Los Angeles Clippers release renderings of proposed $1B arena

The Los Angeles Clippers have unveiled renderings of the NBA team's proposed new $1.1 billion arena development in Inglewood, California.
The privately financed Inglewood Basketball & Entertainment Center, according to the team's website, will include an arena with up to 18,500 seats; a separate building that will host the team's headquarters; a team training facility; a sports medicine clinic; a multipurpose public plaza; community courts; park areas; educational facilities; restaurants and retail. The arena itself, designed by AECOM, will feature indoor/outdoor "sky gardens" containing food and beverage areas that will be accessible from every concourse. The arena's cladding will also serve as solar panels, which will contribute to the project's LEED Gold certification and its status as a net zero emitter of greenhouse gases.
The City of Inglewood is overseeing an environmental review of the project, and the team has not yet announced a contractor, but it estimates that the complex will be open in 2024. Construction is expected to create 10,000 jobs, 30% of which will be set aside for local residents.

Dive Insight:

Although the contractor for the project has yet to be announced, media reports have singled out a few candidates. In February, VenuesNow reported that the Clippers ownership was evaluating three construction teams for the project: AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction; Mortenson and Clark Construction; and PCL Construction. The three were reportedly tapped as potential contractors based on their experience with large-scale sports-related projects in California. Those include:

PCL Construction successfully completed the $350 million Banc of California Stadium for the Los Angeles Football Club last year.
AECOM Hunt is building the new $2.6 billion Los Angeles Rams stadium in Inglewood where both the Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers will play.
The Mortenson-Clark JV is wrapping up construction on the Golden State Warriors’ $1 billion arena in San Francisco. The venue will officially open in September.

VenuesNow reported in March that the Clippers selected the joint venture of AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction as the construction contractor, but, when contacted by Construction Dive, an AECOM spokesman would not comment on that aspect of the arena project.

One potential obstacle for the Clippers arena is a lawsuit brought against the City of Inglewood by Madison Square Garden Co. (MSG), which used to lease the 22-acre parcel of land that the Clippers plan to use for its sports arena and development, Bisnow reported. MSG claims that the city negotiated in bad faith during the termination of its lease. The team has countersued and asked the court to declare its development agreement with the city valid.