OT: Fly Through video of $85 Million arena renovation at Cincinnati

[Knight_Light]

Here's an idea of what Cinci will be doing (if next step in the process is approved as BOT just approved planning stage funding), with their almost 30 year old "box" arena without current premium seating.

New premium courtside, club and suites are planned to be added plus chairbacks in all sections but the student section.

Their giant box arena now has empty/non-seating areas in each corner with a majority of the area seating stuck in the upper level.

Capacity will drop from 13,170 to approx 11,000 but revenue will soar with all the new premium seating added, plus giant upgrades to the rest of the arena.



Here's what their 27 year old arena looks like today:

 

[cubuffsdoug]

I know the RAC isn't designed to add more seats, but what if the school gut the place and start from scratch. I'm talking a similar amount of seats, but a better arrangement of them and with luxury boxes, club seats, etc. The acoustic should remain the same, but inside the building should look like a modern arena.

 

[RutgersDon]

Can't the front of the RAC be pushed out?
Would not that add 2k seats?

 

[Knight_Light]

Can't the front of the RAC be pushed out?
Would not that add 2k seats?

RAC's main problem isn't capacity (i.e. lets squeeze in another 2,000 bleacher seats), its the lack of premium seating (i.e. suites, clubs, loge boxes, bars, etc... as that's where a good portion of revenue is generated today for many programs.

 

[srru86]

Gainesville Sun
O'Dome renovation to tip off
Florida to spend 64.5 million upgrading their 1980 vintage building.

 

[Jim_from_RU]

Gainesville Sun
O'Dome renovation to tip off
Florida to spend 64.5 million upgrading their 1980 vintage building.

Meanwhile, we just sit around and wait.

 

[greenknight]

The RAC s problem is that it is a terrible design. The 4 pillars take away any thing meaningful you can do with that dump. Would seriously like to see razed and new arena at about 10-12K

 

[Knight_Light]

Gainesville Sun
O'Dome renovation to tip off
Florida to spend 64.5 million upgrading their 1980 vintage building.

The "O'Dome" was originally of those buildings built back then that had an inflated roof (like the old Metro Dome in Minneapolis), but UF put in a permanent roof a while back which allowed them to host more events (concerts that needed heavy rigging, etc...).

UF's O'Dome has many other areas than just the arena...as one huge side of the building is the UF Pool/
Stadium for their swim/diving team..plus a large practice area for their gymnastics team, plus their retractable seating and concourse area doubled as an indoor track arena too.

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Here's an artist's rendering of the RAC that was published in a game program in the late 1970s. This is what the RAC was originally supposed to look like. If we ever decide to add seats (luxury suites, club boxes or regular), they should be placed in the area where the offices are currently located (above & behind section 118).