Just a couple of days ago, the Kansas City Chiefs announced Clark Construction Group and AECOM as their construction team for their new domed stadium in Wyandotte County. But little did the fans know that Chiefs president Mark Donovan would also bring former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees into the big picture.
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Taking to Instagram, Brees shared a celebratory image, showcasing HNTB as the official architect of the Kansas City Chiefs’ $3 billion project.
“Great sports environments are about more than the game,” Brees wrote in the caption. “They create unforgettable experiences for players and fans and meaningful connections with the communities they represent. That idea has been a big part of my work with HNTB, and it’s why I’m excited to see them named the Official Architect of the Kansas City Chiefs.
“This partnership builds on a relationship that spans decades and creates an opportunity to help shape the next home of Chiefs Kingdom while making an impact that reaches far beyond the stadium. Excited to see what’s ahead.”
HNTB were already announced as the official architects, but they secured a long-term deal with the team. It is “a joint effort to identify special content opportunities going forward,” the Kansas City Star reported.
Brees is an exclusive partner with HNTB Corporation. According to the corporation, the strategic alliance was simply meant to amplify its influence in sports architecture and infrastructure throughout the States. Brees’ experience on the field is also of value here, the company told DeZeen. Having played across a “variety of stadium configurations and levels” will help the studio’s programmes.
At the inaugural Power Brokers Sports-Anchored Development Summit in Las Vegas this week, both organizations announced the long-term partnership.
“Kansas City is a premier hub for architecture, engineering, and construction, and we are excited to have HNTB working on our new stadium project and partnering with us as our official architect,” Donovan said.
HNTB will work with MANICA, which was selected as the lead design architect for the new stadium.
HNTB also had several other roles that raised the Chiefs’ confidence in them. They worked at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and Allegiant Stadium in Vegas. They also provided program management for Kansas City’s International Airport’s new single terminal.
The site is scheduled to open in 2031. According to the plans, it will accommodate about 70,000 fans under a domed roof with more than 400,000 square feet of ETFE panels. Additionally, the Chiefs also thought of adding a parking lot with more than 20,000 spots for the fans.
As far as the design is concerned, the new stadium will inherit Arrowhead Stadium’s concave upper edge. The domed roof is expected to make experiences better for fans, since they have proven to be one of the loudest NFL fanbases.
The construction will be handled by the Clark Construction Group and AECOM. The latter company will head strategy and schedule for competitively bidding the work on the venue, per FOX 4. Clark Construction has also installed the new light columns in the David Booth Memorial Field in July.
Backed by Brees, HNTB now gets to help carry Arrowhead’s game-day atmosphere into a brand-new era for the Chiefs with all the other partners.