Exterior Design for New Downtown Arena Unveiled
August 20, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Aug. 20, 2007
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The exterior design for a new Louisville downtown arena, a 22,000-seat facility which will serve as the future home for the University of Louisville's men's and women's basketball programs, was unveiled today at the August meeting of the Louisville Arena Authority.
Integral to the design are large expanses of glass to connect patrons with pedestrians, limestone panels on the lower portion of the exterior walls, and a dramatic curving roof line, all of which contribute to the contemporary feel of the building.
"The Louisville arena design captures a vision and dream that began when I created the Louisville Arena Task Force," said Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher. "The design is both innovative and exciting. It embraces the river as a backdrop and will be another wave of revitalization and economic development in downtown Louisville."
Dan Ulmer, chairman of the arena authority's construction committee, presented the exterior renderings along with the architectural firm, HOK Sport. `We asked for an iconic design that would really excite the community and we are very pleased with what the architect and design team delivered," said Ulmer. "This is a jewel in the architectural crown for this community."
Serving as the arena's front door on West Main Street is the large scale civic plaza which includes informal seating areas, open space for public gatherings and performances, landscaping and an interactive fountain.
The river side of the building echoes the movement of the Ohio River with the dramatic roof becoming transparent as it curves downward, offering panoramic views ofs of the river from the sports bar and multi-purpose meeting rooms.
"The arena's transparent facade will create a feeling of openness that's inviting," Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson said. "At night, the glass and lights will make the arena glow, a sparkling fixture on Louisville's skyline that showcases the new energy in our downtown."
"The new Louisville Downtown Arena will be dynamic, iconic and contemporary with its modern blend of glass, metal and stone, coupled with a dramatic, wing-like roof," said Steve Hotujac, HOK Sport principal. "But most importantly, the arena will be a lasting symbol of the vibrant community of Louisville and of the Commonwealth of Kentucky."
"The arena will be an exciting addition to the Louisville landscape and another example of our commitment to downtown," said U of L President James Ramsey. "Like our Cressman Center for the Visual Arts, the commitment of our fine arts program to Museum Plaza and the $2.5 billion expansion of our Health Sciences Center, this project will be a tremendous boost to downtown activity and a catalyst for economic development. U of L's downtown presence continues to grow, and our engagement will have a tremendous financial and cultural impact on Louisville and the commonwealth."
Tom Jurich, U of L Vice President for Athletics said, "The new arena will be a great venue for our men's and women's teams to play. It will be a wonderful addition to our community's riverfront skyline. All the glass provides nice views both from within the arena to downtown and to the river, as well as from the outside looking in. It's sure to be a factor in attracting student-athletes to our campus and in drawing people to downtown Louisville. It's exciting to me that the sheer size of the facility will allow so many new Cardinal fans an opportunity to be at our games."
Authority chairman Jim Host noted that both exterior and interior designs were developed after months of input from groups such as the NCAA, the Downtown Development Corporation, the University of Louisville, and comments from the public at large. "From the plaza where people will gather to the top row of seats, everything in this design has the patron's experience in mind," he said.
Mary Griffith, board chair of the Downtown Development Corporation noted that the board "is gratified by the attention the Arena Authority has paid to the recommendations made during the Urban Design Forums. The well-conceived design, with its symbolic and striking connection to the river, reflects the seriousness with which the Authority members and the design team approached the work you see today. The design should activate the area surrounding the arena, before, during and after events. When the specifics of the plaza and streetscapes are further detailed, downtown Louisville will have another lively gathering place to add to its roster of downtown public spaces."
"The Convention & Visitors Bureau has appreciated having input into the state-of-the-art facility the new arena will be for our city," said Jim Wood President & CEO, Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The prime meeting space overlooking the river and spectacular plaza area that can serve as pre-function space for large conventions are highlights of the design for our business and unique to our industry. The arena will increase our ability to attract world-class events and conventions to Louisville."
Construction on Louisville's 700,000 square foot multi-purpose arena is scheduled to begin in Summer, 2008, with completion in Fall of 2010.
Design Narrative by HOK Sport
The design of the new Louisville Arena represents a monumental pportunity in the history of downtown Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. With opportunity comes challenge - the challenge to create a building that embraces and reflects the character of the community; the challenge to extend the incredible legacy of sports and entertainment in the area; and the challenge to create a lasting, emblematic symbol of Louisville's ongoing urban renaissance. The design team has embraced those challenges aided, in part, by the excellent urban design program document published by the Downtown Development Corporation (DOC) entitled, `'Turning Large Spaces into Great Places."
Boasting an impressive capacity for basketball of 22,000 seats, the new arena will be a significant downtown anchor with connections to existing centers of activity. The building is designed to respond to its particular urban condition while revealing the activities occurring within. Important connections have been considered southward to the Convention Center and 4th Street Live, eastward to Slugger Field and the future Iron Quarter development and northward to the Ohio River. Critical east-west connections to the Main Street Corridor are addressed as well. It is envisioned that careful attention to these community connections, coupled with the prominent location of the site, should provide the momentum to spawn additional development.
Responding to the Louisville Arena Authority's stated desire for an iconic dynamic and contemporary facility, the arena boasts a muscular stance on its prime downtown site with occupied levels located above the 100 year flood elevation. Ample setbacks to the north and south allow for a terraced landscape buffer at River Road and a substantial public plaza facing Main Street. Exterior materials are respectful of the past, both timeless and contemporary. Beautiful and durable limestone panels clad the lower portion of the exterior walls - a tactile and visual connection to the carved bridge pylons flanking the entry to the Clark Memorial Bridge. A more contemporary materiality of glass curtain wall and taut aluminum skin lightens the visual appearance of the building above, identifying it as a contemporary edifice, looking to the future. Inspired by the University of Louisville Cardinal and flow of the Ohio River, a dramatic wing-like roof caps the composition, contributing to an increasingly dynamic Louisville skyline. The drama is heightened as the northwest portion of the roof spills downward toward the street below.
The West Main Street address allows convenient pedestrian connection to and from 4th Street Live and the Convention Center as well as to the West Main corridor. The entry facade is gently curved, softening the pedestrian scale while addressing West Main Street and a significant new civic plaza. Orienting the curved face slightly southwest to the core "of downtown further enhances civic connections. Informal seating areas, open space for public gatherings and performances and generous landscaping for protective shade and visual delight will punctuate the plaza. A proposed interactive fountain element will be the visual focal point, tempering hot summer temperatures while activating the plaza with the sound of water. With flexibility of use in mind, the fountain can be turned off, transforming to a downtown stage for performances and University of Louisville pep rallies facing outdoor terraced seating and an iconic plaza marquee/ video board.
Fans ascend to the arena entrance via stepped terraces, grand stairs and ramps. A transparent glass skin reveals a voluminous grand lobby and vertical circulation elements, while a deep overhead canopy affords protection from the elements. Public amenities include a University of Louisville Team Store/Hall of Fame and Ticket Office flanking the entrance. The potential exists to incorporate a coffee shop and outdoor seating adjacent to the Team Store. This will generate daily activity while offering a convenient stop for morning commuters parking in the structured garage below the plaza. The height of these elements relate to the scale of Main Street, buffering the larger structure behind.
In response to the unique and powerful form of the adjacent Clark Memorial Bridge, the east side of the building is dominated by a transparent "Gallery" extending the length of the facade. The gallery acts as a monumental bay window affording expansive views of the bridge, river and ballpark while revealing activity on three occupied levels within. Structural elements behind the glass take a cue from the bridge steel, the language continuing externally over the plaza as an exposed truss framework for advertising or naming rights elements. A secondary entrance with convenient access to the main lobby punctuates the Second Street facade on axis with Slugger Field. A large video board or L.E.D. mesh overhead will present a powerful visual statement when viewed down Washington Street from Slugger Field and the future Iron Quarter. It is envisioned that the access road from West Main Street will be closed for events, allowing the intersection to transform to an active public plaza, free from conflicts with automobiles. Facade recesses punctuated by aluminum detailing articulate the lower portion of the facade providing a flexible framework for public art installations, further humanizing the large scale of the building while making the pedestrian connection to and from the river and Waterfront Park a memorable one.
The "Gallery" form also finds expression on the Third Street facade though transparency is reduced in response to limited view corridor potential. Glass areas are strategically located to take advantage of the best opportunities. A monumental corner video board faces traffic on 1-64. The visual impact will be incredibly dynamic from the highway as well as when viewed from across the river and from the Clark Memorial Bridge. Recessed areas similar to those on Second Street occur at pedestrian level and may incorporate planter boxes with climbing vegetation to augment and enhance the landscape character of the streetscape.
A single big move dominates the river side of the project. The winged form of the roof continues its downward curvature, transitioning from aluminum roof skin to transparent wall. The cascading form represents an unmistakable visual reference to the powerful Ohio River and, more specifically, to the Falls of the Ohio just downstream. It is a signature element - curvaceous and transparent, wrapping multi-purpose meeting room spaces and a public sports bar within. Tremendous, panoramic views create a signature setting for arena events and for special occasions such as Thunder Over Louisville. Outdoor balconies at each level heighten the patron experience with an even greater connection to the river below. A terraced landscape buffer and careful architectural detailing serve to mitigate the scale of the building at this low end of the site. Two overhead doors are discreetly integrated into the facade, providing truck access to an enclosed truck staging area. This valuable space will facilitate arena operations, particularly event change-over for concert events.
Inside, the grand lobby provides almost 14,000 square feet of gathering space and access to the Team Store/Hall of Fame, Ticket Office and a potential Naming Rights Sponsor Zone prominently located across from the entry. Grand stairs and escalators lead to the main concourse above. Additional escalators move fans expeditiously to the suite and upper concourse levels. The dynamic quality of this vertical movement serves to animate the lobby with color and activity. Upper levels are intentionally arranged to connect physically and visually with the lobby. The experience of see and be seen is definitely at play.
Main concourse circulation width is ample in width and volume, further augmented by substantial areas of glazing which afford views to the exterior while promoting a feeling of even more space. Restroom and concession spaces are evenly distributed and easily accessible. Each end of the spectator seating is left open for dramatic views to the bowl and scoreboard. An exciting public bar possessing views to the event and outside to the Ohio River anchors the north end. The sports bar experience will be dramatic by virtue of its position behind and under the dramatic, curved glass wall and will include access to an adjacent outside terrace.
Suites are arranged on two levels along the sides of the playing floor with the first level elevated above the main concourse. A dedicated suite lounge provides private space for suite patrons while retaining an open visual connection to the public concourse below. It is envisioned that the concourse area below the suites will be dedicated to Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame displays. Additional displays, large scale graphics and iconography will tell as story throughout the interior, a constant reminder of the great legacy of sport in community and in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
The second suite level stacks directly above and includes a private, upscale concourse shared with loge box and club seat patrons. Loge boxes are positioned at the lobby end of the suite level in five tiers. An associated loge lounge provides space for communal gathering and catered food service. Eight rows of club seats and corresponding club lounge are positioned directly across the bowl, a valuable viewing perspective facing the stage for concert events.
Upper concourse restrooms and concessions are positioned under the bowl to free up the exterior wall for substantial areas of glazing, particularly on the east and north sides of the facility. The resultant views and natural light serve to make the fan experience a memorable one.
The new Downtown Arena will be dynamic. It will be iconic. It will be contemporary. It will be a place to watch the Cardinals play the game so many love. It will be a place to see a favorite performer. It will be a place to escape and simply have fun. It will be a place for the community to come together with a communal sense of pride. Moreover, it will be a lasting symbol of the vibrant and growing community that Louisville is.
