Sacramento Kings Downtown Arena Lead Architect Selected

Downtown Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center

Sacramento, Calif.- After a highly competitive process involving some of the top architectural firms in the world, the Sacramento Kings today announced AECOM has been selected as the lead architect for the downtown entertainment and sports complex.(Golden 1 Center)

AECOM is renowned for designing some of the most state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venues in the world. AECOM is responsible for the acclaimed London 2012 Olympic Park and is also designing the Rio 2016 Olympic Park. AECOM has served as lead architect of 11 NBA arenas, including the Barclays Center – home of the Brooklyn Nets and the 2012 Sports Business Journal Facility of the Year. Locally, AECOM designed Aggies Stadium at the University of California, Davis.

“We have assembled the best artists in the world to design and build the new arena,” said Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé. “From the Bird’s Nest in Beijing to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, AECOM has the resume to design and create the most technologically advanced and fan-centric arena in the world.”

The Kings also selected ICON Venue Group as the project manager and Turner as the lead builder.

“We now have a world-class team in place and we look forward to developing what we believe will be an important civic space, and the loudest building in sports, right here in the heart of downtown Sacramento,” said Kings President Chris Granger.

AECOM plans to have conceptual renderings ready this fall and final design completed in early to mid 2014. AECOM will do all the architectural design work in Sacramento to ensure ongoing local input in the design process. 

“We are thrilled to be selected to design the new downtown arena,” said Jon Niemuth, AIA, NCARB, LEED, Director of AECOM Sports, Americas. “For some of the best fans in the NBA, we are prepared to design an arena that will not only provide a tremendous home court advantage for the Kings, but that will also create an amazing experience for everyone who steps foot in and around the facility. This project will transform downtown and the entire region.” 

“This is another huge win for the Kings and for Sacramento,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson. “AECOM’s selection continues to prove that the best and brightest in the world believe in this project and in our community.  I applaud the Kings for an inspired selection and can’t wait to see what AECOM designs for the new arena”