Toronto architect Mark Berest — a principal at B+S Architects who has worked on several stadium projects, including Regina's Mosaic Stadium — knows what he would do with the Rogers Centre.
Berest would start by "invigorating" the space outside the stadium, "bringing more retail, more parkland, more development… making connections to other public spaces, maybe even to [nearby Lake Ontario]."
"Those things are very important to the vitality," he says. "You can see with the Air Canada Centre, what the Raptors [and Maple Leafs] have done outside and how that's working so well in terms of those public spaces."
The challenge for the Blue Jays is that the team owns very little of the land surrounding the dome.
Still, they say that space is part of the renovation plans.
"That is definitely one of the things we've talked about, the journey of how fans get to the ballpark," says Sebastian Gatica, the Blue Jays' VP of fan engagement. "Some just want to come in. For others it's an event, a social thing."
"We've done research to see who our fans really are, their habits, their rituals. This is a fan-centric project to enhance their experience."
