Archinect - News

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...

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...

Legoland replica of SoFi Stadium the largest Lego stadium in the world

2022-03-22T17:09:00-04:00

Inglewood’s futuristic SoFi Stadium is considered an architectural feat. Now, the structural marvel has been rendered in miniature form. A Lego model of the stadium — where the Rams recently captured their first Super Bowl title in the L.A. area — will be unveiled to the public Thursday at the Legoland theme park in Carlsbad. But don’t call it small.

The miniature SoFi Stadium is now the largest Lego stadium in the world. It will join Legoland California’s Miniland U.S.A. attraction, an area of the park that features models of U.S. cities, such as San Francisco and Washington D.C.

Video courtesy CBS Los Angeles

The HKS-designed stadium is made from around half a million Lego bricks and is 30 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 4 feet tall. Its assembly required more than 6,000 hours of work by 25 professional model builders. The structure arrived at the park in more than 60 pieces and was assembled on-site, which took place over the course of four days.

Image: Legoland California

The stadium’s distinctive roof reportedly required 3,500 pounds of Legos. Inside the model lies a recreation of the L.A. Rams’ starting roster for Super Bowl LVI, along with an audience of 3,000 Lego people.

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...

The LA Chargers have tapped Gensler for a proposed new $100 million training facility

2021-11-03T13:50:00-04:00

A four-year-long scouting mission has finally been completed. The Los Angeles Chargers will be getting some much-needed new practice facilities thanks to the sports team at Gensler.

Looking to establish a larger footprint in LA, the Chargers have turned to the firm to create a scaled-down version of its recently-opened Inglewood home to compete with the ranks of the professional football elite.

Image courtesy Los Angeles Chargers

“It’s putting a flag in L.A. It really is a statement about where we want to be and who we are at our core,” the team’s Chief of Staff Fred Maas told the LA Times.

Image courtesy Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers only recently moved to Los Angeles after playing the entirety of the franchise’s 60-year history two hours south in San Diego. Now, four years removed from its relocation, the team is hoping the new practice facility will unleash a new energy that will propel the team to previously unseen heights.

Image courtesy Los Angeles Chargers

"The look, feel,...

EarthCam releases 4k time-lapse of LA's SoFi Stadium construction

2020-12-09T13:47:00-05:00

EarthCam has released a 4k time-lapse video of the HKS-designed SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The video took over 1400 days and four million images to document the construction process. The 3-minute time-lapse captures all 3.1 million square feet of the stadium. Check it out below.

Tech company to create 'digital twin' of new SoFi Stadium

2020-11-16T16:00:00-05:00

Digital twin provider Willow has announced a partnership with Hollywood Park to create a digital twin of a 300-acre sports and entertainment development, including SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

According to Construction Dive, Willow will create a virtual copy of the stadium by capturing data in and around the area that will be "used to provide analytics and insight into the experience of attending a game there. This data will help SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park facilities managers to identify potential problems, optimize sustainability and manage risk."

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.

Not all construction projects are on hold right now

2020-03-31T13:22:00-04:00

Across the country, some state mandates have shut down all nonessential business and request that employees work remotely wherever possible, and shelter-in-place orders have kept people from leaving their homes aside from vital errands. At the same time, even in some of the cities and states with the most stringent shutdowns, construction continues.

A number of US States have ordered all non-essential construction projects to halt in an effort to flatten the curve among workers. But of course, "essential" is a fluent term and interpretations vary from state to state.

Construction Dive took a look at a few ongoing megaprojects and how they managed to keep construction running, including the new HKS-designed NFL SoFi Stadium for the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers in Inglewood as well as the growing Amazon HQ2 Campus designed by ZGF Architects in Virginia, among others.

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).

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.

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:

Archinect - News

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

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

Legoland replica of SoFi Stadium the largest Lego stadium in the world

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

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

​The LA Chargers have tapped Gensler for a proposed new $100 million training facility

EarthCam releases 4k time-lapse of LA's SoFi Stadium construction

Tech company to create 'digital twin' of new SoFi Stadium

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

Not all construction projects are on hold right now

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

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

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

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

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

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

The LA Chargers have tapped Gensler for a proposed new $100 million training facility