The Atlanta Falcons' Georgia Dome is barely 21-years old but is already getting phased out. By the start of the 2017 NFL season, a new stadium will be constructed for the Falcons once they settle on a site. Until that time, you can drool over the new concept unveiled by the stadium's architect, Bill Johnson of 360 Architecture. There were a plethora of designs introduced in April, including this dull factory-shaped stadium that wasn't chosen.
Ultimately, here's the open-air look for the retractable roof "origami fortune teller" stadium design that the the World Congress Center approved on Tuesday.
Here's what the stadium would look like closed.
It's absolutely incredible. Sure it resembles my sister's favorite game back in middle school, but somehow the Falcons found a different take on the old dome look. The stadium is expected to seat 70,000 and cost $1 billion, and earlier this year there were reports that the stadium would include seats that vibrated after every big hit. However, the league is worried about concussion prevention and its image. Glamorizing big hits would have been a terrible look and the idea was probably kiboshed by someone/everyone in the league office.
According to Johnson, it's an 11-sided building with an eight-piece roof that twists open and closed. Either way, it's about time Atlanta has a stadium that allows them to host open air games.
