Jaguars Unveil Plans for ‘Stadium of the Future’

The Jacksonville Jaguars introduced conceptual designs for the Stadium of the Future, a design project nearly three years in the making intended to inspire a transformation of Downtown Jacksonville and secure NFL football in Northeast Florida well into the future.

The Jaguars and city of Jacksonville officials began work toward a long-term stadium solution in July 2020 with a thorough engineering assessment of the current stadium, TIAA Bank Field. The assessment concluded it was possible to solve stadium challenges via a renovation of the city-owned facility versus new construction.

Drawing inspiration from Jacksonville’s lush landscapes — a network of biking and walking trails, parklands, greenways, beaches and marshes — the striking design captures the essence of Florida. Fans will enter through a subtropical Floridian park, leading them to the main concourse. The concourse is elevated 30 feet above the ground, offering expansive views for Downtown Jacksonville and the St. Johns River.

The 360-degree concourse, four times wider than before, will feature interactive social bars and a variety of unique experiences alongside culinary delights native to Jacksonville. Every fan will discover something unique during each visit to the venue, which offers a wide range of premium offerings and communal spaces.

The seating bowl flexibility provides for a base capacity of 62,000 with expansion capabilities up to 71,500 for a college football game and more for a concert. The venue can transform its appearance through lighting and digital technology that will create distinctive game-day experiences while ensuring fans stay connected.

The stadium is designed with sustainability in mind. With a first-of-its-kind mirrored material, the energy-efficient façade reflects Jacksonville’s waterfront, vegetation and distinct spirit. The open-air venue features a large shade canopy that reduces heat retention by more than 70%, lowers temperatures 10-15 degrees and protects fans from the weather. The façade is raised at the northern and southern ends to optimize airflow, enabling passive cooling throughout the stadium.

The stadium will feature lookout decks that offer citywide views. A fritted roof membrane introduces dispersed ambient light throughout the stadium interior.

The new stadium design addresses key fan requests, including a 185% increase in main concourse surface area, a 260% increase in upper concourse surface area, 360-degree connectivity in the upper concourse, 13 new elevators and 32 new escalators to support vertical movement, 220 new food and beverage points of sale and 14 new restrooms.

Construction will generate thousands of jobs and, once complete, the stadium will become a source of civic pride and a coveted destination for residents and visitors to Jacksonville.

The project team includes HOK as architect, Impact Development and Management as the owner’s representative, with AECOM Hunt and Barton Malow serving in the role of preconstruction manager.

For more information, visit www.1stdowntownjacksonville.com.