Sacramento Kings pushes forward with US$507m Golden 1 Center plan
National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise the Sacramento Kings has lifted the lid on plans for its US$507m (£336m, €476m) Golden 1 Center arena.
Sports architect AECOM – creators of the London 2012 and Rio 2016 olympic parks – are designing the centre, while ICON Venue Group and Turner Construction are serving as project manager and lead builder respectively.
Renderings of the design show the Golden 1 Center will feature outward-facing windows, balconies and large bi-fold aircraft hangar-like doors. The arena will be an interactive ‘smart’ building that checks in with attendees to offer them information and events about the game.
In a report published by the Kings, it revealed that it was ploughing US$284m (£189m, €267m) of its own revenue directly into the project, with a further US$223m (£148m, €210m) coming from the city. It estimated that the complex will account for US$11.5bn (£7.6bn, €10.8bn) in economic activity for Sacramento over the next 35 years, with the project estimated to create over 4,000 jobs once complete. Over 1.6m visitors are expected each year.
As part of the construction plans, the California-based team has tendered 78 per cent of all biddable work – totalling US$290m (£193m, €273m) – to local businesses, exceeding the 60 per cent commitment the franchise made originally.
The Kings will also invest an extra US$300m (£199m, €282m) in the separate Downtown Commons (DOCO) complex which will be developed around the Golden 1 Center. It will feature entertainment, hospitality and retail offerings, as well a three-acre plaza for civic space.
It will include 475,000sq ft (44,000sq m) of office space, 350,000sq ft (32,500sq m) of retail, a 250-room hotel and up to 550 residential units.
The 17,500-capacity Golden 1 Center is due to open in autumn 2016, with DOCO expected to launch in early 2017.