Canadian Bills Fan Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 We havent been to the playoffs in 14 years. Cold weather home games clearly hasn't worked in our favor. Bring on the dome. CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Hate to be negative-- BUT! I was on the "Responsible Dome Action Committee" back in the late 60's. Had more than enough signatures to build. Free land and near the airport. Politics screwed that up. Dems against-- Republicans for and the mayor voted it down. Yup he was a Dem. It all will come down to politics. What a shame. What was the argument given against a dome? And again putting a dome will allow it to be used year round, which should trump all other arguments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Goodell, Brandon on stadium discussion There was a lot of talk at the spring league meetings in Atlanta about Buffalo’s stadium situation long term. Commissioner Roger Goodell weighed in on the topic as well as Bills President & CEO Russ Brandon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billykaykay Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 It should be a dome so it can be used for other events throughout the year. A retractable one would be great, but cost will be a factor there. How much extra does it cost to have a dome that is retractable ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xsoldier54 Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 can I say this to the OP ? I don't want to hear any crap about a dome in Buffalo. A dome will not guarantee a sell out late December games A dome will not guarantee a SB in Buffalo (if that's what you are truly after). Can they design a dome to withstand the Buffalo snowfall? 3, 4, 5 feet, or even the ice melt like the near disaster in Dallas a few years back. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I agree that any new stadium built should have a dome. I would also hope that it would maximize natural light like Lucas Oil Stadium and some of the other new stadiums do by having glass above the seating in the endzones. If it had a transparent roof like this place: http://www.bing.com/...selectedIndex=0 that would be awesome too. That is a beautiful stadium. I did some research. It is in New Zealand and is used for both soccer and rugby. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forsyth_Barr_Stadium It has a capacity for rugby and soccer of about 30,000 people. There seems to be some dispute regarding the cost, but it appears that the construction costs were approximately $170-175 million US dollars. Interestingly, it was designed by Populous - which is the firm that has designed the renovations at the Ralph (as well as Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and many others). http://populous.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populous_(architects)#American_football Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billykaykay Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Hate to be negative-- BUT! I was on the "Responsible Dome Action Committee" back in the late 60's. Had more than enough signatures to build. Free land and near the airport. Politics screwed that up. Dems against-- Republicans for and the mayor voted it down. Yup he was a Dem. It all will come down to politics. What a shame. The Reps & the Bflo News wanted a stadium in the burbs. The Dems & the Courier Express wanted it downtown. Downtown would have worked fine but this was right after all the city riots in the late 60's & very few people wanted to build in an urban area. I was for the burbs at the time. In retrospect, I think downtown would have worked better than O.P. Just my humble opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountDorkula Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 can I say this to the OP ? I don't want to hear any crap about a dome in Buffalo. A dome will not guarantee a sell out late December games A dome will not guarantee a SB in Buffalo (if that's what you are truly after). Can they design a dome to withstand the Buffalo snowfall? 3, 4, 5 feet, or even the ice melt like the near disaster in Dallas a few years back. Is this a serious question? Because if you take a look outside there is a hockey arena that does just fine in that 3-5 feet of snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangarang Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Build a stadium like Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Buffalo if possible and call it a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Bills Fan Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 That is a beautiful stadium. I did some research. It is in New Zealand and is used for both soccer and rugby. http://en.wikipedia....th_Barr_Stadium It has a capacity for rugby and soccer of about 30,000 people. There seems to be some dispute regarding the cost, but it appears that the construction costs were approximately $170-175 million US dollars. Interestingly, it was designed by Populous - which is the firm that has designed the renovations at the Ralph (as well as Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and many others). http://populous.com/ http://en.wikipedia....ous_(architects)#American_football That stadium is beautiful but can it withstand all the snow sitting on top of it in the Buffalo winter? CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeHateMe Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 (edited) Why make it retractable for the purpose of maybe opening it 3-4 times a year in September and October? If it's a dome it won't be retractable. The extra costs makes zero sense. And for those that think they would actually open it during cold weather for it to be some type of advantage Edited May 21, 2014 by kobe808lak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need therapy Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 (edited) That is a beautiful stadium. I did some research. It is in New Zealand and is used for both soccer and rugby. http://en.wikipedia....th_Barr_Stadium It has a capacity for rugby and soccer of about 30,000 people. There seems to be some dispute regarding the cost, but it appears that the construction costs were approximately $170-175 million US dollars. Interestingly, it was designed by Populous - which is the firm that has designed the renovations at the Ralph (as well as Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and many others). http://populous.com/ http://en.wikipedia....ous_(architects)#American_football Yep, and it's located on the southern end of New Zealand and their winters are about as harsh as Western New York's. The material of the dome is ETFE and is being used as part of the roof in the Vikings' new stadium. ETFE is much lighter than glass (weighs 1% of the same size piece of glass) and can hold something like 400 times its weight. It also allows UV rays to penetrate, so you can grow natural grass inside. Although, I think the New Zealanders have had some problems, so they also added in some blades of artificial turf to stabilize the surface. Edited May 22, 2014 by need therapy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollars 2 donuts Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Retractable Dome is the answer. This...and from an engineering standpoint it is not some mystical voodoo as it was perceived to be when the lobster shell opened up north so many years ago. I am not saying it is cheap, but it should be considered, because they abundant in today's sports complexes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Hate to be negative-- BUT! I was on the "Responsible Dome Action Committee" back in the late 60's. Had more than enough signatures to build. Free land and near the airport. Politics screwed that up. Dems against-- Republicans for and the mayor voted it down. Yup he was a Dem. It all will come down to politics. What a shame. I thought corruption doomed the dome? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Why make it retractable for the purpose of maybe opening it 3-4 times a year in September and October? If it's a dome it won't be retractable. The extra costs makes zero sense. And for those that think they would actually open it during cold weather for it to be some type of advantage A new facility must be used for more than football to justify the enormous costs involved. In order to maximize usage, it has to be a domed stadium....IMO the retractable dome gives the most flexibility for the preferred outdoor football experience while allowing for events whenever there is inclement weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Bills Fan Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 A new facility must be used for more than football to justify the enormous costs involved. In order to maximize usage, it has to be a domed stadium....IMO the retractable dome gives the most flexibility for the preferred outdoor football experience while allowing for events whenever there is inclement weather. Good point CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I have sat in the elements since I was 5 up until I left for the Marines. Now im 43 and have been back for 3 years sitting in it again. The idea of a dome to me is ideal. Call me a wimp, but me like many of us have been thru hell And back, a dome would be just fine by me. It would be nice to have a place that can be used year round for other events as well. And heck, share it with UB and maximize the place. The Ralph sits in a wasteland for 99 percent of the year empty, its rather pathetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Hammersticks Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 How much extra does it cost to have a dome that is retractable ? ONE MILLION DOLLARS!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Make it a retractable dome, then leave it open any time a warm-weather team like Miami plays there in December. Sounds nice, but it won't happen. The NFL will dictate when the dome is closed, not the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 It also allows UV rays to penetrate, so you can grow natural grass inside. Although, I think the New Zealanders have had some problems, so they also added in some blades of artificial turf to stabilize the surface. Wow, like a Bosley hair transplant for an athletic field. Cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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