The NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks have many mottos attached to them — like “Green and Growing,” “Bucks in Six,” and “Fear the Deer” — but the team pushes one above all else.
Own the Future.
They certainly are trying to do that. Along with a young, exuberant group of players, the Bucks continue to move towards a new downtown Milwaukee arena that will keep them in the city.
This week, the Bucks released new renderings and project specifications for their arena and surrounding mixed-use entertainment district, a plan led by Populous along with Eppstein Uhen and HNTB.
The 714,000-sf arena is intended primarily for basketball but can also host hockey, concerts, and other events. Upper and lower levels will load from the top down for a more efficient seating pattern, and fans will be able to watch the action from the concourses.
The building will have a hand-crafted zinc and glass exterior. A massive glass curtain wall will bring light and views into the atrium. The arced long-span roof will be clad in pre-patina zinc shingles, with six vertical glass “ripples” that allow light in.
Perhaps intentionally, the building’s shape seems to honor Milwaukee’s heritage.
This new Bucks arena render looks kind of like a beer barrel on its side, to which I say PERFECT pic.twitter.com/Snb0POgPcR
— Frank Madden (@brewhoop) March 17, 2016
The 30-acre mixed-use development will have restaurants, bars and other entertainment based uses, including a plaza with a translucent canopy above it.
The NBA mandated that the Bucks needed a new arena secured or else they would be sold to the league and potentially relocated. The team’s current home, the BMO Bradley Center, was built in 1988. The new arena project was announced last April and the Wisconsin state assembly approved the plan last July.
The entire plan will cost about $1 billion, half for the arena and half for the development. The arena is expected to be ready for the 2018-19 season, and the district, which will also add hotels, offices, and condos, will be built over the next 10 years.
The Bucks are also building a new training facility.
Related Stories
| Feb 26, 2014
Billie Jean King National Tennis Center serving up three-phase expansion
The project includes the construction of two new stadiums and a retractable roof over the existing Arthur Ashe Stadium.
| Feb 14, 2014
First look: Kentucky's Rupp Arena to get re-clad as part of $310M makeover
Rupp Arena will get a 40-foot high glass façade and a new concourse, but will retain many of its iconic design elements.
| Feb 14, 2014
Crowdsourced Placemaking: How people will help shape architecture
The rise of mobile devices and social media, coupled with the use of advanced survey tools and interactive mapping apps, has created a powerful conduit through which Building Teams can capture real-time data on the public. For the first time, the masses can have a real say in how the built environment around them is formed—that is, if Building Teams are willing to listen.
| Feb 11, 2014
World's first suspended bicycle roundabout [slideshow]
Located in the Netherlands, the project was designed to promote a healthier lifestyle.
| Feb 6, 2014
New Hampshire metal building awes visitors
Visitors to the Keene Family YMCA in New Hampshire are often surprised by what they encounter. Liz Coppola calls it the “wow factor.” “Literally, there’s jaw dropping,” says Coppola, director of financial and program development for the Keene Family YMCA.
| Jan 29, 2014
Hotel, retail, recreation sectors to lead growth in 2014
AIA's Consensus Construction Forecast, a survey of the nation’s leading construction forecasters, is projecting that spending will see a 5.8% increase in 2014, led by the hotel, retail, and amusement/recreation sectors.
| Jan 29, 2014
Notre Dame to expand football stadium in largest project in school history
The $400 million Campus Crossroads Project will add more than 750,000 sf of academic, student life, and athletic space in three new buildings attached to the school's iconic football stadium.
| Jan 28, 2014
16 awe-inspiring interior designs from around the world [slideshow]
The International Interior Design Association released the winners of its 4th Annual Global Excellence Awards. Here's a recap of the winning projects.
| Jan 28, 2014
Big Ten Conference opens swanky HQ and museum [slideshow]
The new mixed-use headquarters includes a museum, broadcast studios, conference facilities, office spaces, and, oh yeah, a Brazilian steakhouse.
| Jan 27, 2014
A climber's dream: Rock climbing hall planned near Iran's highest peak
Forget the rock climbing wall. A developer in Iran is building a rock climbing hall. That's right, an entire building dedicated to the sport, with more than 48,000 sf of program space.