Golden State Warriors Employ Snøhetta & AECOM to Design New Arena

NBA’s Golden State Warriors announced on Sunday that Snøhetta and AECOM have been selected as the architecture team that will design the team’s new sports and entertainment complex at Piers 30-32 in San Francisco.

The centerpiece of the project is a new arena for the Warriors when the team returns to San Francisco in 2017.

“We conducted an exhaustive search of local and global architects and designers,” said Peter Guber, co-owner of the Warriors. “In the end, we felt that the combination of Snøhetta and AECOM was the best team to design what we envision as the most state-of-the-art multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex of its kind.”

“The Warriors have set ambitious goals for their team and their sports and entertainment complex which are really very exciting,” said Craig Dykers, Senior Partner/Director/Architect of Snøhetta. “They’re interested in connections to the entire Bay Area and creating a venue that’s useful for many people on many levels.”

Some of Snøhetta’s projects include the Oslo Opera House in Norway, the redesign of Times Square in New York and the expansion of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts.

“Snøhetta’s extensive experience with ambitious waterfront projects and its world-class architects’ familiarity with San Francisco through their work on the SFMOMA expansion was a huge factor in our decision,” said Joe Lacob, co-owner of the Warriors. “All you have to do is look at what they’ve done for the new National Opera House in Oslo and the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt to see what is possible at Piers 30-32.”

AECOM, a Fortune 500 company, is an international firm with broad experience designing sports facilities. The company owns Bill Crockett/Ellerbe Becket, one of the most prolific sports arena architects over the past two decades. Bill Crockett/Ellerbe Beckett is the only sports architecture group based in San Francisco.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the Golden State Warriors and Snøhetta,” said Bill Crockett, Director of Sports Architecture for AECOM. “We are well aware of the significance of this location, and we intend to work hand-in-hand with the city, and the community, to put forth a design that maximizes the sight lines and view corridors of the location and the surrounding area.”

Some of AECOM’s NBA projects include San Antonio’s AT&T Center, Memphis’ FedExForum, Washington DC’s Verizon Center, and Brooklyn’s new Barclays Center.

“Working with AECOM and having the vast sports arena knowledge and experience of Bill Crockett and Ellerbe Becket as part of our team will be invaluable as we design the complex,” said Dykers.

The sports and entertainment complex will be privately financed and is estimated to cost over $500 million.

“We want to build a venue that is not only innovative by today or tomorrow’s standards, but that will stand the test of time and befits the importance of the location,” said Guber. “Great cities have great buildings in great locations. San Francisco is a great city.”