News
Date: August 3rd 2007 Project: Orlando Events Center
KANSAS CITY, MO/ ORLANDO, FL – HOK Sport has been selected as designer of the new Events Center in Orlando, HOK and Orlando Magic officials announced today. The selected design team consisting of HOK Sport, Walter P. Moore, and Smith Seckman Reid will immediately undertake a process to add to the team MWBE and local design consultants to provide a full scope of services for the design of the new Events Center.
"Today’s professional arenas need to accommodate the entire game day and concert experience," said HOK Sport Senior Principal Rick Martin. "Our proficiency in arena design, coupled with our longstanding commitment to sustainable design, will lend itself well to creating a civic icon in Orlando."
"HOK will bring incredible vision and creativity to Orlando's new Events Center," said Orlando Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins. "They have a team of talent with worldwide experience that will design a facility unique to Central Florida and with the flexibility to host major national events."
The new Events Center, which is scheduled to be open in September 2010, will be home to the Orlando Magic and will compete to host major national events, concerts and family shows. The City of Orlando will operate the new Events Center, while the community will own the facility.
In a historic move, the Magic agreed that the new Events Center will be designed and constructed to meet the certification criteria for a green building development standard.
The Events Center will be located just South of Church Street on the West side of I-4 in downtown Orlando.
The Magic’s current home, Amway Arena, houses 17,500 seats in just 367,000 square feet of space. The new arena will feature 750,000 square feet of space – more space to incorporate more modern day amenities found in most professional arenas of the day – and seating which will be expandable to more than 20,000 seats to accommodate major national events.
With groundbreaking scheduled for the summer of 2008, the architectural/engineering team will move quickly to design the new arena.
"We’re delighted the project has been approved and we’re very pleased to have emerged from the interview process as the top-ranked design firm," said Martin. "In the coming weeks we look forward to finalizing the contract and proceeding with design of a new downtown Events Center."
HOK Sport has vast experience in arena design, including 32 professional arenas, 48 civic arenas and 56 collegiate arenas. The firm’s experience includes such recent urban arenas as Pepsi Center in Denver; Toyota Center in Houston; and Philips Arena in Atlanta. Additionally, the firm is working on the only two professional sports projects striving for LEED Certification – the new Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. and the new Twins Ballpark in Minneapolis.
For further information please contact
Gina Leo at HOK Sport (Kansas City)
Telephone: +1 816 221 1500
Facsimile: +1 816 221 1578
Email media@hoksve.com