“Most of these (sports) facilities have one of (those firms) working on it,” Martins says. “We wanted to bring the best together for this facility.”
Designing for an Experience
To prepare for the new arena, the Magic visited and studied professional and college sports facilities throughout North America.
“Basically we look at this (project) as having taken the best ideas from every one of those buildings and incorporating them into one,” Martins says.
Martins specifically cited arena facilities in San Antonio; Houston; Phoenix; Columbus, Ohio; and even Detroit, where the Palace of Auburn Hills is a relatively older building.
Adorning the arena’s northeast corner will be a 120-ft-tall “entry beacon” featuring a translucent stainless steel mesh skin. More than 200 LED lights will illuminate the “beacon” and enable a constantly changing display.
The entry beacon will anchor an Orlando Magic retail store on the first level, with an open-terrace bar on the second level and a rooftop bar above that.
The seating won’t be standard at the new site, says Brad Clark, a design principal with Populous.
“One of the things that makes this facility different from others is the high demand and challenge the Magic put to the design team to create a unique, interesting and flexible fan seating bowl,” he says. “There are so many different types of seating products integrated—premium products and general seating—it is one of the more intricate seating or performance spaces that we have ever been involved with.”
Scott T. Blanchard, project executive and vice president with Hunt adds: “This is probably one of the more complex seating bowls we’ve put together because of all of the geometry.
“It didn’t take more time to install; it just took more time in the engineering,” he adds. “It required that all the subcontractors pay close attention to the details and the various changes in elevations.”
Gate Precast Products of Jacksonville, Fla., modeled the seating bowl, the majority of which is precast concrete.
“There were over-pour areas that were cast-in-place concrete,” Blanchard adds. These areas can be removed at a later date to accommodate changes in seating types, if the demand dictates.
“It is that flexibility and the many different seating offerings that makes this a very complex geometry,” Blanchard says.
Capform of Tampa placed all of the concrete, and Gate Precast supplied and installed the precast items.
Instead of sky boxes, two levels of suites are integrated lower than usual. The lowest level features open-air balconies that enable these premium ticket buyers to feel in touch with the action. Loge boxes run the length of one side of the lower bowl. Another lower-level section has access to a private bar.
Together, the frequently changing elevations are a marked contrast to more traditional arena seating arrangements. Also, the seats as a whole are closer to the court than in the existing building, thanks to the bowl’s steeper design.
Despite the complexities, the bowl’s construction was nearly on schedule in mid-March, when Southeast Construction visited the site. That’s when Blanchard said, “We just have to put the glass rails in and the seats and we’re about there.”
The fan experience away from the on-court action was a major focus of the design, too. Instead of just the mix of refreshment stands and beer lines, the new arena would include a number and variety of bars—sports, nightclub, open-air and even rooftop—and restaurants, including a fine dining spot that overlooks the court and a yet-to-be-named franchise that will be located on the arena’s exterior and have regular hours. There also would be a “fun zone” for the kids.
“We were keen on having places for high rollers, but it’s also important to provide those spaces and experiences for the general fan,” Clark says. “That is one of the more unique aspects of this building.”
In fact, it was a demand of the Magic.
“We’ve created a level of experience for every level of ticket buyer,” Martins says. “Most restaurants in other buildings have been reserved for premium patrons. We’re making this accessible to everybody.”
Also available and ever-present to all fans will be the beefed-up technology network. From all-digital signage to plans for iPhone apps that will enable fans to order refreshments and food from their seats for pickup, the new Amway Center will be much advanced over the old one.
More than 1,000 high-definition television screens will keep fans aware of the action wherever they go, and the old-fashioned “fixed-message” advertising boards will be history. Amway will also feature the largest high-definition scoreboard in the NBA.
“This is going to be the first (arena) that’s completely digital signage,” Martins says. “We don’t have any permanent sponsorship signage in this building. That’s where the building takes the next step into the next-generation of (arenas).”
All of these amenity and technology upgrades are investments in the hoped-for big payoff of increased revenue streams. Enhanced premium-seat offerings, state-of-the-art signage, more points of sale and other items “equate to a better experience and that equates to patrons who will invest more in their experience,” Martins adds.
