Sustainability at the heart of new Ryan Field

Article posted by Coliseum, July 1^st, 2024

Image: HNTB

The Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (US) shared updated images of their new Ryan Field football stadium project.

‘nbcsportschicago.com’ stated that the school broke ground on the project on June 24^th.

The Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois (US). Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest chartered university in Illinois. The university has its main campus along the shores of Lake Michigan in the Chicago Metropolitan area.

The 47,130-capacity Ryan Field was a stadium in Central United States located in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb North of Chicago. Near the campus of the Northwestern University, it was primarily used for American football and was the home field of the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference.

Image: HNTB

The Northwestern Wildcats football team represents the Northwestern University as a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college football team and is a member of the Big Ten Conference based near Chicago in Evanston, Illinois (US). Founded in 1851, the Northwestern began playing football in 1882.

Indianapolis (US)-based the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States and one in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps over 500,000 college student-athletes who compete annually in college sports.

The Big Ten Conference is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont, Illinois.

‘nbcsportschicago.com’ further stated that the new Ryan Field is part of a $480 million donation from the family of Patrick and Shirley Ryan that was the largest in school history. Some of that money is funding academic ventures.

Image: HNTB

The school has said the stadium would seat 35,000, down more than 12,000 from the old Ryan Field, which opened in 1926. It will feature a canopy designed to keep noise and light focused on the field and will include cutting-edge technology and scoreboards as well as concessions with food from the local restaurants. It will also achieve Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

The LEED Gold certification is a prestigious level of certification that a building can achieve by meeting strict standards for sustainability and earning at least 60 percent of the available LEED points. These standards include energy use, lighting, water and material use, and sustainable strategies.

The Northwestern is scheduled to play most of its home games next season at its lakefront soccer and lacrosse facility. A temporary structure with a capacity considerably lower than at the old Ryan Field and the new stadium is being built.

The new Ryan Field is scheduled to open in 2026.

Image: HNTB

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