Apparently, it'll be a good idea to bring a kayak to a Washington Redskins game whenever their new stadium opens. Based on preliminary designs, there will be a moat circling the stadium -- for aesthetic purposes, of course, not as a possible place of punishment (filled with alligators) for coaches who lose games.
The Redskins won't be moving for another decade but have long been scouting future sites -- and they've been working with the Bjarke Ingels Group, a Danish company that has never designed a sports stadium.
And the design the group came up with here has a futuristic look to it -- and it's trying to incorporate a feel that allows the site to be used for more than just games.
Another #Redskins stadium design concept from world-renowned architecture firm BIG.
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) March 14, 2016
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That means having parks where fans can tailgate -- and then cross a bridge over the moat to get inside the stadium. According to the Redskins' website, the moat can be used "for kayakers, along with parks and bridges for tailgaters and fans." Of course, a moat might not be the best thing to have around fans, considering what often happens at tailgate parties before games.
It would be the only stadium surrounded by a moat; however, kayakers can paddle up the bay behind the right-field stands at the San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park.
The rest of the oval-shaped and open-air stadium concept isn't fancy: The sides rise up higher than the end zone seats, and there will be huge scoreboards on either end.
The Ingels group designed Google's headquarters. The desire in Washington is to create a place for tailgating as much as anything.
Architect Bjarke Ingels told CBS' "60 Minutes" that, “When I started studying architecture, people would say, you know, 'Can you tell me why all modern buildings are so boring?'... People had this idea that in the good old days, architecture had ... ornament and little towers and spires and gargoyles, and today, it just becomes very practical. Tailgating becomes a picnic in the park."
The Redskins are still searching for sites in Virginia (where they train), Washington (where they used to play) and Maryland (where they currently play). They began play at FedEx Field in 1997, and their lease isn't up until 2027.