Archinect - News

AECOM's $2 billion Intuit Dome opens in fast-changing Inglewood

2024-08-13T20:09:00-04:00

The landscape for professional sports in Los Angeles has for generations been defined by icons such as Dodger Stadium, Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena), the Rose Bowl, and LA Coliseum.

This week, AECOM’s new Intuit Dome debuts in Inglewood, adding to that tradition. The $1.8 billion project, by many measures one of the most artistic sports venue designs in recent memory, includes 17,700 seats and comes replete with an 80,000-square-foot outdoor plaza area created by City Design Studio with landscaping from Walter Hood.

Image courtesy Los Angeles Clippers

The first permanent home for the LA Clippers was designed to entice fans with an unprecedented gameday experience as highlighted by its centerpiece 38,375-square-foot (nearly one acre) wraparound LED Halo Board — a new record-holder for indoor arenas worldwide. (It has over 233 million LEDs!)

Image courtesy Los Angeles Clippers

Viewed from the outside, the arena appears encased in an interwoven red diagrid steel frame with diam...

Former Lakers favorite Rick Fox now has carbon-neutral concrete company aimed at building change

2024-01-05T18:36:00-05:00

His pitch is pretty straightforward. In a world where companies—including construction companies and their clients—are trying to gloss their climate credentials, and where countries have made commitments to hit carbon reduction targets, why wouldn’t you shift wholesale to carbon-neutral concrete? The answer, Fox says, is simply inertia. “Why would they change what’s working for them? They’ve been burning rocks for 200 years.”

The company Fox co-founded with an architect named Sam Marshall, Partanna, has been active since 2018 in using its product, which was developed with the help of materials science researchers using a mixture of brine taken from desalination plants and slag. Arizona State University's Dwarak Ravikumar says an outside review of the data that pertains to its environmental footprints and scalability is needed, according to another recent profile in The Verge.

Still, Fox's ambits are admirable for someone of his position and fame. He says Partanna has a plan to construct one thousand homes in the country. Their product can also be used in coral reef development. "The business plans to build and operate facilities around the world, initially in key territories where it has long-term offtake agreements with customers, including The Bahamas, the Middle East, and the United States," their website reads.

Additional details about the year-old operation can be found here.

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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.

LA's Crypto.com Arena is getting a 'nine-figure' overhaul courtesy of Gensler and MEIS

2022-08-24T15:07:00-04:00

AEG has announced a new “nine-figure” overhaul of Los Angeles’ iconic renamed Crypto.com Arena (formerly The Staples Center) and adjacent L.A. LIVE pedestrian mall in a two-year project that promises to “provide fans with entirely new ways to experience their favorite sports and music event” once it is completed in 2024.

Urbanize LA has more on the planned renovations, which include a new entrance at the concourse level, added restaurant offerings, LED displays, reimagined City View Terrace, upgraded locker rooms, and the creation of new private suites and a multi-level Tunnel Cub said to be reserved for the arena’s many nightly VIP guests.

Image courtesy AEG

Ron Turner (Gensler) and Dan Meis (MEIS), the two architects who worked on the original Staples Center project 25 years ago, will return to oversee the construction, which they say is meant to provide fans with an enhanced entertainment experience for the next three decades.

Image courtesy AEG

“As one of the ...

The Staples Center has been renamed to Crypto.com Arena

2021-11-18T16:04:00-05:00

Staples Center is getting a new name for Christmas: Crypto.com Arena. The downtown Los Angeles venue — home of the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Sparks — will wear the new name for 20 years under a deal between the Singapore cryptocurrency exchange and AEG, the owner and operator of the arena, both parties announced Tuesday. Crypto.com paid more than $700 million for the naming rights, according to sources familiar with the terms, making it one of the biggest naming deals in sports history.

The arena’s new logo will debut on December 25th, and all of the Staples Center signage will be replaced by June 2022. The partnership between AEG and Crypto.com may see the integration of cryptocurrency and online payment into the arena. A 3,300-square-foot section at the entrance of the arena will become a dedicated Crypto.com “activation space” that will feature crypto-centric interactive experiences.

Gensler-designed 'Deer District' a model for NBA cities

2021-07-21T18:42:00-04:00

Last night, the Milwaukee Bucks secured their first NBA title in 50 years with a Game 6 win over the Phoenix Suns. Known for their lively fan atmosphere, the Bucks’ triumph was shared by 65,000 supporters who were present just outside of the Fiserv Forum in a dedicated fan section known as the Deer District. As the Bucks progressed through the playoffs, the reputation of the Gensler-designed entertainment area has grown and is now being used as a model for NBA cities across the country.

Image: Courtesy Milwaukee Bucks

Gensler designed the Deer District, in collaboration with Milwaukee-based firm RINKA, to become the city’s new “living room”. Formerly occupied by a parking structure, vacant lots, and a street, the site was cleared to connect the surrounding communities to the new Fiserv Forum, which opened in tandem with the district in 2019.

Image: Courtesy Gensler

The architecture is envisioned as a modern interpretation of the industrial heritage of the city, incorporating design ...

Snarkitecture's Daniel Arsham takes his talents to Cleveland

2020-11-17T16:25:00-05:00

As one of the most respected contemporary artists working today, Arsham straddles the line between art, architecture and performance. His singular aesthetic evokes a playfulness; inspired by everyday experiences or common objects, Arsham blurs the boundaries of perception and expectation. As part of this long-term collaboration, Arsham will become a minority partner in the franchise and be responsible for the Cavaliers visual identity across all aspects of the organization.

Move over Lebron James, Daniel Arsham is the latest Ohioan to return home to join the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise. In a post off his Instagram, Arsham writes about how his ancestors migrated to the Rust Belt city, and through hard work and determination were able to follow the American Dream in the city of Cleveland. He follows in these footsteps becoming the Creative Director of the Cavaliers.

Arsham, who leads the design firm Snarkitecture is known for his art and architecture installations around the world. It is a unique and interesting dynamic having a designer of this caliber on board to work with NBA organization. It will be fascinating to see how this relationship plays out on and off the court, and whether this trend will carry over to other teams and leagues.