Washington Nationals Stadium

Usually a ride on the Metro is a solemn, staid affair as the multitudes slog home from work.  Today's ride, however, included a proselytizing Bible thumper and a blind man who decided to make conversation with his reluctant seatmates.  But I'm not a habitual Metro commuter, as the Purple Line does not yet exist and my daily routine requires me to drive to job sites that are not convenient to public transportation, so I am confined to the 4 wheeled carbon exuding beast as the two wheeled human powered variety also does not lend itself to efficient flitting about.

I use the Metro mostly to go to sporting events, which I often try not to pay for.  All of my glad handing and optimistic friendliness pays off in tickets to Nats, Caps, Skins, Ravens, etc games from friends, relatives, and work contacts that I gladly accept.  Today's dalliance on the Metro, however, revolved not around a game but in fact a tour of the PLACE where these games will be played.

In my workaday job I design buildings, new or of the rehab variety.  These projects are usually small scale to relatively sizeable projects, the current largest one being a 7 story, 130 dwelling unit apartment building with retail on the first level and two levels of subterranean parking.  This is the biggest project I've ever done, and it's multi-disciplined puzzle that reveals itself to me in ways that I can't describe, other than moments of pleasure and terror and everything in between.  Lines I draw can cost people or save people hundreds, thousands, millions, oodles of dollars.  My main goal is to stay on the friendly side of that equation and somehow create a structure that satisfies its users and maybe even provides a level of unexpected appreciation.  So I think that my job is pretty tough.

Until I walked into the behemoth that will be home to the Washington Nationals today.  One of the perks of being a member of the AIA, besides the privilege of paying a ghastly amount of money for dues, is the opportunity to check out monumental buildings under construction.  A little more than a dozen of us, including my esteemed colleague Scott toured the stadium this afternoon and, while I was in Stairwell 38 Level 2.5, I realized that the sheer immensity of a project of this scale, even with the forces required to conceive, design, finance, construct, and maintain this colossus was overwhelming to an unimaginable degree.  I have nothing but admiration for these people, who by force of will (and money) somehow make this thing happen.  

Like all buildings, it has its moments, and it has its complete screw-ups, and many will second guess major design decisions that will be regretted as the building cranks through its lifespan.  The obscene millions spent on the luxurious appointments of those who will spend (literally) thousands of dollars per game to watch (major generalization alert) spoiled millionaires is a tough pill to swallow, but unavoidable.  The gametime experience will be cool, just because the sightlines and the care in designing the relationship between field and fan was carefully considered, but there will be many bugs to work out in the getting to and going home from department.  Despite the jillions of dollars and hours spent on this project, this becomes another opportunity for the general public to once again gather in a place that can foster a sense of civic togetherness.  And while we're all singing Kumbaya, let's realize that the stadium is perched across the river from a part of DC that many people shun.  Maybe this building will change that perception, as it's really not that bad "east of the river" as Fox 5 says.

One hundred and thirty units?  Piece of cake.