First Pitch
Architecture studio HNTB unveiled the design and renderings of an 18,000-seat arena in Plano, Texas, for the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Set to be built as part of a wider “year-round district,” the site is located alongside the Dallas North Tollway, around 20 miles north of the Stars’ current home in the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas.
Missouri State University has presented a facilities master plan to the university’s Board of Governors. The multiphase plan, subject to ongoing fundraising efforts, will begin with the renovation of McDonald Arena. The project includes the addition of a new football team locker room, the reopening and extension of the facility’s tunnel to the stadium playing field, the addition of a large-scale weight room, an athletics training room, and laundry and restroom spaces.
The Las Vegas Raiders are seeking $158 million in renovations to Allegiant Stadium, which was built just six years ago. The improvements would primarily be focused on the stadium’s north entry, which would create a new “front door” for the stadium, including a pedestrian deck, public plaza, event deck and transportation improvements.
Breaking Ground
Rice University broke ground on the Patricia Lipoma Kraft and Jonathan A. Kraft Football Pavilion. The 80,000 square-foot, open-air facility will feature a full-length turf football field under a split gable roof, with immediate access from the Owls’ current grass practice field behind the Patterson Center. The design will maximize airflow and cooling during Houston’s hot summer months, and it will provide Rice student-athletes with a space to safely train during inclement weather while maintaining an outdoor environment.
Oregon State University began construction on a 15,000-square-foot sports training facility that will support softball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s cross country, and women’s track and field. The building will offer dedicated spaces for training, competition preparation and wellness for all five sports.
Grand Openings
The New England Patriots have moved their football operations into the New Balance Athletics Center. Completion of the project took 20 months from when the organization announced the 160,000-square-foot facility, which features a two-story weight room with field access, a 3,700-square-foot hydrotherapy area, a locker room with drying technology, an 11,000-square-foot dining hall, an on-site barber shop, a 160-seat theater and a virtual reality walk-through room.
The University of Notre Dame unveiled the school’s new $100 million, 150,000-square-foot Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall. The project includes an advanced training room, a stand-alone sports medicine facility, an equipment facility with body scanning and fabrication technology, a new and expanded locker room, meeting rooms, a two-level auditorium, an augmented reality walk-through room, recording and photo studios, academic support spaces and a new player nutrition area.
