In March 2024, BIG and HNTB were announced as the winners of the competition to design the ballpark for the Athletics Major League Baseball team in Las Vegas. A year later, the two firms have released a new collection of renderings for the Las Vegas A's Ballpark, showcasing the envisioned interior design. Earlier releases revealed the stadium's exterior, shaped like an armadillo positioned between Tropicana Avenue and Reno Avenue on Las Vegas Boulevard. The open-air stadium, spanning nine acres, promises to have a notable presence on the Las Vegas skyline and is set for completion in spring 2028.
The design for the Las Vegas A's Ballpark includes a 33,000-person capacity, integrating Major League Baseball with the city's urban energy and spectacle. BIG and HNTB collaborated on the exterior, site, sports, and interior design, aiming for openness, intuitive navigation, and diverse social experiences. The stadium's interior and sports design prioritize an immersive, flexible fan experience as architects seek to reflect Las Vegas' vibrant identity.
The North Entry features a cable-net glass wall, providing an immediate panoramic view of the ballpark to enhance wayfinding and create a distinctive first impression. Throughout the venue, visitors will find various gathering spaces, including casual standing areas, terraces, and lounges. According to Emily Louchart from HNTB, these spaces are "designed to invite movement, interaction, and discovery, from tiered social lounges behind home plate to the outfield lounge where fans are just feet away from the players."
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Foster + Partners Unveils Design of New Manchester United Stadium in the Reimagined Old Trafford NeighborhoodThe stadium design allows fans to experience the game from multiple vantage points. Unlike traditional ballparks, where primary access is typically through the home plate or baseline entries, BIG and HNTB's design welcomes visitors through the North Entry in the outfield. The outfield lounge and stacked bullpens create opportunities for close engagement with the game, while various social spaces across the stadium offer different viewing experiences inspired by Las Vegas' social scene.
Blending classic ballpark elements with the city's signature spectacle, the design seeks to create moments of surprise and discovery. According to Frankie Sharpe from BIG, integrating the stadium with the city's landscape and identity was a core project objective. This approach is reflected in the expansive cable-net glass wall in the outfield, which frames views of the Las Vegas Strip, "allowing for natural light to flood the space while maintaining a comfortable, climate-controlled atmosphere for fans and players." The design balances protection from the desert sun with a bright interior environment to enhance the fan's experience.
The Las Vegas A's Ballpark will mark the final collaboration between BIG and the Athletics, following a previous ballpark design unveiled in California in 2018. Other recent developments in sports architecture include Foster + Partners' newly released images for Old Trafford Stadium renovation in Manchester, Populous' plans for the renovation of Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in Italy, and their design for the new Wrexham AFC Stadium Kop Stand in the UK. In December 2024, Saudi Arabia also revealed the full list of stadiums planned to host the FIFA 2034 World Cup.
