DETROIT, Feb. 1, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Detroiters have been waiting 24 years for the Super Bowl to return to their city. On February 5, 2006, the Super Bowl will be held in the new 'entertainment district' in the heart of downtown Detroit. A 3-part design team of Architects, lead by SmithGroup Inc., implemented the vision of Ford Field, a 1.7 million square foot stadium, creating one of the most respected stadiums in the country.
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With features like the impressive 180-foot by 90-foot glass wall, known as "the window on Detroit" and the integration of approximately one million square feet of existing warehouse space, Ford Field offered some unique challenges to the project's design team.
"William Clay Ford Junior's vision was that he wanted everyone to know that they were in Detroit -- and he didn't want it to overpower everything in the vicinity," recalls SmithGroup project manager and vice president, Mike McGunn.
In order to realize Ford's vision, SmithGroup incorporated a piece of Detroit's industrious history, the Old Hudson's Warehouse complex, into space for suites, club level seating, retail and offices.
"The inclusion of 100-plus suites into the warehouse structure eliminated the need for typical suite levels around the stadium," recalls Detroit Lions Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Tom Lewand.
By lowering the upper deck and building the stadium 45 feet below ground level, Ford Field fits comfortably into the Detroit skyline.
"The unique architecture of Ford Field lends to our ability to offer sightlines that are unrivaled by any other NFL stadium," explains Lewand. "There isn't a bad seat in the house."
On February 6, 2006, Super Bowl XL, downtown Detroit and the colossal Ford Field, will host more than 125,000 fans and 3,000 media personnel.
In addition to Ford Field and Comerica Park, recent Detroit projects by SmithGroup include the newly completed Detroit Boll Family YMCA and the Detroit Zoo Ford Education Center. SmithGroup has been an active leader in Detroit's architectural community for over 150 years.
Ford Field (www.fordfield.com) is located in the heart of downtown Detroit's entertainment district and is an industry-leading sports and entertainment venue. Ford Field was designed by a project team lead by SmithGroup that included Rossetti Associates Architects, Birmingham, MI, KMD Architects, San Francisco, CA and Hamilton Anderson Associates, Inc., Detroit, MI. The construction team included Indianapolis-based Huber Hunt & Nichols and Detroit-owned Jenkins Construction. White/Olson was contracted to handle the reconstruction of the old Hudson's Warehouse.
SmithGroup (www.smithgroup.com), the nation's 8th largest architecture, engineering, planning and interiors firm has offices in Detroit, MI; Chicago, IL, Ann Arbor, MI; Los Angeles, CA; Madison, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Phoenix, AZ; San Francisco, CA and Washington, D.C.
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