Archinect - News

Feds dole out $1 billion to get the Inglewood Transit Connector moving in LA's South Bay

2024-01-08T19:15:00-05:00

The planned Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC) in the Los Angeles area is moving forward thanks to a recent $1.09 billion investment by the federal government that will help deliver the 1.6-mile automated people mover to the rapidly changing South Bay district.

Once in place, the ITC will connect the neighborhood’s most important recent economic cogs, including SoFi Stadium and the soon-to-open Intuit Dome, with the Metro line while serving a maximum of 11,000 riders per hour. The design contractor for the project's implementation will be selected later in the year.

"This action delivers on the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support communities whose transit infrastructure has been neglected for too long and who have been impacted negatively by the construction of major freeways like the I-405 in Inglewood," Senator Alex Padilla said at the announcement.

Image courtesy City of Inglewood

"For the federal government to make a $1 billion investment in a city of 9 square...

A look at the architecture of LA’s SoFi Stadium, voted today as host of Super Bowl LXI

2023-12-13T18:28:00-05:00

When SoFi Stadium takes center stage as the host of Super Bowl LXI in 2027, the eyes of an unprecedented number of viewers will be tuned in to see the skills of both architects and professional football players being put on display in what is taking shape to be the nation’s most dynamic team sports development.

The new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers already hosted Super Bowl LVI in 2022 and was inaugurated during the 2020 season following a three-year construction effort and much older development plan that, in the end, awarded the community of Inglewood with a stadium that was previously slated for a Convention Center-adjacent site ten miles further northeast in Downtown LA.

Image: Nic LeHoux

HKS was the architect in charge of the project with help from all-pro landscape designer Mia Lehrer of the Los Angeles-based Studio-MLA.

Image: Nic LeHoux

Like so many of the players on the field, SoFi’s stats are rather impressive. The massive...

New construction video highlights AECOM's nearly complete Intuit Dome in Inglewood

2023-07-19T13:35:00-04:00

Following reports of its topping out in March, the AECOM-designed Intuit Dome, the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers, is taking shape ahead of its expected completion in 2024.

A new video depicts the status of the project as of June 2023, where its standout steel frame with diagrid geometry can be seen wrapping the structure. This building skin is formed from a series of diamond-shaped, interwoven metal panels with multiple uses. According to the architects, the frame was inspired by the form of a basketball net as a ball passes through it.

A vast array of solar panels can also be spotted on the structure’s roof. Intuit Dome is set to operate 100% carbon-free, powered fully by batteries and solar power. The design team, alongside the Clippers organization, worked towards initiatives that will earn the stadium a LEED Platinum certification.

The $1.2 billion, 18,000-seat arena will be the centerpiece of a larger mixed-use project, including an 85,000-square-foot training faci...

New Clippers NBA arena tops out in Inglewood

2023-03-13T14:00:00-04:00

According to the company’s website , the new facility is designed to mimic the look and feel of “the elegant form of a basketball net as a ball passes through it.” It will feature five basketball courts, more than any other NBA arena. According to the company’s website , the new facility is designed to mimic the look and feel of “the elegant form of a basketball net as a ball passes through it.” It will feature five basketball courts, more than any other NBA arena.

The AECOM-designed $1.2 billion construction broke ground in September of 2021 and is moving along schedule towards a 2024 completion. Its reported $260 million worth of community benefits are said to be the largest ever associated with an American sports arena project. In total, the arena will have a capacity for 18,000 future Clippers fans while their current abode undergoes a “nine-figure” overhaul courtesy of MEIS and Gensler.

Once construction is finished, the arena, which sits due south of SoFi Stadium, will occupy a 28-acre site that includes a Deer District-like public plaza, shopping areas, training facilities, and a 150-room hotel.

Previously on Archinect: Concrete frame at LA Clippers' new Intuit Dome arena tops out

Los Angeles hopes it will serve as a key cog in their upcoming Metro Crenshaw/LAX line extension. The NBA has more photos of the new construction here.

HKS-designed immersive entertainment venue coming to LA's SoFi Stadium district

2022-08-31T18:31:00-04:00

A new HKS-designed entertainment venue is rising in Inglewood's under-construction Hollywood Park mixed-use mega-development. The project is led by experiential media and immersive technology company Cosm and will reportedly be the first location to utilize their domed and compound curved LED technology.

The site sits adjacent to a fellow HKS-designed project, SoFi Stadium. It will feature a 26.6-meter (87-foot) diameter LED dome in a 65,000-square-foot facility that can house up to 1,700 guests. Programming at the venue will include live sports and entertainment, experiential events and content, immersive art, music, and more.

Image courtesy Cosm

“We look forward to Hollywood Park being the home of Cosm’s first venue. Their modern venue design and immersive LED technology will create a one-of-a-kind entertainment offering for our guests and our community,” said SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park managing director Jason Gannon.

Image courtesy Cosm

“From our live 8K immersive production...

Concrete frame at LA Clippers' new Intuit Dome arena tops out

2022-08-05T15:28:00-04:00

The AECOM-Hunt Turner joint venture is celebrating the topping out of the Intuit Dome’s concrete frame, the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers.

According to Turner, more than 200,000 hours of work were performed by 350 workers to complete the frame. During construction, 65,000 cubic yards of concrete were placed, and 6,600 concrete mix truck deliveries were completed. The largest foundation pour was 2,572 cubic yards, and the largest deck pour was 980 cubic yards.

Previously on Archinect: The Los Angeles Clippers break ground on $1.8 billion Intuit Dome

“What our construction team has achieved in the last six months is incredible,” said Rames Sundaram, Project Executive at Turner. “Our first foundation was poured on January 12th, and our last deck pour is on July 27th. So, in just six short months, we have completed what normally takes nine months of work. Really amazing!”

According to Turner Vice President Michael Marchesano, the swift completion of the concrete frame has en...

20 featured architecture and design jobs on LA's Westside

2022-07-15T11:45:00-04:00

If you are looking for new architectural career opportunities in the greater Los Angeles area and would like to be near Southern California's magnificent beaches, check out our latest weekly picks of featured positions from Archinect Jobs. This highlight includes a selection of exciting openings in the coastal neighborhoods of Venice, Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach, and El Segundo as well as LA's bustling 405-adjacent hubs of Culver City, Inglewood, and West Los Angeles.

Need to look up specific job titles from the architectural profession? Simply consult Archinect's Guide to Job Titles series. To improve your portfolio, resume, interviewing skills, and increase your overall chances of getting that next job, follow our Archinect Tips series.

Eric Owen Moss Architects seeks a Designer and an Architect/Job Captain in Culver City
"Eric Owen Moss Architects is seeking talented architects/designers for its international architecture practice based in Culver City, CA. The position requires a...

Super Bowl LVI will light up Studio-MLA’s award-winning Hollywood Park design

2022-01-12T15:22:00-05:00

The eyes of the sports world will soon be on Studio-MLA’s award-winning landscape design as it takes center stage during SoFi Stadium’s turn as host of the 56th Super Bowl in Los Angeles next month.

Around 100 million viewers are expected to tune in to this year’s version of the big game, which takes place in the new multibillion-dollar behemoth designed by HKS. Perhaps the most significant feature of the massive 3.1-million-square-foot stadium complex is the 25-acre Hollywood Park that is coming to life all around it, allowing it to serve in a way that helps the overall development meet its mandate as a vital anchor for the community of Inglewood.

Image © Craig Collins 2021

The park is part of a much larger complex that will eventually take up close to 300 acres and feature two other flexible performance venues as well as a 5.5-acre artificial lake designed by the studio to collect and reuse 26 million gallons a year in water runoff from each facility. What was once an empty racetr...

The Frank Gehry-designed YOLA Center is a key cog in the transformation of LA's Inglewood suburb

2021-12-27T15:09:00-05:00

It is one of the most vivid examples of efforts by major arts organizations across the country to bring youth education programs out into communities, rather than concentrating them in city centers or urban arts districts. For Inglewood, the new YOLA Center is a notable addition to what has been a transformative wave of stadium and arena construction, which has spurred a wave of commercial and housing development.

The Beckmen YOLA Center opened in October on the site of a former Burger King restaurant as the latest iteration of a wave of high-profile projects tied to a larger plan being pursued by Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. which are reshaping the community of 109,000 in spite of advocates’ criticism that similar developments are fueling a wave of gentrification.

Previously on Archinect: 'LET IT RIP!': Photos of Frank Gehry’s new LA Phil Youth Orchestra Center opening ceremony. Photo: Joshua White/JWPictures.com © LA Phil

For his part, Butts Jr. says the satellite venue, which is as much the vision of Gehry as it is of LA Philharmonic director Gustavo Dudamel, provides a balance in an area known to outsiders for its sports stadiums and past economic woes.

“We’ve never been known for cultural enrichment,” he told The New York Times. “That is why this is so important to us. What’s happening now is a rounding out of society and culture: we will no longer be known for just sports and ente...

'LET IT RIP!': Photos of Frank Gehry’s new LA Phil Youth Orchestra Center opening ceremony

2021-10-22T08:00:00-04:00

The wait is over for one of Frank Gehry’s most highly-anticipated projects in the past few years.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Saturday for the newly-opened Youth Orchestra Los Angeles Center in Los Angeles. Gehry was joined by LA Philharmonic director Gustavo Dudamel at the Inglewood ceremony, which included performances by both of the 102-year-old institution’s orchestral ensembles.

Image by Mathew Imaging courtesy of LA Phil

Speaking about the new Center, the 92-year-old architect stated simply: “To the kids of Inglewood, I say, 'LET IT RIP!' This is your building, and I hope you use every inch of it to experiment and to further your creative explorations. It was a joy for me to make, and I hope that it is a joy for you to use.”

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts was also on hand, saying the community has “looked forward to this day for so long,” and expressing the relief that the schoolchildren and their parents felt after not being able to attend classes in person during...

The Los Angeles Clippers break ground on $1.8 billion Intuit Dome

2021-09-20T15:41:00-04:00

The design meetings have been going on for years. Technology has evolved throughout the process. Painstaking decisions were made time and time again, right down to what an inch or two difference in leg room between rows would mean or where cupholders should be affixed to the seats. Finally, Steve Ballmer and the LA Clippers are ready to build their new home.

Four years after announcing plans to relocate from the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Clippers have broken ground on their long-awaited $1.8 billion, privately funded arena. It will be named Intuit Dome, as part of a 23-year naming rights agreement with Intuit, Inc. The 18,000-seat, AECOM-designed arena is scheduled to open in time for the 2024-2025 NBA season.

Through this partnership, Intuit and the Clippers plan to establish programs to reinvigorate the local economy, such as a commitment by Intuit to provide $1 million over the next three years to underserved school districts that are part of a program providing financial education to students. Intuit has also committed to providing free tax preparation services for low-income families in the area.

Previously on Archinect: Plans for LA Clippers arena in Inglewood move ahead

In addition, the Clippers have agreed to an estimated $260 million community benefits package, the largest ever associated with an arena.

Frank Gehry's new Youth Orchestra Los Angeles facility gets a first sound check

2021-06-01T17:45:00-04:00

The Los Angeles Philharmonic and its Youth Orchestra Los Angeles recently tried out the nearly completed Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center. That is the dilapidated former bank building and Burger King in downtown Inglewood that architect Frank Gehry has transformed into a fabulous performance space and teaching facility for young musicians.

Plans for a Gehry Partners-envisioned permanent home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Youth Orchestra first appeared on Archinect in 2017, followed by more concrete designs for the future Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center in LA's Inglewood neighborhood a year later.

Previously on Archinect: Gehry Partners reveal new design for the LA Phil Youth Orchestra. Aerial model view of the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center @ Inglewood, concert configuration. Photo courtesy of Gehry Partners, LLP.

As with its other Gehry-designed flagship facility, the Walt Disney Concert Hall which opened in Downtown Los Angeles in 2003, LA Phil worked with the team of acclaimed acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota again.

SoFi Stadium, L.A.'s $5-billion NFL football venue, debuts

2020-09-14T18:42:00-04:00

After four years of construction, SoFi Stadium has made its debut in Inglewood with a game between the Rams and the Dallas Cowboys. [...] The complex will play host to both the Rams - which have been housed in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since returning to Southern California in 2016 - and the Chargers - which are relocating from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.

Several years in the making, the HKS-designed SoFi Stadium in Inglewood just hosted its first NFL game, albeit without cheering crowds of spectators that may, one day, fill the 70,000 seats.

LA Clippers Arena: Inglewood City Council approves environmental report

2020-07-22T18:36:00-04:00

The Clippers’ plans for a billion-dollar arena complex moved closer to reality Tuesday after Inglewood’s City Council voted unanimously to approve the environmental impact report for the project. The approval came seven months after the release of the report, which spanned thousands of pages and required nearly two years to complete [...].

Image courtesy of the Los Angeles Clippers

According to the Los Angeles Times, concerns over gentrification brought forward by local groups opposing the 18,000-seat Clippers Arena and nearby NFL SoFi Stadium development were ruled out by the report.

AECOM is the architect of the $1.2 billion arena complex proposal for the Steve Ballmer-owned NBA team.

Los Angeles Clippers buy Forum arena with plans to move forward with another stadium next door

2020-03-25T18:57:00-04:00

The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball franchise has purchased the Forum arena in Inglewood, California for $400 million as part of a plan to construct a new AECOM-designed basketball megaplex for the team next door to the existing complex.

Previously on Archinect: “Plans for LA Clippers arena in Inglewood move ahead.” Image courtesy of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Plans were unveiled last year for a basketball net-inspired 900,000-square-foot arena that would become the new home for the basketball team. The Forum, designed in 1967 by architects Charles Luckman & Associates, is currently used for a variety of sporting events and concerts. The complex was designed as a modern feat of engineering by architect Charles Luckman and storied engineers Carl Johnson and Svend Nielsen and was the first arena of its size to be built without interior columns.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Los Angeles Clippers owner Steven Ballmer paid $400 million in cash to the New ...

Plans for LA Clippers arena in Inglewood move ahead

2020-01-03T14:27:00-05:00

Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved fast-tracking the billion-dollar arena complex the Clippers want to build in Inglewood, as plans for the project continue to advance. [...] The Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the Forum less than two miles away, called the arena plan “deeply flawed” and pledged to continue its fight against the project.

Designs for the proposed $1.2 billion basketball arena by AECOM were first unveiled in July last year.

"The Clippers, owned by billionaire Steve Ballmer, will install 330 electric vehicle chargers at the arena, fund 1,000 residential chargers in the surrounding area, purchase two electric buses and 10 electric vehicles for Inglewood’s municipal fleet, and plant 1,000 trees as part of its agreement with CARB," Daily Breeze reports. "The arena is expected to meet a Gold standard under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program."

Image courtesy of the Los Angeles Clippers

If approved and completed, the 18,000-seat venue would become the new Inglewood home of the Los Angeles Clippers, just in time for the 2024-25 NBA season and coinciding with the end of the team's lease with its current home, the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

The planned arena is located near the currently under-construction Los Angeles Rams football stadium designed by HKS...

AECOM's basketball net-inspired designs for a new Los Angeles Clippers arena are unveiled

2019-07-26T16:18:00-04:00

The Clippers on Thursday unveiled the first look at their proposed Inglewood arena, an 18,500-seat, billion-dollar project funded by owner Steve Ballmer that the team believes will begin construction on time in 2021 and open three years later.

The basketball net-inspired designs for the 900,000-square-foot arena include a solar panel tile cladding system as well as a sunken basketball court overlooked by stacked seating areas, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Ground-level view of the plaza leading to the arena. Image courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers.

The arena is designed by AECOM, while Anderson Barker Architects and City Design Studio of Los Angeles are designing a series of buildings located with a plaza that leads to the arena. Hood Studios is providing landscape architecture services for the project.

The stadium will be located on a site next door to the forthcoming HKS Architects-designed Los Angeles Rams stadium.

Does the future of the Los Angeles Rams go beyond football? The new $5 billion dollar stadium impacts more than just fans

2019-02-04T15:03:00-05:00

“If you’re going to build a stadium in a city, it has to play a larger role than the NFL. It has to bring people together in a meaningful way — both on Sunday and on every other day of the week, both in the fall and every other season. That’s the driver, [...] If you’re looking at a stadium project, everybody now is trying to figure out how you make it the epicenter of day-to-day life. Hopefully, this project will serve as a great model for that.”

Although recent events may have put a damper on the Rams historic season, the team's future is still bright. Los Angeles is already home to many championship teams, but what makes this particular team different is what its presence and growth will do for the city. Construction for the $5 billion stadium began in 2015, the stadium's timeline has kept the city buzzing with hope and optimism. Sports stadiums and arenas have been known to transform towns and cities alike. The new Los Angeles Rams football stadium is no exception.

Los Angeles Rams Stadium render by HKS Architects Image courtesy of HKS Architects

Los Angeles Rams construction site Image courtesy of Los Angeles Rams

Located in Inglewood, California the new stadium not only shapes the future of a sports team but of a city. According to Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. he "sees his city rising again after hard times and double-digit unemployment further damaged Inglewood’s psyche following the loss of its identity as a spor...

Inglewood NFL Stadium takes shape as roof truss is set into place

2019-01-03T14:25:00-05:00

Crews from AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction are hoisting the components of the stadium's immense roof truss into place. The metal structure will eventually be wrapped with a canopy of the plastic material ETFE, which will give the structure a translucent coat on which the logos of both its occupants can be displayed. Scheduled to open in 2020, the 70,000-seat stadium is scheduled to host the 2022 Super Bowl, and is also poised to play a key role in the 2028 Summer Olympic games.

Construction of the Inglewood NFL Stadium moves forward as its distinctive roof truss is hoisted into place. Meanwhile, in a recent report from KTLA 5, longtime business owners in Inglewood are already worried that they may have to move out due to rapidly rising rents as the stadium is built.

Construction update on L.A.'s new gigantic football stadium

2018-09-25T17:36:00-04:00

Get a bird's eye view of the new Inglewood Stadium with this 360-degree image, courtesy of architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart. The stadium, which is the centerpiece of a $5-billion redevelopment of the former Hollywood Park racetrack, will feature 70,000 seats when it opens in 2020. The HKS Architects-designed facility is expected to serve as the home of the Super Bowl in 2022, and will also play a prominent role in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.

urbanize.LA recently published new drone's-eye-view construction photos of the impressive $5 billion Hollywood Park site—soon to be home of the shiny new Los Angeles Rams and Chargers NFL stadium (designed by HKS Architects) and a sprawling mixed-use development with office buildings by Gensler (architect) and Studio-MLA (formerly Mia Lehrer + Associates, landscape architect), shopping & entertainment venues by BCV Architecture + Interiors (design architect), Architects Orange (executive architect), and Studio-MLA (landscape architect) as well as residential buildings planned by Hart Howerton (design architect) and TCA Architects (executive architect).

Gehry Partners reveal new design for the LA Phil Youth Orchestra

2018-08-27T18:17:00-04:00

Initially announced last fall, Gehry Partners' design for Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) has now been revealed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The new structure will be the first permanent facility for YOLA located in the Los Angeles neighborhood Inglewood.

Exterior model view of the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center @ Inglewood, interior concert configuration. Photo courtesy of Gehry Partners, LLP.

The 25,000-square-foot, $14.5 million construction project will transform the former branch office of Security Pacific Bank in Inglewood.

Exterior model view of the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center @ Inglewood, interior concert configuration. Photo courtesy of Gehry Partners, LLP.

With the aid of Gehry Partner's new facility, YOLA aims to double the number of students it serves providing free music training and academic support.

Exterior model view of the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center @ Inglewood. Photo courtesy of Gehry Partners, LLP.

Aerial model view of th...

Estimated cost for L.A.'s football stadium project climbs to $5 billion

2018-03-28T14:19:00-04:00

The cost of Stan Kroenke's stadium in Inglewood is climbing [...]. Owners approved raising the debt waiver to $4.963 billion for the first phase of the project, which includes the football stadium where the Rams and Chargers will play, the neighboring 6,000-seat performance venue, the 200,000 square feet of office space for NFL Media, the parking lots surrounding the stadium, and the cost of the entire 300-acre parcel.

The price tag for the stadium itself was originally estimated at $2.6 billion but is now closer to $3 billion — eye-wateringly higher than the most expensive NFL venues to date: MetLife Stadium, the shared home of the New York Giants and Jets, and the Atlanta Falcons' Mercedes-Benz Stadium, both clocking in at 'only' $1.6 billion.

Frank Gehry to design permanent home for LA Phil's Youth Orchestra

2017-11-09T20:28:00-05:00

Among major initiatives announced for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s centennial year is the creation of a new permanent YOLA center to be designed by Frank Gehry. The famed architect will transform an existing facility, located in the LA suburb of Inglewood, into a central resource for the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles program.

“The LA Phil is the first orchestra anywhere to take such an enormous step for the future of its community. Thanks to the time I’ve spent with Gustavo, I’ve seen the difference that YOLA makes in young people’s lives. I’m proud to play my part by making spaces where the kids can feel inspired, and YOLA can open up the whole world of music to them" said Gehry.

YOLA currently serves about 1,000 students across the Los Angeles area. The center will be a hub for fostering a greater number of young people who aspire to careers in music, helping to achieve the LA Phil’s goal of doubling the number of students they serve by 2022.

...

Are you ready for some (more) football? New renderings of Inglewood's impending stadium revealed

2016-01-29T13:29:00-05:00

Highlights include a detailed look at the stadium's swooping roof canopy, which was designed by HKS Architects. [...] When completed in 2019, the $2.66-billion venue will offer seating for up to 70,240 NFL fans, as well as standing-room capacity for over 100,000 people at larger events. [...] The stadium is one component of a much larger mixed-use complex that is being jointly developed by real estate firms Stockbridge Capital and Wilson Meany along with Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

Check out the video below for another look at "the NFL's biggest and most expensive venue, with a price tag well over $2 billion... the priciest sports venue in the nation's history" (Curbed LA) – aka, the new home for the recently-minted Los Angeles Rams (and potentially the San Diego Chargers as well). More renderings are perusable in the gallery below. Yay?

Are you ready for some more FOOTBALL?!?!?

NFL football is officially returning to Los Angeles: gigantic new stadium might even be home to more than just one team

2016-01-13T13:34:00-05:00

After 21 years away, the NFL is coming back to Los Angeles. The winner after months of waiting and a busy day of voting and discussion among the NFL team owners in Houston was St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke [...]. The exciting twist is that the San Diego Chargers have the option to join the Rams in their huge, shiny stadium—which is poised to be the NFL's biggest and most expensive venue, with a price tag well over $2 billion. (It'd be the priciest sports venue in the nation's history, too.)

Previously in the Archinect news:

How to shop for an NFL stadium

2015-02-25T13:38:00-05:00

In the last 20 years, just one NFL stadium has been built solely through private funding. [...] Still, when it comes to getting the best deal out of an arena, leaving taxpayer money off the tab is only a good start. Studies have repeatedly shown that sports teams don’t have the far-reaching economic impacts that one might assume, and experts have noted that stadiums aren’t as catalytic as some franchise owners might tout.

Previously: