Gensler unveils $1 billion redevelopment plan for Houstons Astrodome
Finally, after 15 years of speculation and a variety of architectural proposals, a plan is in place to transform Houstons beloved Astrodome. Dubbed Vision: Astrodome, the new plan from Gensler and the Astrodome Conservancy, a private nonprofit that advocates for the structures reuse was unveiled this week. It largely maintains the structures original use as an entertainment venue, while also introducing new supporting programs including offices, retail, and restaurants. The redevelopment is also designed to engage NRG Park, Houstons major sports and conventions complex, transforming the area into a more walkable urban space.The new proposal creates a pedestrian boulevard that the architects compare to New York Citys High Line. (Courtesy Astrodome Conservancy)Genslers intervention hinges upon an arc-shaped path that will be carved through the existing structure. A new events stage will be constructed at the midpoint of the arc, while its respective arms, which reach outside of the Astrodome, will connect pedestrians to its neighbors: the NRG Center and NRG Stadium. This parabolic boulevard was inspired by New York Citys High Line. The Astrodome can and should be the heartbeat of a new, global entertainment destination at NRG Park, said Judy Nyquist, founding board member of the Astrodome Conservancy. It will serve as an exciting catalyst for future development in and around the Park.Gensler has designed four new structures to be constructed within the dome. (Courtesy Astrodome Conservancy)In total, four new structures will be constructed within the dome. The aforementioned event center is the most prominent, rising above the stands, while the othersa rodeo experience, the NASA Center, and a food hall for local vendorswill be embedded within the grandstand and the connecting corridors beneath. In addition, a retail village will be built along the exterior of the stadium.According to a press release, these interventions will add 450,00 square feet of revenue-generating space, justifying the projects expected $ 1 billion price tag. Two unidentified primary tenants will occupy the structure once the renovation is complete.The pedestrian corridor extends through the building. (Courtesy Astrodome Conservancy)To further rationalize the expenditure, the Astrodome Conservancy has commissioned a feasibility study for the new plan and also cites a 2020 poll that found that 86 percent of Harris County residents support the preservation and reuse of the Astrodome. Ultimately, the development will be bankrolled by some form of public-private partnership although exact detailsincluding the cost to Harris County taxpayersare still forthcoming.Earlier in the week, Houston Chronicle reported that the conservancys plan does not have the support of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, a major player in NRG park, though it has garnered endorsements from local Harris County politicians.The Astrodome was a symbol of technological progress in the 1960s. (Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)A Look Back at the Early AstrodomeWhen it first opened to the public in 1965, the Astrodome was revolutionary. It was the first indoor air-conditioned stadium in the world, a precedent for sporting complexes as we know them today. Jokingly referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the stadium bolstered Houstons image as a space-age city. A few years earlier, NASA had selected Houston as the site for its Manned Spacecraft Center (later renamed after Lyndon B. Johnson).Designed by Hermon Lloyd and W.B. Morgan and engineered by Walter P. Moore, the Astrodome first opened to the public in 1965. (Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)With its 18 story height and 700 foot diameter, the Astrodome introduced a new scale to live professional sporting events. Due to the great distance between the upper grandstands and the field, the stadium was the first to implement an electronic scoreboard, known as Astrolite. The so-called exploding scoreboard, with its animations of charging bulls, cowboys, and shooting starsthe result of thousands of programmable lightswas a forerunner to the now ubiquitous jumbotron. As stadiums have continued to expand in size, the live sporting experience is increasingly mediated by technology. The building is perhaps best known for the invention of Astroturf, a synthetic grass named for the Houston Astros. During the teams first season in the stadium, the natural grass on the field had quickly died out, starved for sunlight despite the glow of the arenas large fluorescent lights.Over the years, the stadium was home to the Houston Astros, Oilers, and Livestock Show and Rodeo. Impressively, the field could be converted quickly to accommodate any of these events.The Astrodome reopened briefly in 2005 to serve as a temporary shelter for victims of Hurricane Katrina. (Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)By the early 2000s, stadium design had progressed far beyond the mid-century feats of the Astrodome, and the structure was largely abandoned by Houstons sports teams and local events for new venues that had been constructed in NRG Park. Bud Adamsthen owner of the Houston Oilersmoved the team to Tennessee in 1998 after Houstonians rejected his plea to use public funds for the construction of a new football stadium. A History of Speculative ProposalsIn the 15 years since its abandonment, the disused structure has captured the imagination of the architecture profession, inspiring a litany of proposals for its reuse.AN itself participated in this frenzy, hosting a competition in 2013 to reimagine the structure. From 23 submitted proposals, which spanned a variety of intended uses, our jury awarded first place to one of the more conservative entries that would transform the structure into a massive parking garage.Speculative plans for the building were incoming even as late as last year. AN covered a proposal from the University of Houston that would turn the space into a hotel and botanical garden. The design won ASHRAEs 2023 LowDown Showdown Competition.A new events center and stage will anchor the revamped interior. (Courtesy Astrodome Conservancy)Though certainly not as imaginative as previous speculations for the site, the new plan from Gensler and the Astrodome Conservancy isat least hypotheticallydesigned to make financial sense of the massive undertaking. To make this proposal a reality, the team will need to satisfy a large contingent of public and private stakeholders.In a 1965 Texas Observer essay Love, Death, and the Astrodome, Larry McMurtry quipped Houston is the kind of boom city that will endorse almost any amount of municipal vulgarity so long as it has a chance of making money. Hopefully, by engaging the public and enhancing NRG Park, this new proposal can tone down some of the commercial vulgarity.
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