New renderings of a planned $600 million renovation of KeyArena were released on Monday by the Los Angeles based Oak View Group.
Oak View Group finally released updated renderings Monday of its planned $600 million renovation of KeyArena, showing features the company says will “preserve the historic nature of the site” and the surrounding areas of Seattle Center.
The designs include new views of an external 360-foot-long glass atrium that will allow spectators to view the iconic Paul Thiry-designed roof when approaching from a distance. The roof itself protrudes out beyond the edges of the atrium, which was deliberately shortened so the edges of the roof will be visible.
They also show views from the new Space Needle Club in the venue’s upper level, where the city’s landmark tower can be seen through an interior glass skylight while patrons watch action on the ice below. The designs, by architectural firm Populous, also feature widened concourses and a view of the interior ice rink from a seating perspective.
“The atrium addition is all about a transparent lens from which you can view the historic arena,” said Geoff Cheong, architect and associate principal at Populous. “You can kind of see it celebrated and awash with light.”
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Cheong said the atrium, which is to be the arena’s new entry point, “offers a contemporary and definitely transformed arrival experience and amazing first impression.”
Inside, Cheong says the Space Needle Club “is a fantastic space that has views right into the arena seating bowl…and it has views into the atrium and a neat, kind of carved away skylight view to the Space Needle as well. It’s kind of a dynamic space tucked under the historic roof and just fantastic kind of connected views as well.”
As for the interior rendering — depicting a hockey game taking place — he says “the idea is that while we are maintaining this historic landmark roof, we are designing a brand new spectator experience within, under that historic roof.”
The 17,000-seat hockey interior depicts “a very intimate seating bowl” as well as hospitality environments and video displays. “When they come into this arena for the first time, it is going to look and feel completely different from what they are used to.”
OVG’s special projects director Lance Lopes says that also the rendering features hockey players in red uniforms and fans waving red flags in the stands, this isn’t meant to be a sneak peek at any potential color scheme for the home team’s uniforms.
“We aksed the architects to do the renderings and they’ve had no conversations with the team ops people,” he said. “So, any inference on the color scheme is strictly speculation.”
The NHL has accepted an expansion application from OVG and its hockey partners David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer. The group is to launch a season ticket drive this Thursday, with Hollywood producer Bruckheimer expected in town as part of that.