NBBJ will have its hands full staying within a $110 million budget when it starts planning upgrades for UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, says the architect previously charged with completing the task.
“Unless UCLA modifies what they want to do to the building, it’s not going to matter who designs it and who builds it, it’s still going to be a very expensive renovation,” said Scott Radecic, senior principal at HOK Sport, the firm initially hired to plan arena improvements.
UCLA recently hired NBBJ, a local architect that does not specialize in sports, to take a fresh approach to renovating the 43-year-old arena and keep a challenging project hovering slightly above the $100 million range.
“NBBJ showed a creative bent to dealing with Pauley,” said UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. “I think we will get everything we need in the facility, and if there is a need to deviate from that plan [to stay on budget], we certainly will.”
NBBJ was well-known in the industry when principal designers Dan Meis and Ron Turner led its sports practice for about nine years until 2004, but has not been heard from in recent years among architects doing big league and college work.
NBBJ, which did not respond to calls for comment, was selected after HOK completed its pre-design work and determined that it could cost up to $200 million to develop new fan amenities and, just as importantly, rebuild Pauley’s infrastructure to meet local and federal building codes.
UCLA wanted a second opinion, and exercised its option to submit another proposal for full design services.
The UCLA arena needs considerable infrastructure
work, says the firm initially hired to complete
the improvements.
NBBJ got the nod over Ellerbe Becket, Rossetti and the team of Nadel Architects and Michael Hallmark, an independent designer. Hallmark previously worked for some of the school’s biggest athletic donors to study what could be done to improve the arena.
Radecic, in charge of HOK’s college division, said his firm did all it could to come up with a plan to accomplish everything UCLA wanted, but the numbers it arrived at were far greater than $110 million.
HOK’s facility operations group estimated the cost to improve the arena’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and to complete seismic upgrades would alone be $25 million, a number that doubled to $50 million after HOK designers got a definitive answer through computer analysis.
“It’s a very costly market in Los Angeles, and if you’ve ever been in Pauley Pavilion, it’s not a fan-friendly place to be,” Radecic said. “To provide some of the new revenue-generating elements that they want, and to correct some of the sight-line deficiencies they have to do to make this place completely code- and ADA-compliant, means significant modifications, which meant significant cost.”
NBBJ should complete its design by summer and construction could start sometime in 2009, a timeline contingent on private and public fundraising efforts, Guerrero said.
The basketball practice facility attached to Pauley Pavilion that was part of HOK’s plan has been “put on the back burner,” he said, a decision that has more to do with the building’s tight footprint than budgetary concerns.
The school still plans to rededicate the arena on Oct. 14, 2010, the 100th birthday of former Bruins coach John Wooden, regardless of whether the renovation is finished, Guerrero said.
HUSKY SIZE: The same development team that designed and is building the University of Minnesota’s new football stadium will compete for the job to renovate Husky Stadium in Seattle.
HOK, general contractor Mortenson and developer Hines are joining forces again, this time to respond to the University of Washington’s proposal to renovate its lakefront stadium and build a football operations support facility, Radecic said.
HOK previously completed a master plan for renovating Husky Stadium.
As it stands now, the developer-led project is estimated to cost $300 million, which exceeds the $288 million budgeted in Minneapolis to build TCF Bank Stadium, a 50,000-seat facility that opens in 2009.
Responses are due March 27 in Seattle, according to the request for proposal. The school still needs to complete financing for the project.
SPLITTING UP: The New Meadowlands Stadium Joint Venture has divided the contracts to install seats at the Jets-Giants facility among the industry’s two largest suppliers, said Bob Jordan, Jets vice president of design and development.
American Seating will produce 80,000 regular seats, a deal valued at about $8 million, said Chuck Bailey, the company’s national sales manager. Irwin Seating will manufacture premium chairs for the $1.7 billion stadium’s 215 suites and 6,000 club seats.
Global Spectrum, which has helped book
concerts at Citizens Bank Park (above),
will keep the Nationals apprised of
opportunities for their soon-to-open
ballpark.
In Orlando, the question is whether Magic owner Rich DeVos will share the wealth between the two vendors as the team continues developing its $480 million NBA arena. DeVos, originally from Grand Rapids, Mich., where the two seating firms are based, used American and Irwin products when his family helped finance and develop Van Andel Arena in his hometown.
The Magic has not made a decision on seating, spokesman Joel Glass said.
GLOBAL IN D.C.: Global Spectrum recently signed a three-year contract to operate back-of-house services at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The Philadelphia-based firm is responsible for cleaning, maintaining and repairing the ballpark, the same duties it has performed at RFK Stadium, where the Nationals played their first three seasons.
Global Spectrum has a similar contract at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, across the street from Wachovia Center, Global’s flagship arena.
The facility manager has also worked closely with the Phillies to book four rock concerts, two Jimmy Buffett dates, Bon Jovi and the Police, since the stadium opened in 2004. The Phillies do not have to share ticket, concessions and parking revenue from those shows with other MLB clubs.
The Nationals assume the role for scheduling special events at their building, but “if something came up, we would certainly present it to them,” said John Page, Global Spectrum’s chief operating officer.
COUNTRY ROAD:The chief executive for a security firm that works sporting events embarks in April on his fifth year of supervising crowd management and designing on-field seating for country singer Kenny Chesney’s stadium tour.
Todd Stewart, president of Charlotte-based Show Pros, is responsible for planning seat diagrams to maximize ticket revenue inside each stadium while also maintaining safe field conditions to meet building codes and fire regulations.
The Messina Group, Chesney’s tour producer, has booked 15 stadium dates for 2008, including 10 NFL facilities. The route starts April 26 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., and ends Sept. 13 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the Colts’ new home.
Stewart replaced semi-retired Show Pros co-founder Paul Manley as president in December. Show Pros has contracts at about 35 venues, including Bank of America Stadium and Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
Don Muret can be reached at dmuret@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
