The Stankonia Dome is happening: Atlanta Falcons approve new stadium concept

The second major design phase of the Atlanta Falcons' new stadium has been completed, with a single conceptual design being approved Tuesday at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Earlier this year, the GWCC had released two different retractable-roof concepts, the oculus-to-paradise Pantheon (lovingly dubbed "the Stankonia Dome") and the unboxable warehouse Solarium. We detailed both of them here, but not really both of them, because only one of them is the Stankonia Dome.

And it's the Pantheon idea that's officially outlasted the Solarium. The final design will be unveiled in 2014, but we've taken a major step toward it.

This is not just sort of happening, it's sort of happening in the NFL. The design could still change significantly, but there will eventually be something in our world, our human world, that looks something like this -- and not just a thing, but a 70,000-seat stadium paid for mostly by an expensively dressed billionaire, maybe named after one of the biggest corporations on earth, and housing the country's most serious sporting event at some point.

Glory be.

The Stankonia Dome Beta, Mark 2, does include some alterations to the original concept.

For one, the retractable opening, that Goatse-esque camera lens taking a photo of God looking down on his Chick-fil-A Bowl, will be bigger. It won't just moon the heavens; it'll now sprawl so wide that it'll blow kisses at the city's skyline, and the city's skyline in return. You can see more of the skyline here (all new images from AtlantaFalcons.com):

Depending on weather, the exterior will also become clearer, like the city's many aquarium tanks and onion ring trays and high-heeled shoes. Here's the old skin from April:

And here's the current version:

Major questions remain, such as what to call it (the chatter of sources matches your suspicions exactly: Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A, and Delta are frequently mentioned as potential name sponsors), where to put it (south of the current Dome, which would mean buying and moving a pair of historic churches, or just north, which would mean distance from the skyline), whether it'll house a MLS team or not, and how badly the concessions experience will be cocked up by Atlanta nepotism.

But for now:

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