Sports/Entertainment: Best Project: Vivint SmartHome Arena Renovation

Vivint SmartHome Arena Renovation
Salt Lake City
Best Project

Owner: ICON Venue Group
Lead Design Firm: SCI Architects PC
General Contractor: Okland Construction Inc.
Structural Engineer: Wilson & Co.
Civil Engineer: CRS Engineers
MEP Engineer: ME Engineers
Electrical Engineer: BNA Consulting

The $80-million renovation of Vivint Arena compressed a project schedule that would typically take nearly two years into just 129 days so that construction could be completed between basketball seasons. After more than 25 years of hosting the Utah Jazz, the arena had become one of the oldest venues in the NBA. It required an extensive renovation to put the Jazz on par with other NBA franchises and further showcase the team.

Crews installed nearly 20,000 new seats, a grand entry, side entries, a grand plaza, new clubs and a retractable seating system at each end. The renovation also added 83,800 sq ft of concourse space. Retail areas were expanded to include more than 30 restaurants and vendors. The project gave the Jazz the largest locker room in the NBA. The project improved technology and the fan experience by installing high-speed public Wi-Fi, cloud-based technology and predictive analytics. More than 400 video screens are positioned throughout the arena to provide information, directions and a constant eye on what’s happening on the stage or the court.

The compressed schedule required that Okland Construction provide a workforce of 400 to 500 workers per day and keep the project running seven days a week, 20 hours a day. The team communicated 500 notices per week to 2,000 workers from 78 different subcontractors, ensuring that all trade partners understood the impact of their work on the overall schedule.

There was no time for rework. Manufacturers of the retractable seating systems, escalators and general seating were in China and Slovakia. It was critical for the equipment to be manufactured and delivered to the arena with enough time to install it before the first game of the new season. Those international relationships were key to the project’s success. Everything was on track until Hurricane Harvey delayed delivery of the retractable seating system after all the ports in Texas were closed. Okland and the owner scheduled mandatory NBA testing before the seats arrived and worked with the trucking company to get them loaded and moving to Utah as soon as possible. All the components eventually came together for an on-time delivery.