Culture. Color. Climate. Curves.

April 4, 2012

Marlins Park to Open as Baseball Art Piece

The Populous-designed Marlins Park, home to the newly rebranded Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team, will welcome nearly 40,000 spectators when it officially opens April 4.

The building itself is conceived as an abstraction of water merging with land, symbolic of the Miami’s coastal landscape. It is a bold vision portrayed through architecture as a modern, kinetic sculpture of faceted metal and glass, featuring a retracting glass outfield wall that frames beautiful views of the downtown skyline.

We really wanted to create the most incredible baseball experience, one where beauty and baseball unite,” said Earl Santee, Marlins Park designer and Populous senior principal. “The ballpark creates a backdrop for urban life with arcades and colorful mosaics reflecting the diverse culture of Miami.

The 37,000-seat facility features a retractable roof to shield spectators from the sun and rain. The flexibility of having a retractable roof – one that takes only 13 minutes to fully open or close – allows 100 percent assurance that an event will take place regardless of weather. When fully open, the roof is parked completely outside the ballpark, creating an expansive plaza area designed for use well beyond game day. The roof movements are reflected in the use of color as a dynamic addition to the architecture.

The ballpark’s notable elements include:

  • Three seating decks with 37,000 total seats
  • Half-acre operable window framing views of downtown Miami
  • Two aquariums behind home plate containing live fish
  • Taste of Miami food area
  • Forty suites, eight party suites and two Hall of Fame suites

Populous has designed nearly 20 Major League Baseball stadiums, including Yankee Stadium in New York, Target Field in Minneapolis and Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Marlins Park is the first page in the next chapter of ballpark design,” said Santee. “This ballpark is truly an art piece; a sculpture in the landscape that fits perfectly with its surroundings.

For further information please contact:
media@populous.com

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