Developer Bruce Ratner recently revealed the latest design for his proposed new Nets basketball arena in Prospect Heights, part of a controversial project that also includes 16 residential and office towers. The third version of the 675,000-square-foot Atlantic Yards arena was created by SHoP Architects and Kansas City-based Ellerbe Becket.
The Brooklyn development project has restored some of the ideas of Frank Gehry, the original designer. Earlier this summer he was replaced with Ellerbe Becket, whose preliminary designs elicited howls of protest.
According to the associated press, the price for the project is 800 million USD, reduced from an earlier estimate of 1 billion USD.
To defer additional costs, Mr. Ratner has divided up the design. ‘The arena will be built first, and then,’ he says, ‘the foundations for the residential and commercial buildings will be dug, once he is ready to start the next stage of construction.’
In Mr. Gehry’s original design, all of the structures were conceived as part of a single cohesive scheme.
For further information read the New York Times article here.
‘The Barclays Center will quickly become an iconic part of the Brooklyn landscape,’ said Mr. Ratner. ‘The design is elegant and intimate and also a bold architectural statement that will nicely complement the surrounding buildings and neighborhoods. The Barclays Center will be innovative in its look and use of materials, including weathered steel and glass, and will be the best place in the world to watch a basketball game and other forms of sports and entertainment.’
The arena was designed to accommodate other buildings on the arena block that will be part of the Atlantic Yards development, including three mixed-income residential buildings and the commercial building known as B1, along with the Urban Room that will provide access to the Barclays Center.
The building consists of three separate but woven bands. The first engages the ground where the weathered steel exterior rises and lowers to create a sense of visual transparency, transitioning into a grand civic gesture that cantilevers out into a spectacular canopy at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues. The canopy, which is 30 feet above ground level, contains an oculus that frames the pedestrian’s view of the arena. The second, a glass band, allows for views from inside and outside of the arena. The third band floats around the roof of the Barclays Center and varies in transparency, the weathered steel creating backlit patterns.
The woven band of the canopy will flow out over the arena entrance, creating a seamless visual transition and helping to frame a large viewing portal into the seating area. The main concourse is placed right at street level, allowing a direct view to and from the street. Large areas of glass at street level make it not only pedestrian-friendly, but also encourage a strong visual connection to the surrounding urban neighborhood.
Construction is expected to begin on the arena later this year, with an anticipated opening during the 2011–12 Nets season.
From Shop Architects:
‘The design of the Barclays Center achieves a striking balance between iconic form and performative engagement with the street. It is legible at multiple scales while maintaining an identity that delights visitors, neighbors, fans, and spectators. Integrated into one of the busiest urban intersections in the New York metro area, the Center will sustain a healthy, interactive dialogue with the surrounding streets and neighborhood.
The Main Public Concourse is predominately glazed at the sidewalk level to ensure optimum accessibility and visibility. The civic gesture of the arena is heightened by a spectacular 30’ high canopy which contains an oculus that frames the view of the arena.
The Main Public Entrance plaza links Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues and creates a flexible, welcoming yet grand civic space. Views and physical access both into and out of the arena will be plentiful, easy and accommodating, thus ensuring a strong connection to the surrounding urban environment.’
