Conversations in Soccer – Gino Rossetti of Rossetti Architects Part 2

Filed under: Conversations in Soccer

When you think of people that are positively and forever changing the scope of soccer in the United States, Gino Rossetti might not be the first name that comes to mind. But he should be. See, Gino is the principal at architecture firm Rossetti, and they are responsible for designing and building three MLS stadiums (Home Depot Center, Toyota Park and Rio Tinto) and they have two more they are currently working on (Red Bull Arena and Union Field). With soccer specific stadiums being an intergral part of the future and success of MLS, Gino and his firm are having a huge impact with how we as Americans interact with the teams and the sport that we love and support. I was lucky enough to be able to sit down with Gino and Andrew Leeson from Rossetti to talk architecture, soccer, canopy roofs and the future of stadium design.

Hit the jump to see the second part of my conversation with Gino Rossetti. In case you missed it, here’s part one.

I think the stadiums that are being built are in effect an extension of the brand, and as you mentioned earlier, they are reflective of the owners as well. – Exactly. Everyone is in effect branding their own stadium and branding their own team. They have to do that as a form of good marketing. Red Bull has a unique advantage because of their popularity and the strength of their brand.

[Home Depot Center]

You mentioned earlier that there are some differences when designing soccer stadiums in the US and abroad. I’m sure there are some major differences you guys face from owners based on where you are designing a stadium, but are there some significant factors that stay consistent, regardless of location? – The main things are comfort and viewing the game, the pitch quality, lighting and so forth. I also think that one common thing that everybody respects is quality. The quality of the site lines, the quality of the seats, the ability to almost instantly know your way around the stadium. All that is kind of creature comfort and quality.

What we are finding with most sports is you want to encourage family participation, you want women to feel safe so they can come to the stadium and not feel threatened. I think it’s important that we continue to promote a family atmosphere. I don’t want to sound corny by saying that, but I really mean it. I think you’ll find a more consistent fan base. People laugh at it, but the soccer moms of this world are a hell of an influence because their the ones dragging the kids around to practice everyday, etc, etc. We have purposefully been very strong in making sure that the female gender is well thought of as opposed to just being a tag along.

[Union Field rendering]

That kind of makes me think about the aesthetics of the sport and how much beauty you guys are bringing to soccer. Its always been called the beautiful game, but never from a design and aesthetic point of view. – If you look at the evolution from the Columbus Crew stadium to the new Red Bull stadium, it’s a rather drastic change in facilities over a rather short period of time. Especially considering how long it took for some NFL stadiums to advance from being giant concrete bowls to the stadiums that they are now.

Yeah it’s amazing that in just a few years not only do we have so many MLS stadiums, but that the design of the stadiums has advanced so much as well. – It’s basically 10 years going from glorified high school football stadiums, to the new Red Bull stadium which I would consider an international level, FIFA equipped, very highly designed stadium.

[Toyota Park]

One of the things I really wanted to touch on with you is the importance of MLS teams having their own stadiums to play in. The powers that be in MLS always say that for MLS to be sustainable, the teams have to be in their own stadiums. What you guys are doing is playing a huge part in the sustainability of the sport here in the US. From my point of view, your lasting footprint is that you are one of the key components in helping the sport be successful here. – Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re viewing these stadiums as more than just stadiums, but as key component for the sport of soccer to advance in the US.

Definitely. MLS teams need to be in their own stadiums because it makes good business sense and owning their own stadiums helps them become truly viable businesses and sports teams. These teams need their own stadiums to help them achieve this. By you guys designing these stadiums, I think you’re impact on the sport is much greater than just the stadium design itself. – I think you’re quite correct. There are really relatively few architectural firms in this country that really are doing much with soccer and it’s primarily because you really have to understand the culture. We have to understand more than just the game itself. Soccer is very different, the fans are different, the players are different and so on. The sustainability and the popularity of soccer as we all know is growing rapidly but it’s still a way off from competing with the NFL or the NBA.

[Rio Tinto future rendering]

I think more pertinent to what you’re saying, is people are starting to say that they want to create something that has a legacy. There is a fierce pride behind that and a fierce understanding of the money generation of what a quality facility can be. I mean look at the initial Columbus Crew stadium and look at the Red Bull stadium and they are significantly different. Part of the reason is that I think we’re going to see more stretching of the envelope of what stadiums look like because people are stretching the envelope in terms of how the stadium is a part of the fabric of the city. I think you’re going to see more of an emphasis on using the stadium for more things like retail and other extensions. For many of these facilities there are public / private dollars involved and so the cities take on the notion that they want it to mean something to them.

[Red Bull Arena]

That makes me think of how proud sports fans are about their team, and passionate about their city, but also how they can be just as passionate about the stadium that their teams play in. I think it’s an additional source of pride for a fan and for the team that they support. – I think that’s very, very true. I think another ingredient you could slide in is that every stadium is really competing with the affordable dollars that the fan base can afford.

[Red Bull Arena]

Thank you for taking your time to sit and chat. I also want to say thank you for having such a beautiful impact on the sport. – You’re very welcome Ben, and it also gives us an opportunity to regurgitate our own thoughts and this gives us a chance to say, maybe we have done some good things.

You might not always think about it but you have affected the landscape of the sport in America and I commend you for that. – Thank you Ben!