The Milwaukee Bucks are one step closer to remaining in Wisconsin after the state voted this week in favor of spending $250 million in public funds on a new arena, according to ESPN.
BD+C has covered the proposed arena. Created by Milwaukee firm Eppstein Uhen Architects and global firm Populous, the venue will be built in downtown Milwaukee. Its design draws inspiration from both Lake Michigan, which borders Milwaukee, and from aspects of basketball, like high-arcing free throws. It is estimated to cost $500 million.
Funding a new arena has been an issue for the small market NBA team. Billionaires Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry purchased the Bucks in 2014 with the vow of keeping the team in the city. The NBA, however, said that the Bucks would need a new arena plan in place by 2017. Without a deal, the league would buy back the team and re-sell it, possibly to owners who would relocate it to either Seattle or Las Vegas.
Residents that opposed the arena plan cited the problems that arise when the government financially supports private sports entities, and referenced Miller Park. The Milwaukee Brewers' retractable roof stadium was publicly funded. Built in the late 1990s, it is still being paid off today.
The upside to a new arena is that the state still gets to recieve income tax from players and staff, and that the venue could bring new development, like entertainment and commercial spaces, residential buildings and parking facilities, to the area around the stadium. Most importantly, the state gets to keep the franchise that won the 1971 NBA Finals and currently has up-and-coming players like Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo (and head coach Jason Kidd) on the roster.
The bill now heads to Governor Scott Walker for his signature. Walker has been working with state officials to reach a deal and is expected to sign it.
Related Stories
| May 20, 2014
Kinetic Architecture: New book explores innovations in active façades
The book, co-authored by Arup's Russell Fortmeyer, illustrates the various ways architects, consultants, and engineers approach energy and comfort by manipulating air, water, and light through the layers of passive and active building envelope systems.
| May 19, 2014
What can architects learn from nature’s 3.8 billion years of experience?
In a new report, HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 partnered to study how lessons from the temperate broadleaf forest biome, which houses many of the world’s largest population centers, can inform the design of the built environment.
| May 16, 2014
Toyo Ito leads petition to scrap Zaha Hadid's 2020 Olympic Stadium project
Ito and other Japanese architects cite excessive costs, massive size, and the project's potentially negative impact on surrounding public spaces as reasons for nixing Hadid's plan.
| May 13, 2014
First look: Nadel's $1.5 billion Dalian, China, Sports Center
In addition to five major sports venues, the Dalian Sports Center includes a 30-story, 440-room, 5-star Kempinski full-service hotel and conference center and a 40,500-square-meter athletes’ training facility and office building.
| May 13, 2014
19 industry groups team to promote resilient planning and building materials
The industry associations, with more than 700,000 members generating almost $1 trillion in GDP, have issued a joint statement on resilience, pushing design and building solutions for disaster mitigation.
| May 11, 2014
Final call for entries: 2014 Giants 300 survey
BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 survey forms are due Wednesday, May 21. Survey results will be published in our July 2014 issue. The annual Giants 300 Report ranks the top AEC firms in commercial construction, by revenue.
| May 8, 2014
Sporting events in style: Infographic showcases novel stadiums of the world
UK precast concrete maker Banagher, which specializes in precast stadia solutions, has assembled a list of the world's top stadiums in terms of architectural and structural design.
| May 1, 2014
Super BIM: 7 award-winning BIM/VDC-driven projects
Thom Mayne's Perot Museum of Nature and Science and Anaheim's new intermodal center are among the 2014 AIA TAP BIM Award winners.
| Apr 29, 2014
Best of Canada: 12 projects nab nation's top architectural prize [slideshow]
The conversion of a Mies van der Rohe-designed gas station and North Vancouver City Hall are among the recently completed projects to win the 2014 Governor General's Medal in Architecture.
| Apr 29, 2014
USGBC launches real-time green building data dashboard
The online data visualization resource highlights green building data for each state and Washington, D.C.
