Clemson University
Memorial Stadium Video Board & Masters Club
More than just a technological upgrade; the new video board connects fans to the rich traditions and spirited atmosphere of Clemson University, both within the stadium and beyond to significantly enhance the experience for fans and athletes alike on game day. This, of course, begins with its core functionality serving as the central focal point above the gridiron where it brings together over 80,000 fans in shared moments of anticipation, joy, and reflection. Beyond its role as statistical narrator, the board serves as a storyteller, emblazoning University identity and tradition through architecture, audio-visual displays beyond the boundaries of game play, and tasteful iconography like the classic Tiger who sits atop the board, roars for touchdowns, and retracts after game time out of sight.
LOCATION: Clemson, SC
COMPLETED: 2022
ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT: AECOM
Tradition on Display
Synchronized display and lighting performances amplify traditions like the iconic game opening where the Tigers run down The Hill, known widely as the “most exciting 25 seconds in college football,” (Musburger, 2013). Ultimately, this is just the culmination of a series of a larger athlete-fan interaction, which starts beyond the west end zone where athletes process the Tiger Walk, enter the stadium player facilities, and proceed to begin the “Two Right Turns” tradition where players load into buses at the west side of the stadium and are driven to the portal under the video board at the east end zone: the final pose before their electric entrance. The video board televises this sequence and curates the entire episode embossing the crowd chants of “C-L-E-M-S-O-N!” with a festival of lights and sounds, the infrastructural headquarters of a synchronized stadium system. One does not even need a ticket to partake in this parade, as the video board plaza design provides a series of raised-step viewing platforms along Williamson Road, ensuring anyone can witness the dramatic arrival of the stars of the game.
Campus Connectivity
It takes a comprehensive approach to site to reinforce Clemson’s commitment to a cohesive campus environment. To enhance the “Uniquely Clemson” sense of place, the project forms a prominent urban facade, bounding the southern edge of campus with an architectural landmark that shrouds the massive stadium megastructure with architecture more appropriately scaled to the massing of its neighbors. The video board is clad in a thoughtful, contextual design, incorporating a strong but lightly grounded brick base and a contemporary, perforated metal top that allows light to permeate through, creating a dynamic presence day and night. LEDs offer soft, ambient lighting outside of game days and transform into vibrant displays during events, synchronizing with the atmosphere of the moment.
The design also engages the campus fabric to improve walkability: improving the day-to-day function of a multimodal corridor as well as in large crowd environments. Safety measures in the site design mitigate traffic flow and enhance street crossings, ensuring safe passage for pedestrians and vehicles alike. Realigning stadium concourse elevations to match Williamson Road enhances visibility, creates more accessible slopes, and reduces crowding along the stadium edge which previously proved unsafe and uncomfortable.
A major goal of this project was to better connect the Memorial Stadium experience to the Scroll of Honor Memorial Park across the street. The road and concourse topographic realignment allows for a smoother and more accessible transition between the two sides of the street. An extension of the park’s ground plane into the stadium via a zero-curb central plaza crossing the roadway creates a clear connection and extends the stadium axis forward into main campus. Raising the video board from its previous height allows for high visibility between the interior of the stadium and the park. This intermediary backdrop to the park appropriately scales the environment for better framing of the open space. The new video board hosts insignia memorializing military expanding the reach of the Scroll of Honor’s purpose and further connecting it to the original purpose dedicated to Memorial Stadium in 1942.
Awards
2023 AIA Kansas City Design Award
