The use of virtual reality as a fan experience tool continues to grow in sports development, but its origins lie in construction.
Stadium builder
Mortenson first used an early version of the technology in 1999 during the building of the
Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. It was a projection system installed in a dedicated room that immersed the user in the virtual model.
Seventeen years later, as the technology has been refined, the newer virtual reality headsets allow Mortenson’s sports clients to visualize construction spaces more easily and make adjustments that save money on the front end of development, company officials said.
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Mortenson is using virtual reality for the construction of SunTrust Field.
Photo by: DON MURET / STAFF
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These days, Mortenson is tapping into virtual reality to develop
SunTrust Park, the Atlanta Braves’ new stadium opening next year. The Minnesota firm, working with its building trade partners, developed its own content in-house, officials said.
Mortenson executives take the information they receive from architects, create the animation and upload those images into software programs tied to both Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR headsets. Teams can then experience the finished product, said Brian Nahas, Mortenson’s senior integrated construction coordinator.
The three-dimensional images are more effective than architectural renderings, which in most cases do not represent the final selection of materials and lighting, said Michal Wojtak, an integrated construction manager for Mortenson.
“We’re often talking a different language for the customer, and they have to make a lot of expensive decisions based on limited data,” Wojtak said. “Our virtual reality system bridges the gap.”
In Atlanta, for example, the Braves sat down with stadium architect Populous to discuss suite design. After putting the headsets on to get a better idea of the layout, team officials decided to eliminate the L-shaped island design to improve traffic flow within the suites’ interior lounge.
The obstruction “would not have been seen without the technology,” said Derek Schiller, the Braves’ president of business operations.
A byproduct of the adjustment in suite design was a cost savings of $1.7 million, Schiller said.
Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment, the agency selling premium seats at SunTrust Park, saw what Mortenson was doing with virtual reality on the construction side and has used the same technology as a marketing tool at the preview center across the street from the stadium site.
For potential suite buyers, virtual reality provides a greater understanding of the depth and details of those spaces compared with Turner Field’s suites, which were part of the stadium’s retrofit in 1997, said Chris Allphin, Van Wagner’s senior vice president of team and venue services.
Mortenson used virtual reality during its construction of Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State’s hockey facility that opened in 2013. Since that time, Mortenson has used virtual reality for most of its sports projects, including the new U.S. Bank Stadium and renovations to Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
> IN-ARENA: There’s been an early summer flurry of moves among arena managers. Most notably, Madison Square Garden named Hank Abate executive vice president of venue management. Abate was most recently with Comcast Spectacor after spending 20 years at SMG.
Elsewhere, SMG hired Hugh Lombardi as general manager of Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Over his 26-year career, Lombardi has worked at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Amalie Arena, Bridgestone Arena and TD Garden.
Separately, SMG appointed Andy Gorchov as general manager of University of Phoenix Stadium after the company was awarded the contract to run the Arizona Cardinals’ facility for the next five years. Gorchov comes from Icon Venue Group after spending several years at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.
Don Muret can be reached at dmuret@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @breakground.
