Dive Brief:
- The Oakland Athletics released renderings of their future Las Vegas ballpark last week, giving the public the first glimpse at the $1.5 billion covered venue on the Strip.
- Copenhagen-based Bjarke Ingels Group will lead design and Kansas City, Missouri-based HTNB will serve as sports/hospitality designer and architect of record for the 33,000-seat ballpark.
- The stadium’s roof will use five overlapping shells designed to resemble baseball pennants. The arched shells will limit direct sunlight glare for players while letting in natural light. The team elected to not use a retractable roof due to the Las Vegas heat.
Dive Insight:
The new ballpark will also feature the world’s largest cable net glass wall, according to Bjarke Ingels Group. The exterior metal cladding will reflect the daylight and the bright Las Vegas nightlights after sunset.
In August, the A’s selected a Mortenson-McCarthy joint venture to build the stadium. The JV had previously teamed up to construct the $1.9 billion Allegiant Stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders, who also moved from Oakland.
The project will go up on the site of Tropicana, a resort which will close in April to be demolished, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That would open the door for the A’s ballpark to begin construction in 2025 for use in 2028, the Review-Journal reported.
The venue will take up nine acres of the 35-acre Tropicana site, and the franchise is teaming with site owner Bally’s Group on a plan for a related resort development. The specifics, including towers, specific locations and phases, have yet to be determined.
The ballpark’s plans include 2,500 parking spots and an 18,000-square-foot jumbotron, according to the Review-Journal. That would be the largest stadium screen in Major League Baseball.
