Read the full article originally published in bdcnetwork.com
Overview
The 2018 Giants 300 Report was recently released by Building Design+Construction with Walter P Moore ranking as the nation’s largest sports facilities engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firm.
Leaders in the field contributed to the discussion on the dynamic shift in professional and collegiate facilities and how they are now, more than ever, inviting fans to engage with the community.
Principal and Sports Market Leader Bart Miller explains, “The stadium experience is changing. Fans are no longer static observers—they are actively sampling alternative vantage points, socializing with friends and staying connected to the outside world. As designers of sports venues, our challenge is to continue to innovate as quickly as the needs of today’s sports fans evolve. Often this means new venues that are smaller in terms of capacity, but much more diverse in the types of premium and ancillary spaces surrounding the action or major renovations to existing facilities to re-invent a game day experience that will attract new fans and accommodate a wider variety of events.”
BD+C further explores how sports organizations are upping their game:
“Truist Park (formerly SunTrust Park), the new suburban home of the MLB’s Atlanta Braves, was designed simultaneously with the Battery Atlanta mixed-use development.
‘The unique nature of this project allowed us to blur the lines between ballpark and development, creating multiple shared experiences between the two,’ says Zach Allee, Associate Principal, LEED AP, at Populous.
On college campuses, the fusion of athletics, academics, healthcare, and research is yielding innovative hybrid facilities.
‘The sports and healthcare markets are being merged in collegiate training facilities, athletics operations buildings, and campus health and nutrition centers,’ says Bart Miller, PE, Principal and Sports Market Leader, Walter P Moore. ‘Many of these facilities have a medical or research component, providing athletes access to state-of-the-art medical care and medical researchers access to world-class athletes.’ ”
