Paycom Center (formerly Chesapeake Arena)

[CuatrodeMayo]

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.

[OKCisOK4me]

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.

[bombermwc]

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".

[betts]

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.

[Rover]

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.

[Bellaboo]

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.

[HangryHippo]

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.

[Snowman]

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.

[bombermwc]

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.

[Larry OKC]

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/impro...nderings1.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/myaccoun...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?

[architect5311]

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.

[Just the facts]

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

[OKCisOK4me]

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...

[Northwestsider]

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

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ey...to-be-that-way

[Rover]

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.

[jccouger]

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.

[Just the facts]

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.

[Rover]

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 $$.

[architect5311]

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

Thats not the only problem...

[metro]

Renderings are never 100% accurate.

[architect5311]

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...

[dcsooner]

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

[Snowman]

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.

[jn1780]

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.

[LordGerald]

Thats not the only problem...

Sun setting in the east?