Plans for the new Miami Arena were unveiled yesterday,
according to Peter Whoriskey of the MIAMI HERALD. The arena
"promises to become South Florida's most public building.
And it serves as a symbol, what it says is: Miami is fresh."
Although capacity will increase from 15,000 to 19,000,
Whoriskey notes that the architectural team of Miami-based
Arquitectonica and K.C.-based Heinlein Schrock, "struggled
to retain the sense of roaring intimacy present in smaller
arenas." The architects have eliminated hundreds of floor
seats at the ends of the basketball court, and in the new
arena, the seats on all sides of the court will slope down
to meet the floor at the court's edge. The design also
features overlapped tiers of the arena, one hanging over the
other, "to keep seats as close as possible to the floor."
It also includes a standing-room-only balcony. The highest
seats in the arena will be about 95 feet above the floor as
opposed to the present 63 feet. There are plans for 1,600
parking spaces. Outside the arena, a plaza is anchored by a
cafe, a public-outdoor basketball court and a Heat practice
gym. The design must be approved by the Metro-Dade
Commission (MIAMI HERALD, 1/23).
