Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Sugar Land, Texas
Award of Merit

Owner: City of Sugar Land
Lead Design Firm: Martinez + Johnson Architecture
General Contractor: Linbeck Group LLC
Civil/Structural Engineer: Walter P Moore
MEP Engineer: Collaborative Engineering Group
Acoustical & Audio Visual Consultants: Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams
Theatrical & Architectural Lighting Consultants: Schuler Shook
Subcontractors: ABC Steel Products Co. dba ABC Doors; The Anchor Group; Berkel & Co. Contractors; Business Flooring Specialist; Chamberlin Houston LLC

The 234,000-sq-ft Smart Financial Centre is Sugar Land’s newest indoor live-performance venue. While initial cost estimates put the project $35 million over budget, a construction manager-at-risk delivery enabled the project team to bring it back within budget.

Features include 14 luxury suites; corporate hospitality areas; the latest sound, light and video technology; and a plaza with a Las Vegas-style water feature.

The project includes audience reduction system walls, which give the facility the flexibility to create four seating venues ranging from 3,400 seats to 6,400.

Earthwork on the project, which included excavation and construction of the orchestra pit, took place during the 2015 Memorial Day floods, filling the excavated area with more than 2.5 million gallons of water. Despite the major setback, the project team completed the project on time and on budget.

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