Populous and Moody Nolan design 76ers and Flyers arena as "landmark" for Philadelphia
Architecture studios Populous and Moody Nolan have released designs for a professional basketball and hockey arena based on the shape of Philadelphia's iconic Spectrum arena.
The planned arena will serve as the home of NBA team the 76ers and the NHL team the Flyers, as well as a forthcoming WNBA team.
The planned venue will replace the Xfinity Mobile Arena, which was completed in 1996 in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, where the city's NFL stadium is also located.
Populous and Moody Nolan designed a circular structure with concentric stacked rings. The rings, which will be slightly offset, will alternate between glazed facades and LED displays.
The teams said that the design was based on the Spectrum, an arena built in 1967 and designed by SOM that was demolished in 2011.
"The new arena will connect the next gathering place for Philadelphia sports and entertainment to one of the city's most storied sports sites for future generations," said a press release from the Flyers and 76ers.
"The arena's architecture draws inspiration from the shape of the Spectrum, which hosted the Flyers and the 76ers for nearly three decades, and reimagines it through a contemporary design lens," continued the statement.
"The exterior will be defined by stacked, cantilevered bands that break down the scale of a typical arena and create a bold, instantly recognizable profile as a new South Philadelphia landmark."
The plaza around the stadium will be dedicated to "active outdoor spaces" and the teams compared the entry stairs to other Philadelphia landmarks such as its art museum.
There will be restaurants on the half-acre of outdoor space, with the final form still pending fan feedback.
According to the joint statement from the 76ers' and Flyers' owners, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and Comcast Spectacor, respectively, the project is set to be the "largest fully privately funded project in the city's history".
Recently, Dezeen highlighted advances in sports architecture in our Future Stadium series.
Other recent NBA architecture news in the US includes a district around the upcoming Oklahoma City Thunder stadium.
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