God for deep pockets