The final drawings of the NBA Kings' planned $448M downtown arena depict "a see-through building they say captures what is quintessentially Sacramento, without looking quite like anything else" in the area, according to a front-page piece by Bizjak, Kasler & Lillis of the SACRAMENTO BEE. The team yesterday "unveiled final drawings" of the arena to the Sacramento City Council. Architect AECOM "gave the arena a half-block-long front entry dominated by five glass aircraft hangar doors that can fold upward to create a five-story opening, allowing people in the arena plaza and even motorists on nearby J Street to see directly into the facility." The structure's facade is a "distinctive silvery-white series of vertical panels made out of patterned glass, perforated, see-through aluminum, and Sierra limestone." The adjacent public plaza is "envisioned as a microcosm of the region's agriculture and outdoor lifestyle." Kings President Chris Granger said, "We're trying to blur the lines between arena ... and public space." He added that the arena is expected to have 28 luxury suites as well "50 smaller suites." The facility also is "expected to contain between 17,000 and 17,300 seats, slightly fewer than Sleep Train Arena." Granger said that the bowl will be "designed with substantial standing-room areas, and could be outfitted with temporary bleachers, to bring the total capacity to 19,000." Granger and ICON Venue Group President & CEO Tim Romani said that the cost of the project "has not gone up and is not expected to." Romani said $448M "is actually a quite reasonable budget." He added that the team "plans to begin demolition of much of the Downtown Plaza in June." Kings officials said that the renderings "were to be emailed to Kings ticket holders at midnight" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 1/28).
CROWN JEWEL: A SACRAMENTO BEE editorial states the Kings have set a "very high bar for the planned downtown arena -- nothing less than the most technologically advanced venue in the country." At first glance, the design "delivers on their promise" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 1/28).
