With 95% of Pinnacle Bank Arena's exterior complete, construction crews are "turning their focus inward, and tangible amenities are emerging from once-bare walls and concrete" at the Univ. of Nebraska's new home, according to Jordan Pascale of the Lincoln JOURNAL STAR. Mortenson Construction Senior Project Manager John Hinshaw said that it is an "all-out assault on completing finishes and making the building event-ready." He added that the $179M arena "is 85 to 90 percent complete." Bathrooms are "roomy and plentiful with modern luxuries." Art and texture "plays a role in the overall design, making it much more welcoming." The four-sided, HD scoreboard "hanging above what will be center court is set to be programmed later this month." Everything about the building "has a sense of style." Different colored lines in the lobby's terrazzo floor "braid together to represent the Platte River." Only a "few exterior details remain: installing the Pinnacle Bank Arena sign on the north side and a big red 'N'" (Lincoln JOURNAL STAR, 6/1). The AP's Eric Olson noted the arena "sits on the northwest side of downtown Lincoln looking like a big silver space saucer just a few blocks west of Memorial Stadium." It has a seating capacity of "about 15,500," and Nebraska already has "sold every ticket for the 2013-14 men’s basketball season." The arena has a "steep seating configuration that could make for an intimidating home-court advantage." About half of the seats "are in the lower bowl, with a portion of them retractable to make room for convention space or other sporting events." The floor is "equipped for ice equipment, meaning the arena could be used for ice hockey if Nebraska chooses to add the sport someday." The main entrance was "specifically designed to offer a view of the State Capitol rising to the southeast." A total of 36 suites "ring the arena, each equipped with three rows of four seats, a drink rail, wet bar, cook top and television" (AP, 6/1).
