It’s all about resiliency
Climate change and extreme weather have caused a five-fold increase in natural disasters over the past 50 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). As a result, asset resiliency is critical across all scales — from individual buildings to infrastructure and entire communities. Of all natural disasters, extreme heat is one of the most widespread, affecting nearly all regions.

A fascinating paradox lies in balancing resilient design with decarbonization. While future impacts can be anticipated, the exact risks and frequency remain uncertain. Striking the right balance between preparing for future challenges and avoiding over-design is essential, as excessive material use increases embodied carbon and hinders progress toward decarbonization goals.

The financial case for sustainability
Investors and insurance companies are beginning to recognize the long-term benefits of resilient and sustainable design, incentivizing businesses to adopt these measures. Increasingly, funding is linked to emission reduction targets, such as those set by SBTi and GRESB. Third-party certification programs like LEED offer governance and assurance for sustainable and resilient design.

LEED V5
The final version of LEED V5 is anticipated to launch in early 2025, with LEED V4 registrations expected to close by the end of that year. Over 50 percent of LEED V5 credits will emphasize decarbonization, while the other key focus areas include Quality of Life and Ecological Conservation and Restoration. Resiliency will play a prominent role, requiring projects to conduct climate resilience assessments. To support this, the LEED reference manual will offer user-friendly tools for a more streamlined approach to meeting these requirements.

Role of AI in energy use
The use of AI is growing exponentially, yet its significant energy demands often go overlooked. AI is a major driver of increased electricity demand in the U.S., with new data centers emerging to meet this need. Looking ahead, it will be essential to address and account for their energy consumption.

Are aggressive carbon neutrality goals hindering progress?
While Greenbuild unfolded, governments met at COP29 in Azerbaijan to discuss advancing the Paris Agreement goals to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Achieving this requires greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2025 and decline by 43 percent by 2030. This urgency has led some entities to set aggressive targets like carbon neutrality by 2030. Unrealistic timelines often lead to reliance on carbon offsets, which act as self-imposed fines. Alternative strategies like redirecting funds from offsets into green investment funds or decarbonization projects may yield better results. By selling RECs and reinvesting in decarbonization, organizations could achieve more impactful progress. However, the question remains if buildings should aim for carbon neutrality or instead strive for carbon-free operations.

Transparency in building performance accelerates change
Cities are adopting energy efficiency policies to support decarbonization, beginning with benchmarking and progressing to emission targets. Key examples include carbon limits and fines set by Local Law 97 in New York City, 2025 emission standards set by BERDO in Boston and phased reduction of building size threshold that need to meet Building Energy Performance Standards in Washington, DC. Cities like Seattle, Denver and Chicago have similar performance standards in place or planned, with targets due as early as 2025. Transparency through policies like these motivates building owners to improve energy efficiency, driving broader sustainability efforts.

Focus on zero waste
We are generating more waste than ever, especially food waste, and the lack of commercial composting services further aggravates the situation. Working closely with users, operators and vendors to educate them on recycling protocols will reduce contamination and increase recycling rates. The adoption of technology and AI to bolster these initiatives is increasingly prevalent. Communities, agencies and projects worldwide are beginning to work toward zero waste as seen through projects shared at Greenbuild including Intuit Dome where teams work 24/7 to separate waste streams during major events, and Boston’s Carbon Leadership Forum’s Reuse Working Group that aims to reduce environmental impacts, create jobs, lower costs, and promote equity. Such initiatives underscore how waste reduction fosters economic, environmental and social benefits.

As we look to the future, Greenbuild serves as a powerful reminder that ideals like achieving sustainability and zero waste are imperative and require bold innovation, collective action and unwavering commitment to create resilient communities for generations to come.

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In the Intuit Dome blog series, we’ve taken a deep dive into each element of Intuit Dome with the leaders who made this project a reality. Today, we learn more about the empowering design architects who brought this project to life and their experience as women in architecture.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in architecture, and how did your background influence your design approach on Intuit Dome?

My diverse background includes experiences in sports, corporate, hospitality and furniture. This has equipped me with a unique perspective and an ability to problem-solve creatively. I enjoy looking at situations from different angles, whether it’s the big picture or the smallest details.

I pursued architecture because I enjoy challenges, allowing me to explore new ideas using technology and art.

My passion began with a deep curiosity about how things work and a fascination with the world around us. This curiosity led me to pursue an engineering degree, where I found the intersection of physics and building design especially captivating. I was drawn to building physics — the study of how the laws of physics apply to the built environment — which ultimately shaped my career path. In 2013, I was fortunate to transition to the High-Performance Buildings and Communities team within our Buildings + Places business line. There, I worked on notable projects such as the Golden 1 Center, applying the lessons learned to future endeavors like Intuit Dome.

Q: Can you describe your specific role with Intuit Dome? What were your main responsibilities?

As the Lead Interior Designer, I was responsible for creating premium, team and public spaces that aligned with the owner’s vision. I collaborated with the team to develop unique designs that catered to the needs of patrons, the team and Clippers staff, overseeing the project from conception to completion.

The Intuit Dome project has many components such as the arena, garages, ancillary buildings and the outdoor plaza. I led the design team for the arena and my primary responsibilities were coordinating the architectural team and the discipline designers, i.e., structural engineers, mechanical engineers and others to deliver contract documents to the construction team.

In my role on the Intuit Dome project, I led the performance-based design modeling, collaborating with high-performance building design specialists across our regions, including the U.S., the UK and Australia. My primary responsibility was to support the project in achieving its ambitious sustainability targets, such as net zero carbon, 100 percent electric energy use and LEED Platinum certification. Additionally, I worked to balance these sustainability goals with other key project requirements, such as enhancing aesthetics, optimizing the fan experience, ensuring thermal comfort and managing costs.

Q: How do you think projects like Intuit Dome contribute to the visibility and recognition of women in architecture?

The prominent presence of women in leadership roles on the Intuit Dome project, including architects, designers, specifiers, construction managers, owners’ representatives and clients, has significantly advanced the field of architecture. Our visibility off-site waiting for a rideshare or our coffee order, often marked by the distinctive PPE gear, has sparked conversations about gender diversity and inspired a desire for more women in these roles.

The Intuit Dome project contributed extensively to the visibility of women in business and architecture. Women were visible at all levels from Gillian Zucker, President of Business Operations for the LA Clippers to young intern architects at our office.

Projects like Intuit Dome are excellent platforms to highlight the invaluable contributions women make to iconic projects, reinforcing their visibility and recognition in architecture. Role models play a critical role in this process, as studies have shown that nearly 60 percent of women believe having a relatable role model is essential to achieving career success. Seeing women in leadership positions on such high-profile projects boosts confidence and support for others, demonstrating that women not only belong in these spaces but are instrumental to their success.

Q: How has the acceptance of women in your field changed throughout the years? How do you think it will look in the future?

Over the years, I’ve witnessed a gradual increase in the acceptance of women in architecture. This trend is encouraging, and I believe it will continue as younger generations recognize the profession as a viable career path. I hope that we’ll eventually achieve gender equality in the field.

I have observed a growing acceptance of women in the workplace, largely due to a stronger focus on diversity and inclusion. However, there is still work to be done to ensure that all women can fully realize their potential and thrive in their careers, and I hope this will occur in the future. Raising awareness and discussing biases and their impact on women’s careers is key, as is fostering a culture of respect and belonging that celebrates diversity. Accountability, particularly at the managerial level, is crucial to advancing diversity and inclusion with leaders supporting work-life balance through flexible working arrangements to help women succeed.

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In the Intuit Dome blog series, we are taking a deep dive into each element of Intuit Dome with the leaders who made this project a reality. Throughout these pieces, we discuss features like community engagement, sustainability and visionary design/innovation to learn more about what makes Intuit Dome a game-changer in sports and entertainment.

LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer originally thought that having an existing building (Staples Center at the time) would be beneficial when he bought the team. Within the first six months, he realized that the situation was unworkable as the third tenant in the building, so he sought out ArchTam as lead designer when he was envisioning the creation of his team’s new home. After initial site selection and concept design, Ballmer then brought ArchTam Hunt on board to review real-time construction cost estimates. A separate procurement led to the hire of an ArchTam Hunt and Turner Construction joint venture as construction manager at-risk. From there, a unique partnership formed that proved to be as iconic as the venue itself.

The magnitude of this project drove the design and delivery team because of Steve Ballmer’s leadership and commitment. On many projects, the design team and contractors are put in opposing camps to identify responsibility for risk or challenges. With Intuit Dome, everyone set aside historic practices to put the success of the project first. The typical process of change orders and requests for information was not discussed in contractual terms but instead focused on solutions. Combining design and construction management expertise to complete this project elevates it to another level.

ArchTam has served concurrently in both roles in the past, most recently at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but typically these roles have been contracted separately with the assumption that we would act in traditional designer/contractor roles. However, this is the first time that we have engaged in a full collaboration along with the team at CAA ICON.  Across all team members, regardless of company, everyone’s focus was on delivering the highest standard for our client. 

Intuit Dome supersedes all others in the sports and entertainment realm regarding technological advancements. With the arena’s design and ambitious technology goals, the team coordinated with technology partners early in preconstruction. The most visible symbol of this commitment is the Halo scoreboard, which is almost an acre of 4k LED screens, 4-5 times the size of a typical NBA scoreboard. This is also the first time a venue is equipped with fan focused technology like frictionless point-of-sale — from concessions, to merchandise, to their very own seat. With the technology ingrained into the building, the focus is truly on creating an atmosphere that prioritizes the fan experience.

Additionally, on the construction side, the team utilized Microsoft HoloLens technology allowing crews to use real-time BIM information in augmented reality to verify work in place and resolve conflicts. We believe that we’re just scratching the surface of the future usage of technology on large-scale projects like Intuit Dome.

Throughout the design and construction process, a few challenges arose for our team to conquer. This project was unique in that we had to deliver the design and construction documents during COVID-19 while working across offices in LA, Chicago, Kansas City, London and Melbourne. The joint venture had to deal with the cost impact of the pandemic as well as limited commodities and reliance on overseas work. As a result, our team was very clear to the client about the cost impact and to outline the increases and risks.

Moreover, one main schedule issue on the project involved the fabrication and delivery of our diagrid steel. The stadium’s 2,791-ton diagrid structural steel frame (or gridshell) is a design inspired by a basketball net. It consists primarily of pipe radial, diagonal members and complex nodes. The arena enclosure, parking garage, plaza and garden were all impacted by the diagrad’s delivery schedule. Despite all schedule challenges, our team worked cohesively to meet our client’s needs by creating different sequences to pull certain components of the work forward.

Beyond the arena, the project’s connection to the surrounding neighborhood was critical, both socially and sustainably. The LA Clippers worked with the City of Inglewood on a far-reaching benefits package — funding for schools, housing, infrastructure and jobs have all been part of the commitment to develop an arena with positive community impact. Inglewood Mayor James Butts wanted this project to increase employment opportunities in his city, especially the training of young adults. Before the construction of Intuit Dome and SoFi Stadium just to the north, the unemployment rate in Inglewood was around 17 percent. Now, as job creation in the area has increased, the unemployment rate has declined to around 4 percent.

All in all, the ArchTam partnership proved to be more efficient and cost-effective, allowed for greater design quality and produced a better outcome. Working together and successfully creating a world-renowned venue speaks volumes to our ability as a company to be able to deliver a show-stopping project like Intuit Dome.

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In the Intuit Dome blog series, we are taking a deep dive into each element of Intuit Dome with the leaders who made this project a reality. Throughout these pieces, we discuss features like community engagement, sustainability and visionary design/innovation to learn more about what makes Intuit Dome a game-changer in sports and entertainment.

Intuit Dome, the new permanent home of the Los Angeles Clippers, has been designed with a level of innovation and excellence that supersedes all others in the industry. With meticulous attention to detail from the gridshell exterior of the building to the myriad features inside that prioritize the fans and the community, Intuit Dome will provide a unique, multidimensional experience. The centerpiece of this mixed-use development is the 18,000-seat arena which is combined with 100,000 square feet of administrative office space, 9,500 square feet of retail space, an 86,000-square-foot training facility, and community amenities including an open public plaza with a large media screen, concert stage and basketball court. A key motivator behind Intuit Dome’s design features and envisioned user experience is a strong commitment to carbon neutrality and sustainability.

As a design architect, I believe a building should be tuned to its environment. Whether the project is a tower in the Middle East or a rail station in China, our design teams strive to create buildings that fit into and work appropriately within the context of their surroundings. A large part of this concept is ensuring that the building is efficient in terms of how it uses resources. In Los Angeles, we need to conserve water, but we have the benefit of abundant daylight and mild temperatures.  Additionally, we tried to connect the visitor experience to the California environment to create a unique presence for Intuit Dome.

When we looked at the Intuit Dome program, it proved to be larger than the usual arena facility, so it needed an expanded “envelope.” As conceived by our design team, Intuit Dome’s architecture works with the favorable Southern California climate by allowing as much fresh air and daylight inside the building as possible. An innovative gridshell enclosure creates an envelope that defines the volume of the building. It encompasses the arena and team-related facilities as well as the informal spaces, which include indoor/outdoor terraces, linking the primary levels of the interior of the building to its natural surroundings.

Appropriate to the California climate, the outside skin of the building, or gridshell, is built of ultra-lightweight material and seismically isolated from the building’s structure. The gridshell carries a system of flexible, durable membrane panels that modulate wind, sun and rain. The three panel types, ETFE, PTFE and laminated PTFE, protect most of the informal spaces from rain while also allowing for fresh air flow and solar glare control. These membrane materials are translucent and do not reflect light like glass. As a result, the material is a better surface for bird safety, which is important as Intuit Dome is located within a major avian migration path. The venue will use 100 percent outdoor air within the arena bowl, reducing energy consumption, enhancing thermal comfort and providing significant health benefits. The shell design also improves the outward perception of the venue. Since the primary interior spaces are separately enclosed and acoustically insulated, the informal exterior spaces are opened giving visibility to internal movement that allows the venue to have a lively active expression.

The interior of the building is as innovative as the exterior. Intuit Dome’s 18,000-seat arena is designed to both bring fans closer to the action and give them the most legroom in the NBA, whether they’re sitting in premium locations courtside or in the upper bowl. The loudest contingent of Clippers fans will be located immediately behind the opposing team’s basket, in a steep section we call “The Wall” where there will be special features catering to these fans. Our upper bowl seats are accessed from above rather than below to make that experience less intimidating. The innovative design of the unique halo-shaped LED scoreboard will bring statistics and replay footage for the audience at an unmatched scale. The form of the board allows it to be easily visible from all seats, but it is lifted to the rafters so that it does not compete with the action on the court. The curved surface of the board totals almost an acre of media.

For the players, office staff and Clippers organization, we have designed their part of the facility to feel like home. Access points have been coordinated to provide privacy and convenience. The team locker room is used for both practices and on game day for easy movement to the practice courts, training room and therapy equipment. The practice courts and dining areas have views of a lush, terraced landscape that includes a lap pool.

Going beyond the building, it is important to us that Intuit Dome belongs to its neighborhood. To do this, we designed a large public plaza that leads to the front entrance. This vibrant community space features a large media screen and basketball court framed by retail, restaurants and a grand staircase shaded by a canopy. Visitors can access these amenities, even if they don’t have tickets to an event. The plaza can allow anyone to enjoy a game on the public screen and partake in the energy and excitement that concerts and NBA games will bring.

From redefining the multidimensional fan experience and environmental standards to empowering economic revitalization and community connections, Intuit Dome is truly more than an arena providing the blueprint for a sustainable legacy.

The post The visionary design and innovation behind Intuit Dome’s multidimensional experience appeared first on Blog.

In the Intuit Dome blog series, we are taking a deep dive into each element of Intuit Dome with the leaders who made this project a reality. Throughout these pieces, we discuss features like community engagement, sustainability and visionary design/innovation to learn more about what makes Intuit Dome a game-changer in sports and entertainment.

A game-changer in sustainable arena design and community impact, Intuit Dome topples all categories in innovative sports architecture. Design features like a unique gridshell enclosure, a 38,375-square-foot halo-shaped LED board, five full-size courts, a commitment to carbon neutrality and much more make Intuit Dome an iconic sports and entertainment venue.

Although an extraordinary level of innovation and attention to detail has informed the design of the internal aspects of the Intuit Dome program, its connection to the surrounding neighborhood was also critical, both socially and sustainably. The LA Clippers worked with the City of Inglewood on a far-reaching benefits package— funding for schools, housing, infrastructure and jobs have all been part of the commitment to develop an arena with positive community impact. Intuit Dome naming rights partner Intuit is committed to making the arena a hub for programs that power economic prosperity and benefit the community.

As a native Angeleno born and raised in Inglewood, I understand the need for empowerment and investment for the long-term development of this community. ArchTam was given the opportunity to not only develop and design Intuit Dome, but the responsibility of ensuring that this project brought about positive social impact and economic inclusion. As Intuit Dome’s VP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), my job was to lead the charge for community engagement to effect that ambitious goal.

The positive impact is already in motion. Local Inglewood businesses are getting their first opportunity to take part in a massive global project in their own backyard. Workforce development programs have given second chances to union workers with good pay and benefits. With these commitments also comes looking toward the future of infrastructure in Inglewood. Our team firmly believes in “leaving it better than how we found it.” We are interested in not just building the future of physical infrastructure but human infrastructure as well. For this project, that entails a dedication to the youth and prioritization of sustainable legacies.

You can design and build one of the most notable arenas in the world and create a vast impact and ensure there is a legacy to leave behind at the very same time.

For Intuit Dome, we have focused on four key pillars as they relate to community engagement and ArchTam’s commitment to the client and arena. The first is business inclusion, honing in on requirements, goals, and efforts so that minority and local businesses participate in the project’s success through subcontracting. The next pillar is workforce development, which involves setting goals to ensure that ArchTam prioritizes local community members in relation to the building trades. The third pillar is community and stakeholder engagement. For this pillar, I manage the relationships outside of the project, ranging from the mayor to city council to community organizations, nearby residents, and local businesses. Creating a foundation with these elements helps ArchTam to lean into the community and support local organizations and local community members and set up a good neighbor program.

The last pillar is youth education. We are deeply committed to including the local youth in the region— who are a large part of the overall success of the project. The team has programming ranging from student tours to youth career fairs. As part of the youth education pillar, ArchTam has built a strong partnership with the ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) Mentor Program, which provides exposure to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) understanding, engagement and opportunities for students at a local high school, City Honors High School, as part of Inglewood Unified School District. The impact that ArchTam has on the community is one of the most impressive parts of the arena and this program showcases that. ArchTam also brought the first-ever pre-apprenticeship program to Inglewood Unified School District, ensuring that with the legacy left behind, there will be a more sufficient pipeline from high school to post-high school into the building trades.

The overall vital commitment to the community is also tangibly illustrated through Inglewood’s drop in unemployment rates. Prior to the construction of Intuit Dome and SoFi Stadium just to the north, the unemployment rate in Inglewood was around 17 percent. Now, as job creation in the area has increased, the unemployment rate has declined to around 4 percent.

We have the talent in our own backyards. Our investment in them is how we ensure that we tap into those resources and talents and bring them into the company to help move communities forward, in Los Angeles and beyond.

Learn more about Intuit Dome and how we are delivering a better world in Los Angeles and beyond. Get inside Intuit Dome.

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