Perkins Eastman, a global architecture, design, and planning firm, and MEIS, a multi-discipline architecture and design practice known for its innovative sports, entertainment, and urban activation venues, are pleased to announce they are joining forces.
MEIS’ game-changing work on stadiums and entertainment centers spans the globe with state-of-the-art designs in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Time Magazine featured Dan Meis, FAIA, RIBA, Founder and Managing Principal of MEIS, among its “100 Innovators in the World of Sports” in 2001. He’s been considered one of the premier stadium architects in the world ever since.
While at NBBJ Sports Entertainment, and before launching his eponymous firm in 2007, Dan Meis led the design of several premier venues in the NFL and MLB including Lincoln Financial Field, Paul Brown Stadium, Miller Park, and T-Mobile Park. Dan also led the design and master plan of Los Angeles’ Staples Center, which is consistently ranked among the highest revenue producing buildings in North America. Current projects include Everton Football Club: Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium, which is on a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Liverpool Docks in England. Construction on this waterfront soccer complex will begin this summer. Meis is also designing the Carol Kimmelman Athletic and Academic Campus near L.A. Community Tennis Center, which is expected to be among the nation’s largest academic and athletic facilities. The United States Tennis Association, Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation, and Walt Disney Company have contributed $50 million towards this new home for at-risk youth to learn to play tennis, and develop life skills while focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
Meis understands the critical importance of creating connections, community, and a sense of place and experience that is memorable and evocative. “Our work is never just about a stadium or arena, it’s about creating entertainment districts that provide unique, authentic, heart-pounding experiences that engage the surrounding communities,” Meis says. “The economics of sports has changed, and as a result we rarely see a project that doesn’t require a sophisticated level of placemaking and urban planning,” he adds.
“This is not just about sports. This is about how sports and entertainment venues activate the communities around them,” says Shawn Basler, AIA, Co-CEO and Executive Director of Perkins Eastman. Developing properties around stadiums with facilities ranging from engaging public spaces, shops, restaurants, and bars to ultramodern training and wellness facilities, and even medical centers, is all part of the placemaking and urban planning that bring new life to entire districts, many of which have been neglected in the past.
Meis looks forward to stepping into Perkins Eastman’s global footprint. “We’ve worked together in the past, we’ve had a relationship for years. From my perspective, it’s the ability to scale that excites me,” he says. “We have been very successful at distinguishing our practice through creativity and direct personal involvement on all of our projects. We now have a much deeper bench with all of Perkins Eastman’s expertise. We feel a level of support and an unprecedented opportunity to grow the practice.” Perkins Eastman has more than 1,000 employees, and experience in working on projects in 60 countries on five continents. Its award-winning portfolio reflects expertise in healthcare, senior living, large-scale mixed use, higher education, K-12, hospitality, and workplace design as well as planning, urban design, and strategic consulting. Perkins Eastman will greatly expand its professional and collegiate sports practices going forward.
“The MEIS brand itself is very important and we are proud to now have MEIS as a distinct studio of Perkins Eastman,” Basler says, adding, “We see this as a winning combination of resources, talent, and vision.”
Related Stories
| Jul 11, 2013
Bill to borrow more for college spending in Michigan criticized due to ‘higher-ed bubble’
An amendment to a Michigan appropriations budget authorizes an increase in state debt to pay for state university construction projects. But some experts see a “higher education bubble” on the horizon, and said more taxpayer debt for more buildings is a bad idea.
| Jul 11, 2013
Skanska exits U.S. Chamber of Commerce over LEED controversy
Skanska USA resigned from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over the Chamber’s decision to support the American High-Performance Buildings Coalition.
| Jul 11, 2013
DOE releases stricter energy efficiency standards for new federal buildings taking effect in 2014
The Energy Department released stricter energy efficiency standards this month for new federal buildings.
| Jul 11, 2013
Pennsylvania legislators work on bill to update demolition codes following fatal building collapse
Pennsylvania lawmakers are working on a bill to update demolition codes, in the wake of a fatal building collapse in Philadelphia in June.
| Jul 11, 2013
Lawsuit challenges modular apartment project in New York City
A plan to build pre-fab apartment buildings at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, N.Y., has been challenged by a lawsuit filed by the Plumbing Foundation in Manhattan Supreme Court.
| Jul 10, 2013
SmithGroupJJR hires Don Posson as Co-director of Sustainable Design
SmithGroupJJR has hired veteran mechanical engineer Don Posson, PE, CCP, CPD, LEED AP, as the firm’s co-director of sustainable design.
| Jul 10, 2013
World's best new skyscrapers [slideshow]
The Bow in Calgary and CCTV Headquarters in Beijing are among the world's best new high-rise projects, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Jul 10, 2013
TED talk: Architect Michael Green on why we should build tomorrow's skyscrapers out of wood
In a newly posted TED talk, wood skyscraper expert Michael Green makes the case for building the next-generation of mid- and high-rise buildings out of wood.
| Jul 9, 2013
Where are they now? 40 Under 40 alumni make their mark in D.C.
Every month we’ll be touching base with past 40 Under 40 honorees to see what’s been happening in their professional and personal lives since winning the award. This month, we feature two outstanding professionals: HKS's Shannon Kraus and Roger Chang from Westlake Reed Leskosky.
| Jul 9, 2013
AISC releases Design Guide on Blast Resistant Structures
Design professionals now have a valuable new resource on blast resistant structures with AISC Design Guide No. 26, Design of Blast Resistant Structures.
