The new Milwaukee Bucks Arena in Wisconsin is part of a billion-dollar development plan.
Whether it’s a major restoration of an iconic arena, as is happening with the $400-million redo of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y., or updating a 1970’s era arena like Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, arenas already in the game have to meet today’s fans’ expectations.
And that bar is always higher, as new sports mansions come on line, like those planned in Edmonton for the Oilers, Detroit for the Red Wings, Sacramento for the Kings and Milwaukee for the Bucks.
Venues Today identified 23 major arena projects underway in North America alone, half of them new, half of them renovations, representing a cumulative $5.1 billion worth of capital investment from 2015 through 2018. While the biggest are inevitably National Basketball Association or National Hockey League homes, secondary market arenas are facing the same fan expectations.
“There are some relatively significant renovation projects on the horizon that will happen sometime soon,” said Brad Clark, Populous. “Every existing venue, 10-25 years old, has to look at their lifeline and assess whether they are competing and whether renovation can get them up to current standards.”
BUILT BRAND TOUGH
Best practices call for LED lighting, hi-tech scoreboards, free WiFi and digital TVs, but there is still a need and desire to set each arena apart, a brand unto itself.
When Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y., reopens in December 2016 after a major makeover it will have the curb appeal and sense of place that has become de rigueur for arenas today. It’s not exactly new construction, but it is a major rehab, along the lines of a restoration. And it will have a lifestyle district attached where fans once saw only parking lot. Long gone are the boxes that enclosed fans in an exclusive experience. Instead, those inside enjoying the entertainment and sports lifestyle remain connected to the city outside, which is invited to look in.
Brett Yormark, president, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, said his firm, which is spending private money to rebuild Nassau Coliseum, plans to create a better Long Island. “By that I mean how do we create jobs and bring world-class sports and entertainment to Long Island and how do we create an environment that can truly become a year-round destination.”
But unlike new construction, this project involves an iconic venue with an established history and drawing power. BSE will pay tribute to the past in everything but design.
The new Nassau Coliseum will emphasize a one-of-a-kind artist experience, he said, with full intentions to build a back of house that is like home for traveling talent, both music and sports. “We’re working with people in the business on focus groups to be sure we do that really well,” Yormark said.
And the area around the arena will be transformed into a lifestyle and entertainment district, which will be programmed 365 days a year with great restaurants, a movie theater, a skydiving element and other experiential offerings. The entire campus will be branded by a title sponsor, Yormark added.
“We’re speaking to the lifestyle of Long Islanders in everything we do, whether it’s the architecture or the retail partners we’re attracting,” Yormark added.
The exterior is new and different and unique, with a wavy look that speaks to the oceanfront. “We’re right-sizing the building, bringing it back to its original size. It currently stands at 16,100. We’ll build 13,000, but we’ll be able to flex up to 14,500 for bigger events,” Yormark said.
RIGHT-SIZING BEATS BIGGER
The new philosophy for all arenas seems to be to right-size them for the market. The race to be largest is no longer relevant.
The Milwaukee Bucks are doing just that. “I describe this building as a place that will be open, tailored to, sized for and appropriate to the Milwaukee market,” Clark said. There will be a high percentage of the overall seating capacity in the lower bowl. Harris BMO Bradley Center’s challenge, and the reason it is being replaced, is that the majority of general seating there is above the lower bowl. “So it is really upside down. The new arena will have close to 10,000 seats in the lower bowl,” Clark said. Seating will be cut to 17,300 for basketball, which is a right number.
The venue is also more economical in footprint, occupying just 640,000 sq. ft. versus the 750,000 sq.-ft. average for the earlier generation of arenas built in the 90s. “In a market like Milwaukee, it was determined a little over the 17,000 mark is where they need to be, not 18.5,” Clark said. “They will fill it up.”
Current plans in Milwaukee are to add mixed-use development over the next 10 years on the site of Bradley Center, which would come down. Like many new projects in the major leagues, Milwaukee’s new arena is part of a bigger billion-dollar vision, similar to plans for the new Golden 1 Center to be home to the Sacramento Kings, and the new arena that will house the Detroit Red Wings, both incorporating lifestyle and entertainment district components.
“These arenas are increasingly urban and increasingly integrated with additional development that makes them part of a destination or anchor to a destination,” Clark said. “It’s about drawing people into downtown. In Milwaukee we’re hoping this is a real renaissance.”
The new Milwaukee Bucks Arena will be part of the fabric of the community, with a 20-acre lifestyle district, when it opens in 2017, Clark said.
The Bucks are also building a new training facility, southwest of the arena, which comes on line first in 2017 and which Populous is also designing with Eppstein, Uhen. It will be part of the district and add to the excitement of going there.
WELCOMING EXTERIORS
Las Vegas Arena, which opens this spring, also sports smaller square footage, up to 670,000 sq. ft., though seating can go as high as 18,500 for basketball. Like Quebec City, Las Vegas awaits a team. While both Nassau Coliseum and Videotron Centre will have a strong sport component, Las Vegas Arena will have a concentration on concerts, boxing events and other events ubiquitous to Las Vegas, like awards shows.
The latter is one reason Las Vegas Arena, which is just a block off the Las Vegas Strip, and anchors an urban park space which connects the Strip to the arena’s front door, is putting a big emphasis on that front entry. It will have a balcony that cantilevers off the building, with a capacity of 1,000 and a view of the event plaza out front.
“The event plaza will be popular,” Clark predicted. “The venue will be a natural for awards shows and the front entry porch will be spectacular.”
Don Dethlefs, Sink, Combs, Dethlefs, also has Vegas on his mind. He is working on major renovations to Thomas & Mack Center there which, in 1979, was also the first arena he ever designed.
Fan amenities have changed and patrons demand better restrooms, especially for women. “Old arenas have abysmal finishes and fixture counts for women’s restrooms,” he said.
ADA improvements are also a big part of renovation today. Since most Americans with Disabilities Act retrofits are enforced by lawsuit, Dethlefs advises anyone renovating a venue to get ahead of that curve right away. “You want to be known for doing the right thing,” he said.
They are also renovating the ground level, moving outside walls to allow for more concessions, restrooms and restaurants.
“We often do push out the walls,” Dethlefs said. “For Michigan, when we renovated Chrysler Arena, we added all around the concourse. Bowls are hard to add onto. but it’s the amenities people want, more circulation, restrooms, restaurants, clubs. We’re tending to expand the perimeter of the building if there is room.”
Dethlefs is also renovating Target Center, Minneapolis. It has a health club below it. “We’re renovating the lobby to make the building open up to the city. Minneapolis has changed. Target Center used to be the edge of town and then they built Target Field. It was of the era when buildings were more enclosed. We’re trying to have it much more visible.”
The entire industry is challenged to get people off the sofa and away from their flat screens, Clark said. The arenas today and tomorrow will be the kinds of places people want to go. “Architecture has a big role in the experience.”
Interviewed for this story: Brad Clark, (816) 329-4265; Brett Yormark, (718) 942-9587; Don Dethlefs, 303) 308-0200