And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this multi-purpose venue that eventually will host 150 events a year, from NBA and WNBA basketball to hockey, concerts and conventions.
“I think this building, not only from a budget standpoint but also from an aesthetic standpoint, is the best in the country,” Bobcats Executive Barry Silberman told the Associated Press. He should know. Silberman served in a similar capacity at Washington, D.C.’s MCI Center and has studied all of the new arenas. He said the Bobcats’ “Rock the Rooftop” upper deck entertainment zone will “create the first building anywhere where people sitting below will want to go higher in the facility.”
Ellerbe Becket’s Doug Brown, whose firm designed the arena, said the architectural team spent considerable time creating a structure unique to Charlotte. “The concept for the exterior was to have historical brick reflecting the old textile mills at street level and then the glass and metal panels higher up to reflect the future of Charlotte,” said Brown, who served as architectural director on the project.
Other unique aspects: public art in the main concourse areas that includes murals celebrating the basketball teams once sponsored by the local textile industry. And a scoreboard that features a permanent skyline model of uptown Charlotte and the country’s highest-resolution LED screens.
More building facts and figures:
Events
Home to the new NBA Charlotte Bobcats and WNBA Charlotte Sting with other events, including hockey, arena football, circus, concerts, ice and family shows.
Owner
City of Charlotte
Operator
• NBA Charlotte Bobcats
• Charlotte Coliseum Authority
Cost
• $200 Million – project cost
• $65 Million – Land and infrastructure cost
Construction Manager
• Hunt Construction Group
• R. J. Leeper Construction
NBA Charlotte Basketball Representatives
• Barry Silberman – EVP / Arena Development, Operations & Entertainment
• PC Sports
Architects
• Ellerbe Becket
• Odell Associates, Inc.
• The Freelon Group, Inc.
Engineers and Consultants
• Structural (Superstructure / Roof) - Ellerbe Becket
• Structural (Foundations) – Odell Associates, Inc.
• Mechanical, Electrical, Lighting - Ellerbe Becket
• Plumbing, Fire Protection – Odell Associates, Inc.
• Acoustical/Sound – PMK Consultants
• ADA – Kevin McGuire Associates
• Broadcast/Video – Patlin Electronics, Inc.
• Civil, Landscaping – ColeJenest & Stone
• Code/Life Safety – FP&C Consultants, Inc.
• Communications/Data – Thompson, Ross Associates
• Food Service – Levy Restaurants/William Caruso & Associates
• Environmental Graphics – Workshop Design (Ellerbe Becket)
• Microclimate Analysis – RWDI Consulting Engineers
• Printing – Richa Graphics
• Security – Kroll / Schiff
• Vertical Transportation – Lerch Bates & Associates
Land
• +/- 9 acre site
• Bordered between Trade, 5th, Caldwell Streets and Light Rail Corridor
Building Dimensions
• 470 +/- feet (NS) by 550 +/- feet (EW)
• 780,000 square feet
• 150 +/- feet from event floor level to top of roof (110 feet from event floor to bottom of truss)
• 396 feet clear span
• Building is a circular shape with a box truss roof structure
• Basic geometry is ìoffsetî for ice events to create a more intimate feeling for basketball events in the seating bowl
• Concourse Widths – Main 25 feet average width, Upper Concourse 18 feet average width, Suite Corridor 8 feet average width
• Seat tread depth - Lower Bowl 35"/Upper Bowl 34" (Industry std 33")
Seating
• NBA Basketball: 18,500
• ACC Tournament: 20,200
• Hockey: 14,100
• End Stage Concert: 16,700
Premium Seat Offerings
• Founder Suites: 10
• Private Suites: 50
• Party Suites: 2
• Loge Boxes: 58
• Club/Courtside Seats: 2,600
Special Amenities Areas
• Sports bar on Main Concourse and off 5th Street – 3,200 square feet
• Team Store at Trade Street Main Entry – 3,500 square feet
• Uptown Terrace (Upper Concourse over Lobby) – 2,600 square feet
• General Terraces – one each on Main Concourse, Loge Level, Suite Level and one additional terrace on Upper Concourse
• Special Fan Zone (open to bowl) – Upper Concourse – 9,000 square feet
• Loge Level Premium Seating Restaurant – views into the seating bowl
Locker Rooms
• Home NBA Charlotte Bobcats Locker Room
• Home Charlotte Sting Locker Room
• Visitor NBA Locker Room
• Home Arena Football/Hockey Locker
• 3 Auxiliary Locker Rooms
• 2 Official Locker Rooms (Men and Women)
• 8 Star/Performers Dressing/Production Rooms
Design / Construction Schedule (Fast Track Schedule)
• August – October 2002 – PreDesign / Programming Phase
• November 2002 – February 2003 – Schematic / Urban Design Phases
• March – June 2003 – Design Development Phase
• July – January 2004 – Construction Documents
• August 2003 - Construction Begins
• October 2005 – Substantial Construction completed
• November 2005 – First Regular Season Basketball game
Best of all, the arena finished on time and within budget. It was a fast’track project in which construction actually started before all the designs were complete. “We did that very well – we worked as a team and got everyone to visualize what it would be,” said Brown. ’We had a great project team: owner, contractor, our design team. The city and the Bobcats have been outstanding as far as support and contributing ideas on what the arena should be.”
Contact: news@ellerbebecket.com
