Good afternoon and welcome back to another top of the week roundup, perched right on the cusp of April. Here’s what you need to know:
New York State gives the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium the go-ahead with $850 million in funding
After the Buffalo Bills announced the selection of mainstay stadium designer Populous to design their new home field in Orchard Park, New York, the only hurdle left to clear was funding. Would New York State (and taxpayers) foot the $850 million needed to jumpstart the $1.4 billion project? Yesterday, we found out that the answer appears to be a resounding “yes,” as state officials reached a deal with the NFL team to hash out the project’s financing.
Under the deal, which still needs to be formally approved by officials, $600 million of the stadium’s costs will come from the State of New York, while $250 million will come from Eerie County. The Bills’ owners will kick in another $350 million, and the NFL will contribute the remaining $200 million via loan to the team. In exchange for the state funding, the Bills have agreed to remain at their new stadium for at least the next 30 years.
H/t to the New York Times
San Antonio selects the Boring Co. for its potential downtown loop
Elon Musk’s the Boring Company has snagged another (potential) public transportation project, as San Antonio has selected the tunneling company to head its potential San Antonio International Airport-to-downtown loop. Now the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority will work with the Boring Co. to hash out the potential project cost, which could range from $247 million to $289 million. The company beat out a shortlist of four other transportation companies for the project.
H/t to Construction Dive
New York City finally names a new subway head
Say goodbye to “train daddy” and hello to “train Davey.” On March 23, New York City finally named the new president of New York City Transit, the department of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) responsible for overseeing subway and bus service across NYC: Richard A. Davey, the former Massachusetts secretary of transportation.
Davey’s appointment comes two years after British transportation expert Andy Byford, reportedly fed up with interference from the office of then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, quit after only two years of service. Although Davey, who will assume the role on May 2, will be dealing with a new administration, he has a monumental task ahead of him—returning subway and bus ridership figures to their pre-pandemic averages.
H/t to the New York Times
Denver’s Mile High stadium catches fire
Denver’s under-construction Mile High stadium, designed by Fentress as the new home for the NFL’s Denver Broncos, caught fire on March 24. The blaze reportedly spanned over 1,000 square feet and started somewhere on the fourth-floor suite level before spreading to seats on the third level. The plastic seats reportedly fed the fire and sent thick plumes of black smoke across the city. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
H/t to Archinect
Are concrete sea walls self-defeating?
Sea walls are meant to hold back the worst effects of climate change, but are the massive concrete bulwarks only accelerating sea-level rise? Unfortunately, with the high cost of carbon dioxide involved with producing concrete, it seems that way. Fast Company dives into the low-carbon alternatives different manufacturers are weighing for the breakwaters of the future.
H/t to Fast Company
RIBA’s first diversity officer quits after only a year
Marsha Ramroop, the first-ever Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), has left after only a little over a year in the position. Hired in February of 2021 to create a diversity and inclusion strategy at the institute, Ramroop’s operating budget was reportedly significantly cut under RIBA’s restructuring and consolidation plans to lower its operating deficit.
H/t to the Architects’ Journal
