real estate

Signs of Hope for a More Exciting Atlantic Yards Arena Design

Shortly after it was announced that Frank Gehry was no longer designing the Nets’ stadium at the Atlantic Yards, critics (notably the Times’ Nicolai Ouroussoff) have been excoriating the stripped-down, replacement design of Midwestern firm Eberle Beckett. Surprisingly, developer Bruce Ratner seems to have listened. The Observer reports today that Soho-based architecture firm SHoP will also be working on the design. The young firm, which has never designed an arena, will work alongside Eberle Beckett — experts at efficient, if uninspiring, stadium design. New renderings are expected by the end of the month. Of course, elsewhere in the Observer, they’re reporting that underlying fundamentals of commercial real-estate investments are going to cause a massive plateau on mortgage defaults in the next two years, so we’re not going to hold our breath on seeing any of this executed.

Post-Gehry, Atlantic Yards’ Nets Arena To Be Designed by New York Boutique SHoP [NYO]

Signs of Hope for a More Exciting Atlantic Yards Arena Design