Toronto BMO Field Renovations | ?m | ?s | MLSE | Gensler

[TOareaFan]

If North America wins the bid to host the World Cup, BMO Field will be an embarrassment for this city. No offence to Toronto FC or its fans but BMO Field is just a set of glorified bleachers. It’s absolutely not a World Cup class stadium.

No offense taken......we love it because it is home and full of our rapidly building data bank of memories and moments......but in terms of a quality facility it is very poor.

It is possible to love it (as our MLS home) and hate it (as a potential WC stadium) at the same time.

 

[Contra]

If North America wins the bid to host the World Cup, BMO Field will be an embarrassment for this city. No offence to Toronto FC or its fans but BMO Field is just a set of glorified bleachers. It’s absolutely not a World Cup class stadium.

How many World Cups have you gone to? How many proper soccer stadiums have you gone to? It is 100% NOT glorified bleachers and though it needs a bit more capacity to even be in the running for the World Cup, it's a fantastic stadium and has all the makings of a great group stage venue.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

If North America wins the bid to host the World Cup, BMO Field will be an embarrassment for this city. No offence to Toronto FC or its fans but BMO Field is just a set of glorified bleachers. It’s absolutely not a World Cup class stadium.

Yeah - this is incorrect

 

[MetroMan]

How many World Cups have you gone to? How many proper soccer stadiums have you gone to? It is 100% NOT glorified bleachers and though it needs a bit more capacity to even be in the running for the World Cup, it's a fantastic stadium and has all the makings of a great group stage venue.

Love the team all you want but use your eyes. You’re on an architecture forum. BMO Field looks like a temporary structure that ended up being kept and expanded on with even more temporary looking structures.

It may be home to a beloved team but it’s not a beautiful stadium by any standard. I’m not sure it can be called a stadium at all. It’s a collection of bleachers.

Is this something you’d be proud to show off to the world?

The World Cup is the highest venue for world soccer. It’s the prime time, the best of the best. And we’re hosting our games in something akin to a third world country’s temporary looking structure? Come on...

 

[interchange42]

Big deal. It's time to end the ridiculous overbuilding of $billion stadiums around the world for such a corrupt and despicable organization. Back to basics please.

42

 

[maestro]

It'll literally take $2 billion to compete with NFL stadiums like Atlanta retractable pinwheel Mercedes Benz Stadium. It's not worth it when you can spend pennies on the dollar improving BMO Field's already great atmosphere. It really doesn't matter what others think.

 

[TOareaFan]

It'll literally take $2 billion to compete with NFL stadiums like Atlanta retractable pinwheel Mercedes Benz Stadium. It's not worth it when you can spend pennies on the dollar improving BMO Field's already great atmosphere. It really doesn't matter what others think.

Well it kinda does matter what "others think" if your goal is to win the bid.

If the "others" are the voting members of FIFA and the stadium(s) proposed are sub standard (by their standards) then, guess what, it matters a lot what they think.

 

[TOareaFan]

Love the team all you want but use your eyes. You’re on an architecture forum. BMO Field looks like a temporary structure that ended up being kept and expanded on with even more temporary looking structures.

totally agree.

It may be home to a beloved team but it’s not a beautiful stadium by any standard. I’m not sure it can be called a stadium at all. It’s a collection of bleachers.

While I agree with your main point I have to disagree here.....a stadium (in the soccer world) has traditionally been just that....a collection of separate structures (we call them bleachers....in the UK they are referred to as "stands") that are often not joined together at all.....of late there has been a trend to the "all around" stadium or "filling in the corners" of old stadiums but the statement that a collection of bleachers/stands cannot be a stadium is not true.

Is this something you’d be proud to show off to the world?


The World Cup is the highest venue for world soccer. It’s the prime time, the best of the best. And we’re hosting our games in something akin to a third world country’s temporary looking structure? Come on...

In the context of now having a 30k stadium for club soccer that is regularly filled and generating revenue where, in the not too distant past, we had trouble making Centenial Park look full...yeah that is something to be proud of. As a World Cup stadium, no it does not stand up to scrutiny.

 

[Automation Gallery]

It's not worth it when you can spend pennies on the dollar improving BMO Field's already great atmosphere. It really doesn't matter what others think.

Typical Toronto mentality, why build something grand if you can get away building shite for the fraction of the price
Gee, how times have changed from the days Toronto built, City Hall, The CN Tower, The Skydome, Ontario Place, etc. etc. etc.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

The World Cup is the highest venue for world soccer. It’s the prime time, the best of the best. And we’re hosting our games in something akin to a third world country’s temporary looking structure? Come on...

This isn't even BMO Field

It's the smallest venue of a bid that looks increasingly unlikely to win anyways given the running total of countries backing the Morocco bid.

And it will only be hosting a maximum of 4 preliminary games.

It looks 1000 times better than this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Bafokeng_Stadium#/media/File:Royal_Bafokeng_Stadium,_Phokeng.jpg

 

[Canadian Chocho]

What a silly thing to get upset over. Is it not evident that there would clearly be a massive renovation to BMO Field if we are awarded the World Cup? Did I miss something here? It very clearly has to be expanded if it were to host a World Cup. It is even implied in the bid, as it lists its capacity to be 45,000, which would mean expanding present capacity by fifty percent - even after this latest expansion.

The roof looks to be intentionally overbuilt for the South and West ends because I am sure they would build a larger west stand in concrete to fit snugly under the roof like they did with the East end, and probably improve the press box which is also located in the West stand. Also they want to introduce safe standing to the south end at sometime in the future. I am sure they are also exploring ways to add a north stand if ever the Food Building is demolished.

Most world class soccer stadiums of over 40K capacity that aren't the home ground of a top tier club is that way because of major international events. That's how Portugal ended up with some beautiful stadiums, it was mostly for Euro 2004. However, even in soccer crazy countries they can overbuild like this 30+K stadium in Aveiro, a city of less than 100,000:

http://stadiumdb.com/pictures/stadi...l_de_aveiro/estadio_municipal_de_aveiro13.jpg

Simply too big for the local team, Beira-Mar, who went back to playing in their 12,000 seat stadium in 2015, leaving the stadium above without a tenant.

I would have loved for BMO to have been an architectural and functional wonder from the outset, but that simply wasn't realistic. Way too many risks, especially for a league/sport that is still not considered a main spectator sport in this country. Even in cases where you'd think a massive, world-class stadium would be appropriate, it can still run into complications - which it did for Valencia CF and their expected new home Nou Mestalla has been sitting incomplete for over nine years.

 

[maestro]

Typical Toronto mentality, why build something grand if you can get away building shite for the fraction of the price
Gee, how times have changed from the days Toronto built, City Hall, The CN Tower, The Skydome, Ontario Place, etc. etc. etc.

I'm the last person to rationalize shite. BMO isn't shite. It looks pretty damn good from the stands. A big part of the attraction to me is that it has grown organically instead of modern stadiums that are build all at once. The exterior is bit too hodgepodge however, I still prefer it to the colours and siding on Mosaic Field. I'm not enamoured with Investor Group Field either although I'd give it an edge. Internationally, it positions very well among the stadiums I've been in. Torontonians can also get too wrapped up in what an international audience may think and don't appreciate what they actually got. The first question to any visitor is always, "do you like Toronto?"

 

[TOareaFan]

It very clearly has to be expanded if it were to host a World Cup. It is even implied in the bid, as it lists its capacity to be 45,000, which would mean expanding present capacity by fifty percent - even after this latest expansion.

The roof looks to be intentionally overbuilt for the South and West ends because I am sure they would build a larger west stand in concrete to fit snugly under the roof like they did with the East end

Yes there is clearly going to be an expansion but how are you sure it is any more than simply erecting temporary bleachers in the south and north ends? Where is the description of the works for a more permanent expansion and quality improvement? Where is the budget for this and who is paying for it?

 

[TrickyRicky]

Call it stogy old protestant based thinking or what have you but if Toronto is a place where sports are a business and need to justify their existence, where stadium need to generate revenue and match seating capacity and amenities to the appropriate size and use of their tenants than count me in. Maybe that's rationalization or what not but I don't want fancy over-the-top soon to be white elephant trophy architecture. Cities around the world don't have low-priced tickets and fancy architecturally significant stadiums because they are smart while we have cheap architecture and high-prices because we are dumb.

...and besides clearly one of the coolest soccer stadiums is Craven Cottage.

 

[67Cup]

Craven Cottage is a good comparison in its own way. BMO Field looks like a contemporary version of the old European stadiums that grew organically over the decades. A number of them have been replaced in recent years by deep pocket clubs. The replacements are sports palaces. Copying them might bankrupt less wealthy clubs, or their cities, or both. BMO field serves its market niche well but admittedly isn't a World Cup ready facility.