From metro:


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/arena8112.jpg

It's pretty amazing to look at it from the South. Even open land full of rubble looks better than that elevated Crosstown did.

They put up new pics of the inside of that on their Facebook page today.

The building is coming along great. It's too bad the Chesapeake name is emblazoned across the building. The name just means "corrupt" to many people across the country. You say the name "Chesapeake" in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, parts of Michigan and to many who simply follow business in the news and it's a very negative connotation. When people here want to make it sound cool and call it "The Peake" I just cringe. This team deserves a better brand on their building and it MAY happen sooner than many think. It's not like the co-owners are excited about their team's branding association with Aubrey's shenanigans and that name shining across the building on those all-important nationally televised games and in sports pages across the country. They're not stupid people.

Ugh...

The entrance looks great.

The building is coming along great. It's too bad the Chesapeake name is emblazoned across the building. The name just means "corrupt" to many people across the country. You say the name "Chesapeake" in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, parts of Michigan and to many who simply follow business in the news and it's a very negative connotation. When people here want to make it sound cool and call it "The Peake" I just cringe. This team deserves a better brand on their building and it MAY happen sooner than many think. It's not like the co-owners are excited about their team's branding association with Aubrey's shenanigans and that name shining across the building on those all-important nationally televised games and in sports pages across the country. They're not stupid people.

There's a thread for this post...and this one is not it.

There's a thread for this post...and this one is not it.

Look at the name of this thread. I have every right to make that point. If you think it's not on a lot of minds, you're sorely mistaking. My post was very relevant.

Here are the photos from their Facebook page:

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/549051_367464276658482_87199126_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/376730_367464239991819_2039444986_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/387027_367464196658490_364964051_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/551146_367463709991872_1237747383_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/549549_367463753325201_1946626218_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/524336_367463836658526_1963890075_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/268769_367463953325181_201459504_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/576030_367463896658520_2124244837_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/404114_367464036658506_1510037430_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/531266_367464096658500_1569117337_n.jpg

You have a thread entirely for complaining about Chesapeake's business practices, can we keep it to that one.

You have a thread entirely for complaining about Chesapeake's business practices, can we keep it to that one.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that could be brought up that I don't bring up in other threads. CHK is involved in a lot of things. But, this is a very specific thread about Chesapeake Arena. The fact that the Thunder's arena now has the CHK name, and how that impacts our city and the Thunder in a negative light is worthy of mention in a thread about the arena.

It's interesting how a few only want anything negative about Chesapeake thrown into one single thread. That's a privilege reserved mostly for them. Yet, we can complain and talk about other personalities in city government, companies, etc. in multiple threads all the time.

Discussing the impact of the the name on the building - the topic of this thread - should be fine. Why feel a need to bury your head in the sand and pretend that "Chesapeake Energy Arena" isn't flashed to millions - and discuss how that impacts opinion? It was just a comment. Trying to shut me up only draws attention. I was guessing my thought would just be an aside to the main discussion, but it is relevant.

the pics look awesome!!!

The building is coming along great. It's too bad the Chesapeake name is emblazoned across the building. The name just means "corrupt" to many people across the country. You say the name "Chesapeake" in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, parts of Michigan and to many who simply follow business in the news and it's a very negative connotation. When people here want to make it sound cool and call it "The Peake" I just cringe. This team deserves a better brand on their building and it MAY happen sooner than many think. It's not like the co-owners are excited about their team's branding association with Aubrey's shenanigans and that name shining across the building on those all-important nationally televised games and in sports pages across the country. They're not stupid people.
Are you sure? They thought that horrible Doritos logo was good.....

MikeOKC, keep it up in the other thread... This is about the outside of a building that was originally called the Ford Center and is now sponsored by Chesapeake. Not once did you ever complain about Ford when it was the Ford Center. Let it go, here...

It's nice to see they've been working on the interior as they complete the exterior. I figured it was still a shell. Opening night will be here before we know it and it looks like our new entrance will be as well. Everything looks really good.

No doubt Betts!

Here are the photos from their Facebook page:

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/376730_367464239991819_2039444986_n.jpg
That tower area in the pic by the crane, looks like it is all window/glass...I take it that they have abandoned the idea of the video board that was in some of the renderings? While this looks good, the video board would have been awesome!

That tower area in the pic by the crane, looks like it is all window/glass...I take it that they have abandoned the idea of the video board that was in some of the renderings? While this looks good, the video board would have been awesome!

I think since they put the big video board up on the Northwest corner, it makes adding another board irrelavent.

The front really is coming along nicely. It's amazing how this change completely updates the look. It almost looks like an entrance to a multi-purpose convention center versus a stand-alone arena. Very classy looking.

I think since they put the big video board up on the Northwest corner, it makes adding another board irrelavent.
respectfully disagree...if it is the one I am thinking of, it is a poor substitute for what they were planning on putting here. IMO

They had might as well not even put the video boards up if it will serve no community purpose whatsoever...

The video board was for advertising purposes so you will probably see another video board going up. Lol

So the city has a moratorium on electronic billboards, and a ban on them along the new I-40, yet the city itself is engaged in blanketing downtown with more of them.... nice

I thought it was a bit hypocritical when they have a moratorium for them in OKC, then approve them in locations where they are on the edge of town where they are entirely aimed at the suburb beside it.

So the city has a moratorium on electronic billboards, and a ban on them along the new I-40, yet the city itself is engaged in blanketing downtown with more of them.... nice

Do you have a problem with the electronic billboards in Times Square or Piccadilly Circus?

Do you have a problem with the electronic billboards in Times Square or Piccadilly Circus?

No comparison so not fair. This is not Tokyo or NYC...

So the city has a moratorium on electronic billboards, and a ban on them along the new I-40, yet the city itself is engaged in blanketing downtown with more of them.... nice

Isn't that a driving safety issue and not an aesthetic one?

Rover: from what I recall on it, the ban on billboards in general (don't recall anything specifically about electronic ones) on the relocated I-40 was purely aesthetics (except for the grandfathered ones). Oddly the Mayor stated that we have a hard time getting folks to pull off the interstate when driving thru so they decided to do the eye-catching Skydance Bridge on one hand then banned bill boards on the other (which can certainly serve to get folks to exit off (Cattlemen's etc).

ljbab728: how does OKC's ordinances apply to NYC? i don't think the City should exempt itself (if they have) from the rules it places on others.

ljbab728: how does OKC's ordinances apply to NYC? i don't think the City should exempt itself (if they have) from the rules it places on others.

I'm not addressing ordinance issues at this point. It just seems to me that having those kind of electronic signs in a downtown area are representative of a true urban experience whether it's here or NYC. Do I think they should be everywhere? NO
Having those signs along a freeway does nothing to promote an urban atmosphere.

I'm not addressing ordinance issues at this point. It just seems to me that having those kind of electronic signs in a downtown area are representative of a true urban experience whether it's here or NYC. Do I think they should be everywhere? NO
Having those signs along a freeway does nothing to promote an urban atmosphere.

this

This afternoon

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/7762270520_148d57fa1a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbridgesokc/7762270520/)
Chesapeake Arena (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbridgesokc/7762270520/) by Matthew Bridges (http://www.flickr.com/people/mattbridgesokc/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/7762270908_d434607d52.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbridgesokc/7762270908/)
Chesapeake Arena (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbridgesokc/7762270908/) by Matthew Bridges (http://www.flickr.com/people/mattbridgesokc/), on Flickr

Extremely nice looking, thanks for the pics.

To me it seems they could easily add a video board once this project is done, and and development where the old crosstown was picks up. I'm also bummed there's no video board, but I just look at it as an amenity on hold.

The Thunder page just posted this on FB
2018

Does anyone else think the metal capping looks out of place in real life? It didn't look as weird in the rendering. I'm not sure what else you would do since you can't really put stone up there, but it just looks out of place to me.

Does anyone else think the metal capping looks out of place in real life? It didn't look as weird in the rendering. I'm not sure what else you would do since you can't really put stone up there, but it just looks out of place to me.

No

Does anyone else think the metal capping looks out of place in real life? It didn't look as weird in the rendering. I'm not sure what else you would do since you can't really put stone up there, but it just looks out of place to me.

I agree. It is not the material that bothers me, but the thickness. It appears out out of scale with the rest of the building. In the rendering, it was much thinner. At the very least, it should have some form of articulation to break up the vast expanse of featureless metal.

Does anyone else think the metal capping looks out of place in real life? It didn't look as weird in the rendering. I'm not sure what else you would do since you can't really put stone up there, but it just looks out of place to me.

The only thing I don't like is the borders between each glass panel. I thought it would be one curtain wall of glass kinda like the Devon Tower Rotunda.

I agree. It is not the material that bothers me, but the thickness. It appears out out of scale with the rest of the building. In the rendering, it was much thinner. At the very least, it should have some form of articulation to break up the vast expanse of featureless metal.

Agreed. It's so different than the rest of the structure (including the rest of the new stuff), it just feels a little out of place and "oh lets slap that on there".

Agreed. It's so different than the rest of the structure (including the rest of the new stuff), it just feels a little out of place and "oh lets slap that on there".

I like the new front and I think the metal looks good up there with the glass. My problem with the entrance is that it doesn't jibe with the old arena at all. The old arena is so simple and pedestrian looking, with all that beige brick, and my eyes are not fooled by that attempt at tieing the old in with the new with those graduated brick columns. Perhaps they need to figure a way to add metal or glass to the old part. Of course, I'm not an architect so I have no idea how one would do that. It's easier to criticize than to make suggestions.

They could clad the crown with metal to match. That would unify it with looks and materials, but wouldn't be hugely expensive. Would cover the cheap looking fake stucco too.

Let's just bite the bullet and do it right, somehow re-clad to make the old part of the building match up to the new.

If it could be done right and didn't look cheap, I wouldn't mind seeing the arena brick painted a different color. The current color of the brick is nauseating.

If it could be done right and didn't look cheap, I wouldn't mind seeing the arena brick painted a different color. The current color of the brick is nauseating.

While I am not terribly opposed to any of the brick colors on there own, that a couple of the different colors do not seem to go well together aesthetically is where I find the problem. However painting brick will make it more costly to maintain since it will need repainted periodically, where as unpainted it will at most need power washed but the colors hide dirt well so that should not come up often.

They could clad the crown with metal to match. That would unify it with looks and materials, but wouldn't be hugely expensive. Would cover the cheap looking fake stucco too.

I like that idea.

For what its worth the renderings showed the cap as being less chunky and protruding out more. more graceful for lack of a better word...realize it isn't easy to depict metal in renderings but I didn't get the idea from them that it was supposed to be metal?

if someone wants to post the pics here directly, feel free, I cant seem to get it to work today so here's the link), the pics are in the series near the bottom of the screen, have to click thru them to get to the exterior ones
http://www.chesapeakearena.com/improvements/renderings1.html



I like the new front and I think the metal looks good up there with the glass. My problem with the entrance is that it doesn't jibe with the old arena at all. The old arena is so simple and pedestrian looking, with all that beige brick, and my eyes are not fooled by that attempt at tieing the old in with the new with those graduated brick columns. Perhaps they need to figure a way to add metal or glass to the old part. Of course, I'm not an architect so I have no idea how one would do that. It's easier to criticize than to make suggestions.

http://secure.oklahoman.net/myaccount/tearsheet_pdf.asp?tearid=2180398

"It will be an iconic entrance to the Arena," said Tom Anderson, Oklahoma City's special projects manager. "It will have a major glass element, but it won't look like an add-on. it will complement the existing building with some brick components."

Guess they they tried but missed?

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk92/gandjdunlap/CHKARENA-1.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk92/gandjdunlap/CHKARENA-2.jpg

I think it works better in the rendering because the new entry element is taller than constructed. The roof plane doesn't engage the brick. Budget cuts I'm sure...

Agree on the thickness of the roof thickness, not to graceful as constructed. I have also thought the same about replacing the EIFS (stucco) with metal panel.

Anyone else think it looks like the Devon Tower to Colcord connection?

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk92/gandjdunlap/CHKARENA-1.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk92/gandjdunlap/CHKARENA-2.jpg

I think it works better in the rendering because the new entry element is taller than constructed. The roof plane doesn't engage the brick. Budget cuts I'm sure...

Agree on the thickness of the roof thickness, not to graceful as constructed. I have also thought the same about replacing the EIFS (stucco) with metal panel.

That second rendering is not what it looks like in the foreground. I drove by today and the entry is not on ground level. There is a three foot difference between street level and entry level with metal railing. I don't like it...

It could be worse, the exterior could be rusting. And on purpose no less.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/19952830/so-barclays-center-is-covered-with-rust-but-its-supposed-to-be-that-way

Anyone else think it looks like the Devon Tower to Colcord connection?

It looks like about 100 buildings by Skidmore Owens or lots of other modern commercial structures. Glass and metal is pretty common in design now. I don't think there is any Devon/Chesapeake OKC master plan conspiracy is there? Just a contemporary look.

It looks like about 100 buildings by Skidmore Owens or lots of other modern commercial structures. Glass and metal is pretty common in design now. I don't think there is any Devon/Chesapeake OKC master plan conspiracy is there? Just a contemporary look.

I think he was just refrencing how unnatural the connection between the Devon tower and Colcord hotel looks.

I think he was just refrencing how unnatural the connection between the Devon tower and Colcord hotel looks.

No, I was pretty much saying it looks like it belongs on the Devon campus. Rover is right (sort of) - it looks like nearly everything designed by Pickard Chilton.

Skidmore Owens is one of the largest design firms in the world. Pickard Chilton is a different architectural and design firm. And Benham was the designer here. My point was that the choice of materials and the lines used are pretty common among many of the best designers in the world. It is no wonder that to make the building look more modern that this was the look. This look is used world wide, not just across the park. The problem in integrating it is that the initial building is of no particular style and no distinction. In some ways this was putting lipstick on a pig. But, given the budget and what they had to work with, it is an okay execution. That said, there are other physical changes that can be made to the main structure that would make it seem more like it was one project and not just an add on. Of course, that takes $$.

That second rendering is not what it looks like in the foreground. ...

Thats not the only problem...

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk92/gandjdunlap/CHKARENA-2.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk92/gandjdunlap/chk-constr.jpg

Renderings are never 100% accurate.

Renderings are never 100% accurate.

If I'm the client, and in this case most of us are, the rendering is what I was sold on. Now if there were design revisions due to whatever, I would want to know what my final product is going to look like in an accurate rendering...

When are they going to remove those ugly highway pilings from the front of this "new" arena entry?

If I'm the client, and in this case most of us are, the rendering is what I was sold on. Now if there were design revisions due to whatever, I would want to know what my final product is going to look like in an accurate rendering...

The client is the city and city staff in all likelihood approved the changes. It may have been due to the Maps extension to pay for it came in less than expected and instead of trying to pass another extension they just scaled some things down. It also could have been when the rendering was made, often they are a conceptual idea coming before the blueprints on how it can actually be constructed and final estimate of what certain elements would add to the budget.

I like that we do not have the green tint windows it implies that neither goes with the team colors or much else in the area.

When are they going to remove those ugly highway pilings from the front of this "new" arena entry?

I imagine they will be gone within 2 weeks. Their gone from the east end.

Thats not the only problem...

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk92/gandjdunlap/CHKARENA-2.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk92/gandjdunlap/chk-constr.jpg

Sun setting in the east?