HNTB, the architect that designed
Levi’s Stadium, is now tied to the Carson, Calif., stadium project for the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders, according to industry sources.
Mark Fabiani, the Chargers’ special counsel and the team’s longtime point man for new stadium development, deferred to HNTB officials to address their role in the project. “We have no comment at this time,” said Lanson Nichols, HNTB’s vice president of sports architecture.
HNTB has been on board for the past four months, sources said. Project officials originally hired Manica Architecture about a year ago, a smaller firm whose president and owner, David Manica, worked 13 years for Populous before opening his own shop in Greater Kansas City.
Manica, reached by phone last Tuesday at his office, declined to comment on HNTB’s involvement with the project.
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HNTB won cheers for premium spaces at Levi’s Stadium.
Photo by: VICKI THOMPSON / SILICON VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL
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To this point, it’s unclear how the two firms are splitting the initial work, but sources think HNTB is responsible for the “nuts and bolts” of stadium design, including the seating bowl and concourses.
At the same time, HNTB has done some well-received work tied to interior design of premium spaces such as the Levi’s 501 Club and the United Club at the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium.
HNTB has proved it can deliver an NFL stadium project ahead of projections. Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014, a year earlier than expected, and the design-build project came in under budget at less than $850 million in hard construction costs. Turner Construction and Devcon Construction formed a joint venture to build it.
Hard costs have not been disclosed for the proposed $1.7 billion project in Carson, a price on par with MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets and Giants. Don Webb, principal and founder of Cordell Corp., the firm hired by the Raiders as owner’s representative for the Carson site, did not return an email asking about hard construction costs. Terry Miller, his business partner at Cordell since 2013, previously served as HNTB’s CEO.
The Chargers last week announced a plan to file relocation documents for Los Angeles. Fabiani has said the team will officially ask the NFL in January for permission to move north from San Diego to Carson, which lies about 20 miles south of Los Angeles.
> SCHOTT’S ON GOAL: Ohio State University officials recently unveiled the new Block O Lounge, an upgraded hospitality space on the club level at the Schottenstein Center.
The school invested $700,000 to renovate and rebrand the 2,900-square-foot lounge. It’s decorated with images of Brutus, the Buckeyes’ mascot, plus displays of trophies in men’s and women’s basketball and men’s hockey. The improvements extend to a new bar and food station.
An electronic scoreboard attached to the wall inside the lounge keeps track of the score on the court and the ice, said Gary O’Brien, a
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Ohio State spent $700,000 on the Block O Lounge at the Schottenstein Center.
Photos by: DON MURET / STAFF (2)
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spokesman for
Columbus Arena Sports and Entertainment. The firm runs Schottenstein Center and
Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
For Ohio State men’s basketball games, the Block O Lounge is restricted to suite and club-seat holders. For all other events, it’s open to all ticket holders, O’Brien said.
The lounge joins the Board Room at event level, which opened last season after an $800,000 renovation. The 4,890-square-foot space is reserved for men’s basketball seat license holders and courtside seat holders. It’s open to the public for women’s basketball and men’s hockey, and sold as part of a ticket package for concerts and special events.
Davis Wince Ltd. Architecture designed both renovations. Those two projects are separate from a $32 million expansion planned for the arena’s north end.
In addition, Columbus Arena Sports and Entertainment officials are considering adding loge boxes similar to those at Nationwide Arena, but no decisions have been made, said Xen Riggs, OSU’s associate vice president for student life and executive associate athletic director.
Don Muret can be reached at dmuret@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @breakground.
