Dive Brief:
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The Texas Rangers MLB team have announced that construction of its new $1.1 billion, 40,000-seat Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, is almost 75% complete.
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Work underway on the 1.8 million-square-foot facility — and overseen by construction manager Manhattan Construction — includes construction of the stadium's 5-acre retractable roof. The 19,000 tons of steelwork should be complete by the end of October, with all roof construction slated for completion by the end of this year. Poured concrete work is complete with the exception of service areas, and most interior finish work is in progress. Stone and brick work are ongoing at the ballpark's interior and exterior columns; air conditioning functionality — a critical feature of the stadium — has been established; and structural steel for the stadium's bowl is complete.
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The HKS, Inc.-designed stadium has approximately 1,400 workers on site each day and is on track to open in March 2020.
Dive Insight:
The ballpark project and TexasLive! entertainment complex constitute an approximately $4 billion investment, according to developer The Cordish Cos. TexasLive! alone features a 300-room Live by Loews hotel; 35,000 square feet of arena and convention space; dining, residential and retail components; and the redevelopment of the Rangers' current home — Globe Life Field — next door.
One on-trend design aspect of the Rangers' new ballpark is a more intimate seating bowl, bringing fans as close as possible to the action on the field. This is especially true in soccer stadium design where fans, or "supporters," are an integral part of the experience.
Sports design expert Populous, for instance, designed the FC Cincinnati soccer stadium so that no seat is more than 130 feet from the pitch, with the closest only 15 feet away. The design also includes a 3,100-person standing-only section, where supporters typically can wave banners, set off smoke bombs and bang drums during the game.
Ancillary developments like TexasLive! are also being incorporated into more sports venues, and Cordish has versions of these entertainment complexes up and running next to stadiums in St. Louis and Kansas City, with more planned.
And sometimes sports-driven developments are more like small towns than just a spot to grab a drink and something to eat before and after the game.
In Los Angeles, the new NFL Rams stadium will be part of the $5 billion Los Angeles Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park, which will include not only the 70,000-seat stadium but an amphitheater, office space, private residences, approximately 300 hotel rooms and approximately 25 acres of public space.
