Tell us about your journey. What drew you to a career in architecture and design, specifically in collegiate sports facilities?

Born and raised in Kansas City, I grew up surrounded by sports. I attended the University of Kansas and during my time there was introduced to sports architecture and the niche sports market in Kansas City. After graduation, I went on to work for HNTB for 13 years and 7 years at DLR Group. I joined ArchTam in 2024 as Director of Collegiate Sports, dedicated to driving innovation and excellence in the design and renovation of stadiums, arenas and training facilities across the nation. I’ve led projects in the collegiate space with ArchTam at universities such as the University of Central Florida, Tulane University and East Texas A&M.

You’ve spent over 20 years focusing on public assembly venues and athletic training facilities. What’s kept you passionate about this space?

I’ve worked on basketball arenas, football stadiums and training facilities across the nation that are all unique in their own way. Though the programs can be similar, it comes down to how you handle them, how you site the building and how people end up using the building. I grew up loving sports, so being able to turn on college basketball and see the legendary arenas that I’ve worked on is a rewarding feeling that keeps me going.

As Director of Collegiate Sports, how do you define “next-generation” sports environments?

We’re witnessing a more revenue-focused generation than we’ve seen in the past. For us, it’s all about creating environments that everybody wants to be in as opposed to staying at home and watching games on TV. The other factor that we’re seeing is more integration with technology. Venues are now utilizing apps to order concessions and interact with the space. The integration of technology and improving the fan experience will only continue to evolve.

Your leadership style emphasizes mentorship and collaboration. How do you cultivate that culture within your teams?

Honesty, openness and willingness to communicate with the team — particularly the reasons why we do something, not just what we’re doing. I’m always trying to cultivate people to think critically, be engaged and ask the question “why.”

You’ve worked with some of the most iconic collegiate programs. Are there any standout projects or moments that have stayed with you?

My first project out of school was at the University of Michigan’s football stadium, “The Big House.” I’ve stayed in touch with the client for nearly 20 years and can tangibly see the success of the project watching Michigan home games. It really showed me that this industry is about much more than the project, it’s the relationship with people around the project you’ve built. Additionally, my work at Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium remains a career highlight, as being part of such an iconic and historic arena left a lasting impression on me.

What major trends are shaping the future of collegiate sports facilities right now?

It’s crucial to embrace the local environment where the facility is being built. We’re beginning to witness the importance of real engagement of the region or city where the university is and showcasing pride in it. This can occur through things like having local vendors or theming aspects of the facility around something specific to that city. Sports anchored lifestyle and entertainment districts are being developed all over the country and they are very exciting to think about the integration of sports and lifestyle.

You’re currently leading several collegiate pursuits involving stadiums, arenas and training centers. What excites you the most about being a part of these world-class projects? 

When it comes to a competitive venue, you’re engaging in the way that the fans, alumni, donors and staff experience sporting events. It’s special to be able to say that you played a part in influencing new traditions or the way that people experience a game. We see opportunities on the horizon with some of the largest and most respected universities in the country that directly align with ArchTam as a firm.

What advice would you give to young architects or designers who want to enter the sports facility space?

There are so many more variables to consider when entering the sports architecture field as opposed to designing commercial spaces. You have to be able to collaborate with a large team and articulate the things that you’re interested in early on in your career. Be curious about why design is done in certain ways.  In my opinion, sports design is the peak of what we do because it impacts so many people.

The post Changing the Game: Meet Andrew Kelly appeared first on Blog.

Stadiums and venues are more than just structures — they are cultural landmarks that bring communities together, inspire loyalty and create lasting memories. As we look to the future, the challenge lies in redefining these spaces to meet evolving expectations while embedding sustainability, technology and inclusivity into every aspect of their design and operation.

Key challenges in reimagining the fan experience

The fan experience is no longer a one-size-fits-all journey. Fans today demand personalization, seamless engagement and opportunities to co-create their experience. At the same time, venues must address broader societal goals, such as reducing embodied carbon, integrating sustainable technologies and fostering community connections.

Our approach focuses on crafting spaces that balance economic output with emotional resonance. Whether designing new stadiums or renovating existing ones, the goal is to create venues that reflect the identity of the city, its people and its culture, hence making them irreplaceable.

Elevating fan journeys through innovation

To reimagine and elevate the fan experience, we prioritize innovation across the entire lifecycle of venue design and operation, focusing on 3 key areas:

1. Personalization and inclusivity:

• Every fan should feel seen and valued. By mapping diverse fan journeys, we create opportunities for engagement and re-engagement, ensuring that each touchpoint resonates with the individual.
• From immersive screens to strategic hospitality moments, technology amplifies the experience without overshadowing the venue’s unique character.

2. Seamless integration of technology:

• Digital tools act as amplifiers, enhancing the physical experience rather than replacing it. Smart controls, immersive displays and interactive touchpoints are strategically integrated to elevate the fan journey.
• Future proofing venues means building for long-term adaptability while planning for rapid change at 5-, 10-, and 15-year intervals — reflecting how dramatically fan expectations have already shifted in the past five years.

3. Sustainability and circularity:

• By embedding sustainability into every stage  —from design to operations — we ensure venues remain resilient and impactful for generations to come.

Sustainability is also about future proofing. That means creating adaptable spaces and digital systems that evolve with the club and the fans. The most sustainable venues are active 365 days a year — hosting events, hospitality, community programming and content creation.

A sustainable stadium isn’t just energy efficient; it’s revenue efficient. And whether it’s a renovation or new build, the goal is a venue that stays relevant, flexible and connected.

Rethinking renovation for cohesion

Whether designing a new stadium or renovating an existing one, it’s important to create cohesion across the fan experience and tell a connected story. Every visit should offer opportunities for re-engagement, so fans feel like they are experiencing something new each time.

Every touchpoint along the fan journey should feel intentional, part of a seamless, holistic experience that increases dwell time, loyalty and ultimately drives revenue. The next generation of stadiums should not be defined by capacity, but by connectivity and by the ability to create moments that excite fans, elevate technology, and let them feel like co-creators in the experience.

Renovations can also be smart, sustainable moves, offering lower embodied carbon and potentially higher return on investment (ROI), but in all cases, the goal remains the same: to connect the economic output with the emotional output, building loyalty that sustains both fans and the project.

Connectivity builds community The future of stadium design lies in creating spaces that are both functional and unforgettable. By thoughtfully integrating design, technology and sustainability, venues can evolve alongside changing expectations, offering fans moments that resonate, inspire loyalty and invite repeated engagement. The most successful stadiums will be those that balance economic performance with emotional impact, creating spaces that reflect the culture of their communities while remaining adaptable for decades to come.

Connect with Andrea to learn more about our global Sports team.

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A Chartered Engineer with 25 years’ experience, Jon is based in our London office and leads our Sports + Entertainment sector for UK&I, Europe, Middle East and Africa and is connected to our wider Global Sports practice bringing extensive knowledge on the latest trends in venue design.

Jon has carried out the role of Project Director on many of ArchTam’s most complex and iconic building schemes in the UK and internationally. He also leads a specialist team experienced in long span roof, advanced geometry and complex structural modelling, façade engineering and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) design.

What drives your approach to delivering high-performance sports venues, and how has your role shaped that?

Sports and stadium projects are highly complex, weaving together a myriad of technical challenges, fast-paced environments and multiple stakeholders often with very different drivers and interests. Leading these projects requires a strong combination of people management, technical insight and commitment. 

Over 15 years, I’ve grown from structural engineer to leading multi-discipline teams and acting as design delivery director for many major projects. I currently lead ArchTam’s Sports and Entertainment Sector across Europe and the Middle East, working predominantly on the design of major venues. I’ve been lucky enough to work on notable projects in the UK and Ireland, including the new Power Court Stadium for Luton Town Football Club, Windsor Park and the Curragh Racecourse. I’ve also delivered venues for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016, FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, and multiple developments across Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and Australia.

For clients, stadiums are often once-in-a-generation investments. Success depends on early-stage clarity in team setup, project briefing and business case alignment. My goal is for our team to become a trusted partner to our clients — a focused group of experienced designers, advisors, and decision-makers who bring in the right specialists at the right time to deliver maximum value from project inception through to construction and operation.

I’ve had the privilege of working with —and learning from — some of the industry’s most talented designers and consultants, both at ArchTam and through our world-class collaborators and partners. Leading high-performing teams and mentoring emerging leaders has been a particularly rewarding part of my journey.

From a delivery perspective, what does it take to create a stadium that reflects its local community while meeting global standards for fan experience?

Every sports client has its own unique history, geographical connection, and relationship with its fans and their communities. At the same time, clubs and venue operators are increasingly looking to host ever more ambitious and inclusive event programmes that appeal to diverse audiences and users. As designers, we help our clients navigate complex commercial pressures and deliver assets that are both commercially viable and aligned with their long-term goals.  

Venues must engage the next generation of tech-savvy supporters while preserving traditional matchday experiences. Our experience working on major events and multi-purpose community venues helps ensure our designs deliver the best of both digital and physical fan experiences while being flexible enough to adapt to changing needs over time.

We are currently designing Luton Town FC’s Power Court Stadium in collaboration with SISA and Klaska. It is a strong example of how a stadium can become an integrated piece of civic architecture and urban design, respecting the site’s rich history while navigating complex constraints. We collaborated closely with the Club and project team to deliver a fast-track planning submission, supporting their significant investment in stakeholder and community engagement to secure a smooth path through the approvals process. While the stadium itself will enable the latest in technology — AV, lighting, broadcast, frictionless service and low energy design — the Club’s vision is rooted in the spectacle of the game and live fan experience, creating a new town-centre destination with the stadium at its heart.  

Similarly, the phased redevelopment of Windsor Park Stadium, delivered by us with Holmes Miller Architects, created a highly successful national stadium and home for football in Northern Ireland. While nationally important, the stadium remains grounded at a community level, providing a home for Linfield FC as well as leisure facilities for local clubs and residents. 

How do you help clients shape stadiums that deliver long-term value — commercially, sustainably, and through their ability to adapt over time?

I led our UK-based engineering team on Al Janoub (Al Wakrah) Stadium with Zaha Hadid Architects; the first new-build stadium for the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the centrepiece of a new public sports precinct south of Doha.

Al Janoub Stadium was a true path-finder project: a fully cooled 40,000-seat open-air stadium that could host World Cup matches during the tournament and later be reduced to a 20,000-seat capacity. When we began the project in 2013, the decision to move the tournament to winter had not yet been made, so our focus was on ensuring it could be delivered in the summer. In doing so, we helped establish program-wide standards and procedures for technical design, computational analysis, constructability, BIM, safety, and sustainability — setting benchmarks that shaped many of the stadiums that followed.  

Creating a comfortable environment for players and spectators, housed within a bold, iconic architectural form, demanded a truly integrated approach across all design disciplines. We recognised the need to establish ambitious sustainability targets, including LEED, GSAS and a bespoke kgCO2 per-seat target, which played an important role in guiding the team toward lean design principles and smart material choices. 

To remain viable year-round, stadiums must be adaptable and multifunctional to go beyond matchday use. For Al Janoub Stadium, we developed a comprehensive legacy transformation plan that balances adaptable permanent infrastructure with temporary, demountable elements and modular overlay, designed to be relocated and reused elsewhere. This approach supports a long-term vision for sustainable social infrastructure for Al Wakrah Sports Club. The stadium’s removable upper tier makes space for future education, community, commercial, and healthcare facilities, seamlessly connecting with the wider precinct. The venue itself remains highly flexible, capable of hosting a broad range of sports and other on-pitch events. 

What’s key to delivering complex venues quickly without compromising performance or flexibility?

The demand for delivering faster is a constant, responding to stakeholder expectations, the need to satisfy a rapid return on major investments, and the complex geopolitical factors that influence so many global construction projects. 

For example, Japoma Stadium, a 50,000-seat venue for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, was conceived as a site masterplan in 2017 and delivered just over two years later. We used advanced technology to prototype design options and communicate through high-quality visualisations and immersive experiences, enabling fast, well-informed decision-making. Ultimately, it was our expertise in constructability and innovation — delivering a simple, functional, and adaptable stadium using modular, repeatable components —alongside a close partnership with the main contractor, Yenigun, that made this achievement possible.

Establishing clear routes to stakeholder engagement, understanding the local regulatory framework, and proactively managing project risks and opportunities allowed us to remain agile during the design stage and derisk the procurement and construction. It is this experience that I aim to bring to every project, grounded in lasting partnerships between architects, engineers, operator and clients, which are essential to delivering a successful venue.

The post Changing the Game: Delivering world-class stadiums with purpose appeared first on Blog.

Andrea Patry is a design leader focused on improving the fan experience and integrating sponsorship in sports and entertainment venues. She works at the intersection of sport, culture, and design to develop practical, community-centered solutions. Through a fan-first approach, she designs dynamic, future-ready spaces that spark connection, engagement, and lasting impact.

Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey.

I’ve always been passionate about design and sports. Early in my career, I worked on branding projects with Nike, where I learned the power of collaborative design and storytelling. I also played professional hockey, which gave me a deep appreciation for both athletes and fans in these spaces.

I’ve worked with Dan Meis, ArchTam’s global director of sports design for nearly a decade. A key part of my role is championing emotion-driven design and pushing creative boundaries that celebrate fan experience. I am committed to integrating new ideas and technologies that reflect the world around us in new ways — like AI tools — to enhance our creative process, from materials and mood boards to shaping interiors and exteriors.

My role sits at the intersection of sport, culture, and design, ensuring that every detail enhances fan experience and drives revenue. I aim to push creative boundaries, helping teams explore new ideas and deliver impactful, forward-thinking designs.

Sports venues should be more than just buildings; they should serve as cultural hubs. My goal is to reimagine the future of sports venues as catalysts for communities.

Talk to us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it solving the challenges and issues our clients and communities are facing today?

It would be hard to answer this without mentioning Everton Stadium, the new home of Everton Football Club in the UK. I had the opportunity to collaborate with the team and explore new ideas throughout the entire process. A highlight for me was an early trip to Liverpool to explore materials and design inspirations. Now, seeing those initial ideas come to life at Bramley-Moore Dock is truly rewarding. I’m proud of what we contributed—it’s a beautiful stadium, but more importantly, it was designed with the community in mind, not just as a home for the historic club, but as a versatile, year-round venue for concerts, sports, conferences, and local events that benefit the wider city.

Stadiums don’t naturally unite communities. You have to craft an experience that speaks to everyone. The scale needs to be broken down into a series of meaningful moments that become core memories for fans. This approach creates a seamless connection between the stadium and the surrounding community, setting the stage for positive change.

Everton Stadium was designed to feel like it grew out of the dock—a true football ground with fans right on top of the pitch. We knew the stadium had to feel deeply rooted in fans’ hearts despite its new location, so we built trust by making the design process a true dialogue through sharing sketches, inviting feedback, and actively involving supporters every step of the way. It’s about more than just a venue; it’s about placemaking, inclusivity, and creating diverse experiences that make a lasting impact.

Can you share some of the creative brand activations you’ve been involved in and their impact on the overall fan experience?

We designed a graphic system for Live Nation U.S. Concerts that would help uniquely position the identity of each venue and to celebrate the place. We combined these graphic details with innovative design elements that enhance guest engagement — including guest-facing amenities, premium seating, back of house upgrades, and hospitality experiences — to transform the overall strategic design of the venues to deliver seamless experiences.

Across my work, I look for ways to communicate a story throughout the venue and sometimes the small elements like graphics create space for the bigger design elements to thrive. A graphic language unifies opportunities for subtle brand integration into the artist’s experience and helps to position space for a story that the artist and venue can create in partnership. Setting the tone for the street-to-stage experience is key.

Fans today expect deeper connections with their favorite artists, teams, and athletes, wanting an active role in shaping event experiences. During the early design process, I focus on crafting standout moments along the fan journey—moments that not only enhance engagement but also create layered, immersive experiences.

We look for ways to incorporate sponsorship as part of the overall experience — not an afterthought, or something applied. We help our clients create a plan and position them for the future so that the story of the space can continue without interruption. I think this is the most impactful way to help our clients is in the upfront planning — to create a design guide to help them collaborate with stakeholders on executing their vision and making the design process appear seamless. This approach maximizes Return on Investment (ROI) by uncovering new opportunities within the live event experience.

I like to celebrate the small ideas — those early creative sparks that may seem minor but often shape the final design. Some become defining elements, like hidden “Easter eggs” discovered with the client and fans, while others evolve or fade. But the process itself fuels innovation. Ultimately, the goal is to create shareable, memorable experiences that bring the project’s story to life.

How do you balance the global appeal of sports with the need to create spaces that reflect the identity of the local community?

I think the answer is in the question — sport is about authenticity and is elevated when the local community can engage with the design. The design process needs to embrace the community, the fans, the people — creating a place where we imagine the future and celebrate a holistic design approach.

Stadiums and arenas function like mini cities, drawing massive crowds and requiring thoughtful placemaking. The goal is inclusivity — offering diverse experiences that cater to a broad audience. In recent years, there have been significant advancements in accessibility, from ADA/mobility accommodations to sensory-friendly spaces and family-oriented facilities. Sustainability has also become integral, with innovations in energy efficiency and responsible construction practices shaping the future of these venues.

A well-designed stadium isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about optimizing the fan journey. From minimizing queuing and travel times to creating a seamless flow of experiences, every element should enhance engagement while respecting the identity of the local community. The best designs make a lasting impact by balancing global appeal with a strong local connection.

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Laura Jevons is a director in our Cost Management team in London and has been with the business for almost eight years. Having worked across a number of sectors in the early part of her career, she specialized in the Culture sector just over 10 years ago and now works with a number of ‘household names’ across the U.K. including the British Museum, the Science Museum Group, the Natural History Museum, the Barbican, the Eden Project and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

I think I was always destined to be a quantity surveyor (QS). My father started out his career as a QS too before going on to be the Managing Director of a contracting firm in the Midlands which he retired from last month. As a young child I would play ‘offices’ with the rolled-up drawings, scale rule, calculator and take off paper that he brought home from work. I also remember helping him sort out subcontract tenders one weekend at his office.

When I left school, however, I went on to study Biochemistry at The University of Leeds but fairly quickly realised that wasn’t the career for me. So, after seeing an opportunity advertised at the careers fair in my final year, I reverted to what I knew and went to play ‘offices’ for real, doing bills of quantities working for a small QS practice in Leeds, who also sponsored me through a master’s degree in quantity surveying and Commercial Management.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

I love the iconic and brutalist architecture of the Barbican Estate in London, especially the way that the 44-story residential towers still dominate the surrounding skyline and the maze that is the Highwalks. I’ve always said it was one of my favourite buildings. So when the RFP for the Barbican Renewal Project came out, I was quick to offer to lead and, naturally, was excited when we were appointed to deliver the cost management.

The project is a masterplan development that will see the refurbishment of the 40-year-old, Grade II listed Barbican Arts Centre so that it continues to meet the needs of 21st century audiences. The aim is to bring the deteriorating estate up to the modern standards required for world-class cultural venues, improve accessibility, energy performance and sustainability and connect better with the City and the local community.

I lead the cost management team, coordinating a number of workstreams for the first phase of the project including the foyer refurbishment, the redevelopment of the restaurant block, renovation of the Lakeside Terrace, renewal of the conservatory, the largest Glasshouse in London, plus a major infrastructure replacement program.

As the building is Grade II listed, one of the main challenges in refurbishing and modernising the space has been ensuring that the original design intent of the architecture is maintained and that interventions are sympathetic to the building’s heritage status. An example of this is the bespoke design being developed for the light fittings which are being upgraded from tungsten to LED. They will be specially manufactured to match the existing, original fittings while improving energy efficiency. Further, the façade design has been carefully considered to ensure that u-values meet current thermal insulation regulations but that the slim profile of the glazing frame is maintained to match the existing facade. As cost consultants we have therefore had to ensure that budgets are appropriately set, engaging early with the specialist supply chain to market test our rates and also consider the impact on procurement, ensuring orders are placed to meet long lead times for specialist and bespoke manufacture.

As with any cultural institution, funding is a challenge. Having initially developed an aspirational long term masterplan scheme at RIBA Stage 0/1, we have worked with the Barbican and the design team throughout Stage 2 to prioritise key works for the first five years. We therefore divided our cost plan up into smaller packages of work, assessing issues such as operational criticality, audience experience, sustainability enhancements and logistical implications, then produced a cashflow forecast to help consider affordability. This process has ensured that critical works are being addressed first and having supported the Barbican through the business case development, we have just been awarded funding from the City of London for the first phase of work. We’re currently progressing through RIBA Stage 3, hoping to see the first projects start on site in 2027.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

Working in the Culture sector, most of our projects provide a positive impact on the community. Through either placemaking or through improving accessibility to both performing and visual arts, we help to build community, provide education, strengthen social cohesion and support economic growth.

One project in particular though stands out in this regard and that’s the Eden Project Dundee.

We are appointed as cost managers from RIBA Stage 2 onwards, to support this transformative project to provide a new visitor destination, which will see the remediation of a former gas works in Dundee, Scotland into a biodiverse attraction. It also acts as part of the Dundee Waterfront masterplan helping to regenerate the old, industrial, Dundee waterfront, addressing local challenges outside of the site boundary including public access and lack of amenities. Extensive public realm surrounding the site, a pedestrian bridge joining the Eden Project to the waterfront and improvements to transport connections will catalyse wider transformation within the area to create a vibrant local community, grow the economy, provide new educational opportunities and promote health and well-being for both residents and visitors to the area.

The attraction itself also provides community benefit, seeking to engage people with the wonder of our living world, our dependence on it and the threats that it faces. New, iconic venues, including a re-purposed gas holder will help fuse experience, performance, education, art and research aiming to encourage reflection and action in relation to the climate emergency our precious planet faces.

Sustainability has been the key theme for the project, which will be an exemplar of regenerative design, achieving carbon neutrality, delivering net biodiversity gain and strengthening the health of the natural world. The design therefore maximises circular economy principles and includes for both in-situ and ex-situ re-use along with the use of recycled materials obtained from other projects such as structural elements and glazing. To allow for this, grid sizes of the buildings have been safeguarded to accommodate the type and dimensions of these recycled units. Options are also being considered to sustainably grow timber, locally for use on the scheme. As part of the process, we have therefore had to engage with the local supply chain and sustainability consultant for advice, and market intelligence and testing of these innovative solutions.

The collaborative efforts made by the project team saw planning permission for the project granted in June 2024 and we continue to develop the Stage 3 / 4 design while investment and funding for the project is secured.

Share a piece of career advice.

Try to enjoy work as it’s a major part of your life. It is more fulfilling and rewarding if you are passionate about what you do. So do something you love if you can. I feel very lucky in this regard!

And always remember — it’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice.

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Over the last 25 years, Jon has focused his career on three distinct areas: developing a business-based transformation delivery model, integrating a previously disassociated building typology with its urban context, and creating career paths and new education modalities – not only for architects, but individuals in the sports administration profession as a Sport Business Executive Fellow for the Ohio University College of Business.

We invited Jon to tell us more about his career, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and what he sees for the future of the industry.

How do you define successful sports architecture?

Very simply: successful sports architecture performs on both the balance sheet and the field of competition. Long ago I formed a personal treatise that for sports architecture to be thought of as “great design” it needed to be more comprehensive. In the field of architecture there is no shortage of dialogue on the qualities of “good design.” In sports I felt that narrative needed more development and substance. I was seeing project after project that were clearly competent, but not beautiful.  I saw facility after facility being constructed which placed a significant financial burden on the client without a clear return on that investment.   At some level this is a fundamental challenge with the arms race in facility construction where clients are choosing to build and architects are pushing to design facilities that are clearly detrimental in their overall analysis.  Early in my career it seemed there were two choices: beauty or function, but rarely, if ever, both. To me it was and remains a simple, but guiding principle: beauty without sports performance is not enough. Beauty without an intimate spectator experience is not enough. Beauty without revenue performance is not enough. Beauty without athlete performance excellence is not enough. All of these can flip to their inverse and still be just as true. With the changing fiscal landscape of professional and collegiate athletics, the pressure will be on facilities to better contribute revenue to support an increasingly diverse array of challenges.   Once again it is time for the design profession to answer the call with a better business-based approach to athletic facilities.  I have made it my passion, those who know me might say it’s a mission, to connect all these disparate dots to create a project development model and firm culture that unites all and compromises none.

Can design and architecture really impact sports business?

I have spent 99 percent of my career focused in a very specialized practice area. At the heart of it, sports venues are an inherent part of the social fabric. One of my passions has been connecting the previously dissociated sports venue with its social context, knitting it directly into the urban fabric as a social benefit for all people.  When done successfully and with commitment by all parties there are demonstrable results of the impact extending far into the community, beyond just athletes, coaches and facilities.  However, there is still work to do, and I believe sports can be better contributors to the social, economic and cultural fabric of their communities. Secondly, as the typology continues to mature and we are now seeing generational levels of practice and professionals, it’s our responsibility to interrogate our best practices and model design assumptions so that we as leaders continue to press for innovation and advancement of this typology’s core principles. This can be felt in a variety of ways, from venue operations to sponsorship sales, to media and broadcasting.  When all these elements are interrogated, integrated and challenged, these significant pieces of civic architecture and infrastructure can contribute in a more fiscally and socially responsible way.

What do you think the future of sports/evolution of the fan experience is in a post pandemic world?

Like other similar events that have had both significant cultural and even traumatic societal impact, time will be the key to heal our uncertainties. Before our world was changed there had been some conversations across the sports industry suggesting a sea change away from long-held traditional premium inventory and even a questioning of the “social spaces” that have become vogue. Experiences that present the option for smaller scale, pod-focused seating, or even a community-type familiarity could see a rise as the industry explores new ways to be more reliant in the future. While resiliency has been a common concept in many elements of government or business, the pandemic has introduced this concept into the sport and entertainment industry. Among the changes this new perspective has already begun to impact is an increase in the role consumer-facing electronics are having and will have on the guest experience by streamlining and enhancing what was already becoming a move towards increased “contactless” experiences. In many ways this move towards a more robust, digital-driven experience from payment, fan engagement, or similar will create customer-facing improvements as venues, promoters, and teams accelerate a movement which was underway albeit at a much slower pace in 2019.

Over the course of your career, what has been your most memorable moment as an architect or what moment has shaped your approach/philosophy?

There have been several moments which have shaped my career today — some good, and others “formative.” If I were to summarize and select a few, it’s the moments when individuals — professors, firm principals, and other influential members of my life — have pulled me aside to express their belief in me and to impart encouragement, support and advice. Early in your career and even in moments along the way, knowing others believe in your ability to execute, be a leader, or solve some vexing problem is empowering. The dearer you hold those individuals, the more their words resonate and have lasting impact. A key piece of advice was given to me as more of a parable about inevitable change and the strategic value of taking advantage of it in terms of having the confidence in yourself to simply raise your hand regardless if you feel you are inherently qualified or ready to meet the challenge. This self-belief is a key hurdle we all face. Not missing an opportunity to “raise my hand” continues to serve me well in my professional development. It’s one of the core pieces of advice I try to pass along to anyone I have the privilege of mentoring today.  Specific to business strategy, I have had unique relationships with clients where they really want to dig in on the specific performance elements of projects and refuse to simply accept status quo, whether that’s an approach to market studies or cost/design solutions to drive client-specific results. Those moments of true collaboration and partnership promote a transparent dialogue that exposes solutions and challenges that are resolved together. The satisfaction of these experiences has influenced the types of clients and project opportunities I, and as a result our team, actively seeks out to this day.

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With perhaps the exception of Glasgow and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, there are fewer examples of cities that have strategically planned for such outcomes prior to any decision to go ahead and bid/host an event. The concept of bidding, losing and then still achieving physical and other legacies, in other words, aiming to strategically gain legacies just by bidding, is relatively new but gaining recognition. The Mayor of Boston, Martin J. Walsh, recently said in relation to the city’s 2024 Olympic bid: “Whether you oppose or support the Games, whether you are a business leader or a community activist, whether you live in Boston or work here, we can all agree that having a two-year, public conversation about the future of our great city is a good thing”.

The introduction of the recent IOC Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, including specific measures to help reduce the costs of bidding, is a recognition that if bidding becomes unattractive due to sunk costs being too high, it might reasonably be assumed that fewer cities will be prepared to bid in the future, leaving only a relatively small number of the world’s major cities with the capacity to stage the spectacle that is the Olympic Games.

In the meantime, however, the cost of bidding has continued to escalate. Tokyo reportedly spent $150 million on its 2020 Olympic bid and Boston 2024 has a stated budget of approximately $75 million over the next 32 months. The almost unprecedented drop-out of Stockholm, Munich, Krakow and Oslo from the 2022 Winter Olympic Games bid process was largely attributed to the perceived cost of bidding and hosting relative to the likely legacies, which in turn led to a lack of public confidence and support. In February, Edmonton withdrew its bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, citing financial reasons and leaving Durban as the only remaining bidder.

Bidding and not winning is both a short and long-term risk for bidding cities as well as the rights owners involved. A bidding city that does not win loses its investment in making the bid and may only see that as a longer-term investment if a future and ultimately successful bid is made, as in the case of Pyeongchang, which bid three times for the Winter Olympics before it finally won the right to host the event in 2018.

It is possible, however, to identify a number of distinct benefits enjoyed by a candidate city whatever the outcome, and therefore maximise the potential for a return on investment if and when the bid is lost. Researchers in the Economic Analysis and Policy Group at the University of California have found that unsuccessful bids to host the Olympics have an impact on trade every bit as significant as the effect of actually hosting the Games. This suggests that the Olympic effect on trade, as an example, is attributable to the signal a country sends when bidding to host the games, rather than the act of actually hosting such an event.

The benefits directly attributable to the bid process include:

• International city branding: bidding for any global event immediately raises the international profile of the city and puts it on the map. This is especially significant for emerging destinations.
• Identifying aims, objectives and goals: formulating a bid forces candidate cities to identify their own metrics for success.
• A long-term plan: bidding for but not winning an event can yield constructive criticism of a city’s proposals that allow and encourage it to successfully bid another time, such as in the case of Pyeongchang.
• City development: bidding for a global event encourages the adoption of new benchmarks for city development, changing the rules of engagement and prompting real progress in city development. The imposition of multiple external deadlines actually helps the city to achieve disciplined and rapid progress and yields valuable lessons in time management.
• Working together: bidding for a global event means that city, regional and national authorities have to work together to plan the full range of logistics.
• Physical legacy: bidding for a global event requires that venue development plans be drawn up well in advance, setting out budget projections and long-term usage, and often that sites and land must be assembled and prepared before the final bid outcome is known.
• Urban transformation catalytic effect: most importantly, the ‘catalytic’ effect on urban transformation that is derived from hosting a global event is, to a large degree, experienced from the earliest moments of bid formation, as indicated by the research on trade impact.

Against the backdrop of a global economy that is still struggling to gain momentum, the escalating costs of bidding for major events and the challenge of building public support, cities can still benefit from the bid process. Bidding to fail is unlikely to be a supportable policy but there is evidence to suggest that with the right approach, the bid process can be a catalyst for significant long-term legacies, regardless of the outcome.

Andy Preece (andy.preece@archtam.com) is director (sport) with ArchTam Economics. Based in London, Andy has helped cities, local organising committees and international federations evaluate, bid for and plan for multi-sport and single-sport major events.

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As well as sport, the event sector also includes cultural, political and trade events, large and small, and all have the potential to generate a wide range of well-documented economic benefits for the host city or community. Events also create media attention, increase the quality of life in our communities and can dramatically increase the global profile of emerging destinations.

In less than 100 days, Baku will host the inaugural European Games, which will be broadcast in 53 countries around the world, including the United States, China and across the Arab world. Speaking at the 2015 World Economic Forum in Davos, the Azerbaijani Government Minister of Youth and Sports said: “Hosting the Games in June this year is not just a single special event for us, but a part of our nation’s broader strategy”.

More and more cities are also recognising that events are a major reason people travel. There are few reliable estimates of the global value of event-based sport tourism, but it is widely recognised as one of the fastest growing tourism sectors. The sport tourism industry in Canada alone surpassed $5 billion in spending in 2012 according to the Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (TSRC) and the International Travel Survey (ITS).

If cities and other communities wish to be players in the national or global marketplace for major events, they must organise the appropriate resources and infrastructures to be effective. However, the issues around event tourism are complex. The effective delivery of major events and event tourism requires the involvement of a multiplicity of agencies, all of which have different objectives for hosting any particular event. Most of the tourism organizations involved are in the private sector, and many events are organized by volunteers who do not think of themselves as part of a strategic process.

EventScotland is the national events agency for Scotland and was established in 2003 to coordinate stakeholders and to generate, bid for, attract and sustain events which drive tourism and create international profile for Scotland. It was one of the first such organisations to develop a national events strategy, ‘Scotland, The Perfect Stage’. In the last ten years more than 1,000 events have been supported by EventScotland, including the Ryder Cup 2014 and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, generating significant economic and social impact.

Preparing and implementing a major event strategy recognises all these realities, providing mechanisms for resourcing event organizations, encouraging and recognizing volunteers, informing the private sector and encouraging its understanding of the overall system and the benefits it is deriving. To be effective, a major event strategy must also be developed with a clear understanding of the need for both a partnership approach and for governmental leadership.

This leadership role also allows cities to develop the strategy with their own goals firmly in mind and to identify how the system can be managed to deliver specific goals such as revitalizing the downtown core, linking with the education and knowledge sector, building civic image and fostering community pride.

A key outcome of a strategy is a process or set of guidelines to help inform which events to prioritise, as all too often, decisions about which events to bid for are not made strategically but in response to short-term pressures, which are frequently political. If analysis is undertaken, in many cases it only measures whether the event will be good for the city economically. Such forecasts attract media attention but have often been shown to be exaggerated and are rarely subjected to post‐event scrutiny.

When considering bidding for or creating an event, the decision-makers should ask: “Is this event better than all the other ones out there that we could be bidding for and why?” This kind of analysis requires a strategic approach and a process for evaluating potential events, and the collaboration of all the various agencies who will be involved in the bidding and hosting process. The process should assess potential major events against the goals or values of the City and its partners.

These goals can be restated as three key questions:

• Alignment: is this the kind of event the city should support?
• Capacity: does the organizing committee or entity have the ability to deliver a first-class   event?
• Benefits: will the event deliver the benefits – social, community, economic and infrastructure enhancement – that the city expects?

Criteria can then be established for each of these goals and potential events assessed against them, allowing events to be compared, and proposals strengthened prior to bid submission, as well as providing a basis for event performance assessment after the event has taken place. The use of such a methodology ensures that the City will be bidding on the best set of events to meet its overall goals and objectives – the right events for the right reasons.

Andy Preece (andy.preece@archtam.com) is director (sport) with ArchTam Economics. Based in London, Andy has prepared sport tourism and event strategies for a number of cities and governments.

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Mayor Johnson spoke about his vision during a recent visit to ArchTam’s Sacramento office. The firm is invovled with many of the projects currently reshaping the city. Johnson said he wants residents, visitors, business, and government to view the city as a ‘can do’ town. He wants to make Sacramento a more business-friendly city through business infrastructure investment, as well as streamlining business and government processes. He spoke about the need for Sacramento to move towards a position in which public safety, culture, multi-modal transit, and technology are the pillars of a new vitality for the city. Lastly the mayor expressed his desire to enhance the Sacramento riverfront to include mixed residential, recreational, retail, and commercial uses.

The development of the Entertainment and Sports Complex (ESC), which broke ground last week, is the cornerstone for reshaping the urban core. The city convinced the NBA to deny an imminent deal to move the Sacramento Kings to Seattle and embrace plans for a new venue that would convert a dilapidated shopping mall into a city icon and year-round zone of activity. ArchTam is designing the arena with a focus not only on setting the next benchmark within the NBA (as it did for the Indiana Pacers’ Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the Brooklyn Nets’ Barclays Center), but also on creating a building, public spaces, and 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use development that inject life into their surroundings. The building will invite the city to view the game from the outside and offer views of the city from the inside. It will open what an SI.com article calls “the world’s largest patio doors” to welcome visitors, create an indoor-outdoor environment, and allow unique summer Delta breezes to cool it, reducing energy demands. For the fans it will offer the next level of technological interactivity. The public spaces have been designed as a productive landscape, with pistachio and walnut trees producing nuts, green walls producing herbs, rain gardens managing stormwater, and other trees providing shade.

Two blocks from the ESC, the Sacramento Commons project would add over 1,300 new housing units, a hotel, and new retail on four city blocks. The Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency also has plans to redevelop an old public housing project in the River District into a new mixed-income neighborhood. ArchTam has been integrally involved in both of these projects.

Now the nearby Sacramento Railyards is joining the downtown transformation under the leadership of LDK Ventures. On their behalf, ArchTam is creating a new masterplan for most of this 240-acre redevelopment area, one of the largest urban regeneration projects in the U.S. today. Sports and employment center facilities are proposed to anchor the project, including a possible Major League Soccer stadium that could draw a resident team. With the adjacent Amtrak station and planned California High-Speed Rail (HSR) terminus, the Railyards could become an iconic example of transportation-oriented development nationally and globally.

The Sacramento Railyards depot is the seventh busiest train station in the country and will only get busier with planned transportation developments. A 13-mile rail extension, the “Green Line,” will link downtown with South and North Natomas and the Sacramento International Airport, reducing congestion and emissions along I-5. ArchTam is working with the Sacramento Regional Transit District to deliver it. The proposed HSR system would connect Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose via two lines that converge in Fresno, and then travel south through Bakersfield to Los Angeles and San Diego. With California’s Central Valley in greatest need of economic development, the Merced to Fresno section will be the first segment delivered in a project that could spur a high-speed rail revolution across the United States. ArchTam has had primary responsibility for the planning and environmental analysis of the HSR Central Valley corridor since its initial phases in the late 1990s. The Merced to Fresno section is the only segment to date that has received its environmental clearances and permits.

Sacramento International Airport has already completed a new 19-gate, $288-million concourse and $408-million, 400,000-square-foot terminal building. ArchTam led one of the two construction management teams that delivered the project four months ahead of schedule and $60 million under budget.

Sacramento sits within the 53,000-acre Natomas Basin floodplain, which contains 83,000 residents and $8.2 billion in damageable property, protected by 40 miles of levees. Since 2006, ArchTam has been working with the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Natomas Levee Improvement Program, which will protect the metropolitan area for the next 200 years. This work has included multiple, phased and overlapping environmental impact statements, reports, regulatory permitting, as well as ecological restoration, cultural resources conservation, public outreach and construction monitoring. Current work includes ongoing environmental monitoring in the Natomas Basin and engineering design and EIR preparation for additional flood risk reduction as part of the North Sacramento Streams, Sacramento River East Levee, Lower American River, and Related Flood Improvements Project.

Mayor Johnson’s city certainly looks like a can-do town, and it will be exciting to see how far Sacramento has come just a few years from now.

Jake Herson (jacob.herson@archtam.com) is managing editor for ArchTam’s Connected Cities blog.

The post Sacramento’s transformation is underway appeared first on Blog.

This central design feature is a response to the area’s climate and the city’s inclination to enjoy it. “Just like the popular French doors in local homes and restaurants, the Kings will slide open their patio doors pre-game, post-game, during concerts and maybe even halftime of the Kings’ games, [team president Chris] Granger says.”

Offering views of the city from inside the arena, views of the game from the outside, open space to the public, and an iconic sight for the city, the project is conceived as a revitalization catalyst for Sacramento’s downtown. The building and site will host activities year-round, not just on NBA game-days.

For those who look to design successful urban sports and entertainment venues, an experience and aesthetic that melds with the city is always the goal, but what that means is never the same.

See the latest design renderings here.

Jake Herson (jacob.herson@archtam.com) is managing editor of the Connected Cities blog.

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