The Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority have jointly selected HKS to design the team’s new $975M stadium, according to Vikings VP/Public Affiars & Stadium Development Lester Bagley. The two groups announced the decision at the authority’s meeting Friday morning. Dallas-based HKS was the architect for both Cowboys Stadium and Lucas Oil Stadium. In the Twin Cities, the firm’s creativity, expertise and “great work” on the two NFL facilities were determining factors in its selection, Bagley said. “This is one of the most important decisions we will make in the whole process,” he said. HKS won the job over HNTB, Populous, AECOM and EwingCole. The selection of HKS was not a total surprise to industry insiders, considering Populous designed new stadiums for the Twins and the Univ. of Minnesota over the past five to seven years. HKS previously consulted on a Vikings stadium project. HKS in '09 completed the “Metrodome Next” study for the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, the dome’s owner. The $954M project died in legislative session the following year. HKS will spend the next six to nine months in design and should have complete images to share publicly by February, said Mark Williams, a principal at the firm. HKS will have 15 architects working on the project from its Dallas office, led by design principal Bryan Trubey, John Hutchings, principal-in-charge and project manager Kevin Taylor. Williams will be be involved in facilities programming and design.
RETRACTABLE FEATURE COMING: The new stadium, to be built on the site of the Metrodome, will include a retractable feature. The Vikings have been discussing internally the possibility of the stadium including a retractable roof or movable walls in the end zones, but to this point no decision has been made. HKS designed both elements at Cowboys Stadium and Lucas Oil Stadium. Construction is expected to begin in late '13 with the stadium set to open for the '16 season. The Vikings and the authority will soon being the process of selecting a general contractor. Mortenson, a Twin Cities firm, is considered the front-runner after building both Target Field and TCF Bank Stadium.
