The Nets’ Billion-Dollar New Arena Is Coated With Rusty Metal

[Rudi]

The Nets’ Billion-Dollar New Arena Is Coated With Rusty Metal

The Barclays Center, home-to-be of the Brooklyn Nets, was a controversial building before it even was a building. That’s because it was a centerpiece of the controversial Atlantic Yards project, which involved developer/former Nets majority owner Bruce Ratner getting New York State to condemn several acres’ worth of (occupied) Brooklyn real estate so he could develop it for his own purposes – including building the Barclays Center, and relocating the Nets from New Jersey to play in it. Indeed, the fact that the Barclays Center would be frequented by members of the public – as opposed to, say, a luxury apartment building – made it a key part of the project’s ability to get off the ground.

Well, that’s all in the past, of course – Ratner won, he built the Atlantic Yards development (albeit not in its originally-proposed form), and the Nets start playing at the Barclays Center this fall. But just because the Barclays Center is allowed to exist does’t mean the controversy surrounding the building itself is over. No, now that it’s up, people are starting to ask the question: why’s it all rusted?

It’s a good question: the arena’s brand new and cost $1 billion, after all. Rust? But, as you might expect, the rusting is but a design flourish – one that developers might prefer you call “weathered steel.” It’s not exactly uncommon – both this New York Times piece and this Deadspin post from yesterday cite other structures that have used the stuff – but it’s aso hard to argue from either piece, especially Deadspin’s, that the weathered steel is actually a good idea, architecturally. While there are functional reasons to use it, the Times points out:


Weathering steel — often known by its old brand name, Cor-Ten — develops a fine layer of rust, which then acts as a protective coating against moisture, slowing its own corrosion process almost to a stop.

It’s also still, you know, rust. Deadspin:

Pittsburgh’s U.S. Steel Tower, which opened in 1970, was built to showcase [weathering steel]. It turned all the surrounding sidewalks (and a few neighboring structures) brown. The company tried power-washing the stuff off, but they couldn’t make it all go away. A large, complicated public sculpture from 1967 was crumbling by 1991.

So, we’ll probably be looking at some brown spots on the sidewalks outside the Barclays Center (even despite precautionary measures taken to ensure the dripping from the intentionally-rusted metal), at least. Even if the rusting outer layer succeeds at protecting the building’s actual exterior, one would hope the building would look good. After all, weathered steel is supposed to be partly about looks, too. So, will it be worth it from an aesthetic standpoint? Will the Barclays Center make up for those brown rust splotches on sidewalks and spotty history of the material itself with beauty beyond reproach?

I’m not an architect, granted. But come on: that looks like sh-t.

SOURCE: SPROTSgrid

 

[NAHSTE]

Yeah I've walked past it a few times lately and am amazed at how it looks way less impressive than it did in the artist renderings. It's ugly, tiny, and none of the residents want it there. Oh yeah and car traffic is going to be IMPOSSIBRUH. Good luck to those who are trying to take a cab home from the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges on a night there is an event there.

But it's a five minute train ride from my place so I'll be there a lot, starting with Hov on Oct. 3.

:kompany:

 

[Villain]

uke:

 

[IamMedellin]

Very Brooklyn :lalala:

 

[EmpireWF]

Barbara Streisand, Rush, Jay Z, preseason NHL games and WWE live events.

What more could you ask for?

 

[Fappin Raptor]

Barbara Streisand, Rush, Jay Z, preseason NHL games and WWE live events.

What more could you ask for?

There might not even be a season. :arrieta:

 

[Mogriffjr]

Yeah I've walked past it a few times lately and am amazed at how it looks way less impressive than it did in the artist renderings. It's ugly, tiny, and none of the residents want it there. Oh yeah and car traffic is going to be IMPOSSIBRUH. Good luck to those who are trying to take a cab home from the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges on a night there is an event there.

But it's a five minute train ride from my place so I'll be there a lot, starting with Hov on Oct. 3.

:kompany:

Atlantic Av/Flatbush is going to be a BITCH to get through, especially the damn bridges...smh...

 

[NAHSTE]

Atlantic Av/Flatbush is going to be a BITCH to get through, especially the damn bridges...smh...

It's already pretty bad, as soon as you get off the bridge and it spills out onto Flatbush, there's always a gridlock at the Atlantic/4 Av corner. Whenever I'm in a cab from the city we get stuck in that bottle neck and it slows everyone down. There are so many intersections and traffic lights in that small space, it's just going to be a shitshow at all times.

 

[jms493]

wtf?

 

[Mogriffjr]

It's already pretty bad, as soon as you get off the bridge and it spills out onto Flatbush, there's always a gridlock at the Atlantic/4 Av corner. Whenever I'm in a cab from the city we get stuck in that bottle neck and it slows everyone down. There are so many intersections and traffic lights in that small space, it's just going to be a shitshow at all times.

lol it's been like that forever though, before they was doing construction on what it seems like was nothing (but added the train station and fix that mall over there...i'ma just take the train in to see games...

 

[Leftwich]

That place is ugly as fuck. I'd rather it have stucco all over the side than rusty metal.

 

[ralaw]

LOL whoever thought it would be a smart idea to use wethered steel on that facility is an idiot. It had to of been missed, because no architect would specify that on a project like this. SMH. I could understand if it was part of the design, but not on a facility like this.

 

[Champ]

Isn't Jay Z only like a 1/3 of a percent owner? .33 of 1%

 

[EmpireWF]

Isn't Jay Z only like a 1/3 of a percent owner? .33 of 1%

He is a minority owner, yes.

 

[Villain]

Isn't Jay Z only like a 1/3 of a percent owner? .33 of 1%

Magic Johnson only contributed $50mil out of $2 billion. Contribute a public face and a distraction from real the owners.

 

[CaribbeanJoseph]

That shit hella ugly :walker:

 

[SHOGUN]

They tried to get too cute and now it looks like it belongs in a junkyard.

 

[NAHSTE]

As an Atlanta native I am obligated to post this monstrosity, also made with the same material:

It had to be torn down because the exterior was literally falling apart, to the point where the city had to patch it with chain link to prevent people from crawling through the holes in the wall. :yao:

 

[EmpireWF]

Ahhh the Omni. One of the famous pro wrestling venues in its time.

 

[Point Blank]

It fits Brooklyn well :rofl: