July 23, 2008
Gehry's Nets Stadium a Perfect Terrorist Target?
In the event of a terrorist bombing, Frank Gehry’s design for the Nets stadium at Atlantic Yards is too close to the curb for comfort, according to Alan Rosner, a retired strategic and business analyst. Gehry’s latest vision for the stadium is less than 25 feet from the street, and though it would use more metal than the previous glass version, Rosner says it isn’t any safer: “Gehry's use of odd angles, dead spaces, hollows and overhangs means that should there ever be a car or truck bomb, the effects would be amplified. According to FEMA, reflected blast waves can be ten or more times as powerful as the initial explosive force.” He's calling for a new environmental review. [Atlantic Yards Report]
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and it's ugly.
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seconding outter
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i also came here to say that it's ugly.
...it's ugly.
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Paranoia is a form of mental illness. There is no terrorist threat.
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Any reason to dump this project is a good one by me. How about instead of a basketball stadium they build a park with a couple basketball courts?
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This combined with the fact that the taxpayers are footing the bill is reason enough to scrap this thing.
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seconding peter
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Oh come on! It's not ugly, it's fugly.
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So Gehry is a terrorist. Time to go all PATRIOT Act on him then.
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Agreed with #4.
FEMA can get through a day without a little fear-mongering in order to control the lives of people.
It's The Nanny State!
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Almost all of Gehry's stuff is fugly. I see the Mets' new stadium all the time and it's a classic retro design, so much nicer than the crap Gehry turns out. In 20 years people will look at the Nets arena and say "What were they thinking?"
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Every stadium put up in America currently is Godawful. The new Yankees stadium and new Mets stadium are the worst of the lot. People are just couching their fear of change in embracing the so called 'retro' designs. Nostalgia should be reserved for the things that are deserving.
That said, Nets Arena is terrible. Why can't we do something cool like they do in Europe? They know how to design something beautiful there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allianz_Arena
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"according to Alan Rosner, a retired strategic and business analyst, and known opponent of the arena"
Fixed that for you.
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Seconding woodendesigner.
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What is with these news reports where we give terrorists ideas of where and how to bomb us?
"Hey guys, if you're looking for a building to bomb, you should try this one! The effect would be super cool!
Oh, yeah! and they don't check the freight that goes on most airplanes, so put a bomb there.
Did I forget to mention that there is an entrance into the subway tunnels in Long Island that is totally unguarded and super easy to get into?
allah achbar!"
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I think Terrorists would rather target a team that doesn't suck. They're more likely to target the Celtics than the Nets.
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You know what else makes it dangerous? The terrorist's bomb.
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Wait they are still trying to build this monstrosity?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allianz_Arena
While I am a fan of the Allianz Arena, comparing soccer stadiums to baseball stadiums is apples and oranges. Baseball is too rooted in history and nostalgia to ever have forward thinking architecture - other than slapping a retractable roof on a retro design like Miller Park. If you need to make a comparison between the US and Europe try American football stadiums such as the rebuilt Soldier Field in Chicago, the Arizona Cardinals stadium or the new Cowboys stadium under construction in Dallas.
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Man, that Allianz place is almost uglier than the Nets arena! No offense, just my opinion of course, but give me a classic brick stadium any day. I like the way Allianz can be lit up but that's about it. Citifield (modeled after Ebbets) or Camden Yards will retain their appeal while Allianz may very well be like Olympic Stadium in Montreal in a few decades.
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The new arena, much like the team, sucks...
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Actually, there's method to Gehry's madness. The terrorists wouldn't bomb Nets Arena because it looks like it's already been bombed. Or at least the architect was bombed.
Still, somebody should sic Homeland Security on Gehry and Ratner.
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"This combined with the fact that the taxpayers are footing the bill is reason enough to scrap this thing."
It already looks like something that got scrapped.