The Jacksonville Jaguars and the City of Jacksonville are in discussions about plans for a renovation of TIAA Bank Field and the area surrounding it in downtown Jacksonville.
The stadium renovation is all part of a bigger outlook of improving downtown as a whole through an initiative called “1st DownTown Jacksonville,” which was created as a platform where the future vision of downtown can be discussed and supported.
However, the centerpiece of that area’s growth is the future of the stadium and the Jaguars recently unveiled conceptual designs and an initial approach to how they envision the stadium renovations taking shape.
According to the Jaguars organization, releasing the designs has been in the works for the past three years after initial talks began in July 2020.
The plan would include renovating the current stadium instead of constructing an entirely new facility from scratch.
This would mean developing a plan once construction begins that could result in the team playing “home games” in another town or finding a way that they could still play at home while construction takes place.
Discussions pertaining to where the team would play during the project are ongoing.
Design highlights of the new stadium based on the initial conception includes a 360-degree concourse, which would be four times wider than the current concourse, that will feature interactive social bars and many communal spaces for fans to enjoy.
The stadium’s structure will feature a mirrored material facade designed to be energy efficient as well as reflect Jacksonville’s waterfront to those passing by outside the stadium.
The stadium will continue to be open-air but will feature a large canopy with the goal of providing shade to reduce heat retention by more than 70% and lower temperatures by 10 to 15 degrees for fans in attendance.
A fritted roof membrane will go over top of the stadium will allow for ambient light throughout the stadium.
The stadium will have a base seating capacity of 62,000 with the ability to expand to 71,500 for college football games, such as the Florida-Georgia rivalry played annually at the venue and reach an even higher capacity for concerts.
Once construction is completed, the state-of-the-art renovation is expected to open up Jacksonville as a destination spot for future marque national sporting events, such as the college football playoff and NCAA Final Four.
