When compared to European basketball fans, NBA fans can look like they’re at a piano recital.
Arenas in countries like Greece, Turkey, and Israel are packed with folks who stand, chant, cheer, sing, jump, and create chaos during game action, supporting their teams and flaunting their civic pride.
Fans in Barcelona, Spain, are passionate too, so when HOK and Barcelona’s TAC Arquitectes designed the New Palau Blaugrana arena for FC Barcelona, the firm took into account home court advantage.
The 12,000-seat arena will have a seating bowl that emulates a theater environment, with an asymmetrical design that puts more fans on one side of the court in a tighter, steeper configuration. The design will create a loud and visually-intimidating “wall of people” that will psych-out Barca opponents and give spectators a more engaging gameday experience. Also planned are 24 VIP boxes and four sky bars and lounges.
Courtesy HOK. Click photo to enlarge.
The arena will serve as a hub in a larger development that will have a street festival environment. Fans can watch game footage on a large projection screen on the underside of the arena’s curved roof, and they can enjoy a year-round public outdoor concourse with patios, plazas, green spaces, and concession areas.
Construction will begin during the 2017-18 season and finish during the 2019-20 season. The construction is tied in with renovations to FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou soccer stadium, located just across the street.
Related Stories
| Aug 27, 2014
Survey of NCAA athletic directors reveals strong demand for new facilities, fan amenities
More than 80% of college athletic directors plan to make significant investments in facilities over the next five years to target potential recruits and spectators, according to a new survey by AECOM and Ohio University.
| Aug 20, 2014
WELL Building: The next step in green sports construction
The WELL Building Standard, a new protocol that focuses on human wellness within the built environment, is a particularly good fit for sports facilities, write Skanska's Tom Tingle and Beth Heider.
| Aug 19, 2014
HOK to acquire 360 Architecture
Expected to be finalized by the end of October, the acquisition of 360 Architecture will provide immediate benefits to both firms’ clients worldwide as HOK re-enters the sports and entertainment market.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction market benefits from improving economy, new technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following years of fairly lackluster demand for commercial property remodeling, reconstruction revenue is improving, according to the 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Construction Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Structure Tone, Turner, and Gilbane top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, URS, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HDR, and HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 23, 2014
Meet Acquario Ceará: The giant crustacean-shaped aquarium that's causing concerns
A new aquarium on Brazil's northeastern coast is designed, engineered, constructed and financed by U.S. firms and institutions.
| Jul 23, 2014
Architecture Billings Index up nearly a point in June
AIA reported the June ABI score was 53.5, up from a mark of 52.6 in May.
| Jul 21, 2014
Economists ponder uneven recovery, weigh benefits of big infrastructure [2014 Giants 300 Report]
According to expert forecasters, multifamily projects, the Panama Canal expansion, and the petroleum industry’s “shale gale” could be saving graces for commercial AEC firms seeking growth opportunities in an economy that’s provided its share of recent disappointments.
