AEG and MGM Resorts Int’l have selected Populous to design a new arena in Las Vegas, according to Tim Romani, president and CEO of Icon Venue Group, the owners' representative for the project. AEG and MGM announced last month they had formed a joint venture to build the privately financed facility. The total project cost is $350M, of which $225-250M is hard construction costs. The 20,000-seat arena is scheduled to break ground in the summer of ‘14 and open in the spring of ‘16. The site, between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts, just off the Vegas Strip, is the centerpiece of a redevelopment by MGM, owner of those two properties. There is no proposed major league tenant for the arena, but it will be designed to NBA and NHL standards, similar to Sprint Center in K.C., Romani said. Driving the project for MGM is the need for a larger facility to book events tied to its resorts, company officials said. Populous Senior Principal Chris Carver is the architect’s principal-in-charge. Project designers include Kurt Amundsen. Design firms AECOM and Gensler also competed for the project. Next week, Icon Venue Group will start the process for selecting a construction manager, Romani said. For AEG, the development comes six years after the L.A. firm formed a joint venture with Harrah’s to build an NHL arena in Vegas. Populous was the architect for that project, which fell apart during the recession.
