InVenue: Design Firms — In This Together

THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME: Children play ball during a game at Virginia Tech’s English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park, designed by CannonDesign. (Courtesy CannonDesign)

COVID may have distanced us, but venue architects say their clients still want to bring us together

COVID-19 brought “social distancing” into the world’s vocabulary, but it has done nothing to change a trend that was already running strong in the design of sports and entertainment venues.

The idea of keeping people apart was an essential part of coronavirus mitigation strategy when the pandemic forced the closure of public spaces in spring 2020 and again as limited-capacity games and concerts led the way back. It has returned in a more limited sense as the U.S. experiences another wave of infections.

But for architecture firms that design arenas, stadiums and related buildings, a familiar message from clients continues to reverberate: Fans want to break away from their seats and suites to mingle.

It’s rooted in the belief that the days of social distancing will be put behind us and that, perhaps now more than ever, the desire to connect with others has grown stronger for many after months of working at home and avoiding crowded spaces.

“What lessons can we learn in designing spaces for large groups of athletes and spectators alike that are incapable of distancing themselves due to the nature of team sport?” asked Doug Osborn, senior associate at Crawford Architects, who like others offered comments by email for this story. “If we are being honest, one thing has gotten us this far, one thing is what drives us to get back to that point of social interaction: We’ve gotten this far together and need to be together.

“Technology will constantly advance, and allow us to do things unimaginable, but nothing will be capable of replacing face-to-face interaction.”

Don Barnum, a principal at DLR Group who leads the firm’s global sports practice, said, “Fans continue to crave social spaces and open concourses that allow them to interact with their peers and fellow spectators, while also staying connected to the game.”

A new generation is helping drive the change, especially in sports, said Jonathan Emmett, design director and principal at Gensler. “A younger generation of fans is increasingly looking at sporting events as a truly social experience,” he said. “The reason to leave their living room and big-screen TV is to come together for a human experience and meet up with their friends.”

SMART GROWTH 

So creating more room for people to mix means building bigger facilities to accommodate those spaces? Perhaps.

On one hand, last year’s three big major league stadium debuts — Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas (HKS); SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California (also HKS); and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (Manica Architecture and HNTB) — all featured plenty of premium options for socializing, and none of those buildings would be mistaken for cozy. Globe Life and Allegiant are both nearly 2 million square feet, and SoFi comes in a whopping 3.1 million.

Those decisions fit into the recent trend of diversifying the premium experience and adding more pricing options for potential buyers.

“Where there was once three or four levels of premium experience, now there are a dozen or more, with options for every age, income, social group, and level of fan engagement,” said Ernest Joyner, director of operations and principal at Perkins & Will, which he sees as part of the effort by designers and their clients to appeal to a diverse population.

Terry McIntyre, head of sales at Shawmut Design and Construction, said, “Venues are creating and offering more types of premium experiences with increasingly more opportunities for multiple clubs at various price levels.”

And putting fans as close to the action as possible, a premium concept entering its 20th season in the NFL, continues to grow in importance as part of those offerings.

“The most active trend we are being asked to look at from clients is finding ways to create exclusive premium hospitality on the event level and bringing the premium fan closer to the action,” said Tone Frisina, project director and architect at SCI Architects.

The importance of creative, attractive premium areas benefits entire facilities, Frisina said. New York City-based SCI, an extension of Canadian firm Brisbin Brook Beynon, is involved in projects at Boston’s TD Garden and Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, both of which “intend to redefine the social experience for fans and alleviate loads on the concourse by creating new premium spaces throughout the building.”

Likewise, making premium areas exclusive but not hidden is a great way to recruit new members.

“Clubs and lounges are positioned and designed with areas that open out to the concourse, allowing for fans walking by to get a taste of the premium amenities, acting as a selling tool,” said Shawmut’s McIntyre.

But does it always add up to bigger buildings? On the contrary, architects say some clients are taking a smaller-is-better approach.

“To steal a quote, fewer clients are trying ‘to build the church for Easter Sunday’ and they’re realizing fewer seats with increased amenities can be a better equation for them and the fans,” said Mike Cornoni, vice president of CannonDesign.

Gensler’s Emmett said, “Many of our clients are looking for smaller, more intimate venues than had typically been the case before. It is less about packing as many people into an event as possible, and more about curating an experience for guests.”

 As an example, he pointed to the firm’s Q2 Stadium, the new home of Austin FC of MLS, a 20,700-seat venue in a league where new soccer-specific stadiums have begun to push toward 30,000 seats in recent years.

“I think what we as well as our clients have learned is that we can do more with far less,” Crawford’s Osborn said. “Quantity of space is no longer as important as the quality of space.”

STAYING NIMBLE

With the pandemic providing a fresh lesson on how quickly things can change, flexibility has become an even more important commodity in the marketplace of facility design ideas.

Tom Proebstle, co-founder of Generator Studio, said that COVID had dramatically affected his firm and that designers must be quicker to adapt and understand the significant changes to sports and entertainment venues on the drawing boards right now, especially the technology effects but also changing traditional design thinking to that of maximum flexibility and inclusiveness at every level of the building. 

Matt Taylor, design principal at Rossetti, said: “Today’s venue must be adaptable and hyper-flexible in order to provide unique guest experiences while maximizing return on investment. Event centers of every scale must serve multiple programming. … Even the unexpected needs to be considered today, such as usage for emergency shelters and vaccination sites.”

Telescopic seating, large scale operable partitions, and theatrical rigging are components necessary to provide this functionality, he said. He pointed to the firm’s concepts for esports arenas in Texas and the Middle East that “incorporate large scale operable partitions that split the seating bowl into many different scaled venues from a 1,500-seat intimate hall to a 10,000-seat arena.”

“Flexibility may start with the main arena, but it permeates all facets of the event center from how the concourses become their own unique venue, to hospitality offerings that transform in scale and function depending on immediate need,” Taylor said.

Crawford’s Osborn said today’s architecture is about flexibility and adaptability in design, providing clients with “programmatic solutions that allow the use of any one specific space that we have designed for them to be multifunctional.”

Osborn pointed to The TCO Performance Center, a training center and headquarters that the firm designed for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, as an example.

“As you can imagine, training and performance centers, both for professional and intercollegiate athletes, can grow to be quite large facilities,” he said. “Looking for commonalities in building programs and ways to share space is key to providing a tight and efficient floor plan.”

MORE TRENDS TO CONSIDER

Sustainability: “Owners are recognizing the importance of investing in sustainable facilities,” said Rossetti’s Taylor. “As design leaders, our role is to prioritize sustainable strategies and their associated investment.”

He said his firm’s approach to sustainability takes different forms, from a system of natural ventilation that eliminates the need for air conditioning at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, to repurposing old aluminum bench seating at Phoenix Raceway as part of the building’s facade. 

And while we’re sustaining the earth, why not sustain people, too? Generator Studio’s Proebstle said a client for a headquarters facility asked what could be done by way of doing better for people and the planet beyond LEED certifying its project.

He said Generator recommended WELL Building certification “that puts holistic human mental and physical health front and center in building design.”

“Focusing on direct improvements to natural light access, air filtration, nutrition and mental health among other core tenets of WELL have a direct impact on staff and athletes,” Proebstle said. 

Christina Franklin, the firm’s director of interior design, spoke of an enhanced connection to greenery and wellness. “Access to the outdoors and fresh air have risen as top concerns for fans and athletes alike,” she said. “Clients across the board are looking to understand how these changes can be integrated, particularly with renovations to venues where at first blush access to the outdoors may seem limited or unachievable.”

Touchless: COVID-19 put the adaptation of contactless technologies into overdrive. “Clients are trying to design spaces and paths where spectators don’t have to touch anything while making transactions at the box office, concession stand, merchandise store, etc.,” said CannonDesign’s Cornoni.

Said Perkins & Will’s Joyner: “Grab and go food offerings, automated checkout, and mobile ordering apps have reduced the hassle of food and beverage purchases, and in some cases, increased sales. Our clients are looking for solutions that not only mitigate the effects of COVID-19, but also enhance the spectator experience.”

“The trend of touchless concessions has been gaining a lot of interest from our clients,” said SCI Architects’ Frisina. “The ability to alleviate stress from concession queues, minimize touchpoints for the fans and getting fans back their seats is a strong argument for the success of these points of sale.”

Not every change brought on by COVID will go into the permanent facility design playbook, however. 

“Many ideas and technologies that were beginning to be incorporated into venue design have been accelerated due to a response to COVID. Touchless, cashless environments, and mobile ordering are great for both the health and safety of fans, but are also far more convenient,” said Gensler’s Emmett. But he added, “As we are seeing fans back in most venues, the overall impact of COVID on the design and operation of venues, and the fan experience, has been far less impactful than was initially anticipated.”

Mixed-Use Developments: Chalk it up to providing more ways for people to gather together, perhaps, but the idea of incorporating restaurants, hotels, residential and office space around venues isn’t losing steam.

“Many stadiums also serve as anchors of larger developments,” said DLR Group’s Barnum. “Clients are seeking out DLR Group for its design expertise beyond sports venues when they are looking to blur the lines between living, working, and playing. DLR Group sports design teams regularly engage designers in hospitality and mixed-use venues to bring to life these neighborhood development concepts.”

Riverfront Stadium, a new ballpark in Wichita, Kansas, that the firm designed, is part of such a development.

Authenticity: The idea of bringing local restaurants into arena and stadium concessions stands isn’t new. In fact, it was just the tip of the spear of an authenticity movement in design, the idea that the spirit of the community outside the venue should naturally flow into it.

“A desire for authenticity is becoming a prerequisite in venue design,” Gensler’s Emmett said. “There is a demand that the look and feel of a venue, and the experiences within the venue are reflective of the character and culture of the city and its fan base.”

Regaining Momentum: “When the pandemic started, several projects went on hold, but that’s picked up in 2021 for sure,” said CannonDesign’s Cornoni, echoing the sentiment that the sports and entertainment facility architecture is returning to its normal rhythm.

“We did see many clients hit the brakes on projects that were just starting,” Gensler’s Emmett said. “(But) we have also found that this has been the perfect time for many clients and teams to take a closer look at their venues, operations and the fan experience.”