Thursday, November 17, 2016

Events DC Delivers Entertainment & Sports Arena Design Updates

Oak & Cherry Night View

From our friends at Events DC...

Events DC Presents Updated Design Renderings for Entertainment and Sports Arena

Design Evolution incorporates community and initial regulatory process feedback into the project

Events DCthe official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, presented on Wednesday evening, revised design renderings led by joint venture of architectural firms, Washington, DC-based Marshall Moya Design and international sports design firm, ROSSETTI, for the new Entertainment and Sports Arena in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Located on the St. Elizabeths East Campus, the multi-purpose Entertainment and Sports Arena will serve as the home court for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. The 4,200 seat arena will showcase Washington, DC’s commitment to its professional sports teams, including a separate state-of-the-art venue and training facility for the Washington Wizards situated in a distinct space within the facility.


"This important project for Ward 8 and the community continues to progress. This arena and training facility for the Washington Wizards will create hundreds of jobs; provide access to the building for recreation and programming; and deliver food and retail options for our residents,” said Max Brown, chairman of the Board of Directors for Events DC. “I couldn't be more excited about the response the community has to this project and the benefits to Congress Heights and all of Ward 8.”

Aerial Day View

With each Arena design update, the project will reflect resident, stakeholder and partner feedback as a continued way to ensure the integration of community and professional sports and as an opportunity to build a path to a revitalized neighborhood in the District. The ongoing design evolution of the project will model and incorporate community-centric elements from the bottom up, including innovative space planning and programming elements.

Oak Night View

“Events DC remains committed to engaging the community and stakeholders as we progress through this interactive process for the Entertainment and Sports Arena,” said Gregory A. O’Dell, president and chief executive officer of Events DC. “We are steadfast in providing a state-of-the-art entertainment arena and training facility for the Washington Wizards - but also an economic engine for the community and an amazing experience for visitors from around the city.”

The updated design acknowledges and responds to the existing urban fabric of St. Elizabeths’ historic red brick campus without resorting to superficial imitation. The architectural design team will continue to work together to create a fresh, contemporary building whose size, scale and materiality all conspire to set the future Entertainment and Sports Arena apart as a world-class facility proudly located in the heart of DC's Ward 8 neighborhood.

“As a native Washingtonian, I am personally very proud to be part of a project that is both reverential and transformative. We are honored to partner with this community to bring a design aesthetic that respects the history of the St. Elizabeths Campus, and we want our project to express the aspirations, pride and hope of Congress Heights,” said Michael Marshall, Design Director, Marshall Moya Design.

“We have spent a good portion of the last six weeks listening to and meeting with the key constitutes from the community groups, government agencies and have taken much of their input and incorporated it into what we believe will be a tremendous building,” said Jerry Attia, Principal at ROSSETTI. “The Entertainment and Sports Arena will be a catalyst for future development and positive community engagement in Congress Heights, Ward 8 and the District. We are honored to be involved in this one-of-a-kind cutting edge facility in our nation’s capital, which will serve to unite people under the mantel of sports and civic pride. To that end, we thank the community for their input and look forward to continuing to partner with them to bring this important project to life.”

Through proposed selection of beautiful and sustainable materials the physicality of the building will be compatible with the existing St Elizabeths campus while also identifying the Arena as a contemporary new urban landmark. The main exterior cladding material of large scale brick-toned metal panels communicate a strong connection to the existing St. Elizabeths historic red brick structures in a very interesting and unique way.

The design refinement also showcases more community-friendly elements, including exciting new food vendors located along Oak Drive, which will provide the community with a range of grab & go and fast casual dining options immediately upon opening the facility. These vendors will operate independently of the Entertainment and Sports Area as an integrated retail component and as an avenue to provide community-serving resources during non-event times. The cafe space will be accessible to the public realm - from both the sidewalk and concourse axis points - so that the community can enjoy retail options even when the Arena is not hosting events.

The joint venture announced in the fall of 2015 will be a catalyst for new opportunities in Ward 8 and citywide, attracting thousands of new residents and visitors year-over-year to Congress Heights, generating temporary construction and permanent jobs for both the arena and Phase I infrastructure of the St. Elizabeths East Campus redevelopment. Upon completion, Events DC will be responsible for the operation of the Arena. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017 with completion in the fall of 2018.

About Events DC:
Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, deliver premier event services and flexible venues across the nation’s capital.  Leveraging the power of a world-class destination and creating amazing attendee experiences, Events DC generates economic and community benefits through the attraction and promotion of business, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities. Events DC oversees the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, an anchor of the District’s hospitality and tourism economy that generates over $400 million annually in total economic impact, and the historic Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square. Events DC manages the Stadium-Armory campus, which includes Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and surrounding Festival Grounds, the non-military functions of the DC Armory and Maloof Skate Park at RFK Stadium.  Events DC also built and now serves as landlord for Nationals Park, the first LEED-certified major professional sports stadium in the United States. The most recent addition is Gateway DC, an innovative and versatile space featuring a covered and open-air pavilion in the center of a 1-acre park, conveniently located in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.eventsdc.com or www.ESAontheRise.com and find us on social media - Facebook (Events DC), Twitter (@ConventionsDC and @DCSportsEnt) and Instagram (@EventsDC.)

About Marshall Moya Design:
Marshall Moya Design is a Washington, DC-based, multi-faceted architecture and design studio that has designed a number of iconic projects in the District, including The Howard Theatre and Chuck Brown Memorial, urban destinations such as Reunion Square in Southeast, elementary schools throughout the District, and the new Student Center for the University of the District of Columbia. Current projects include the new home for the D.C. United and work for MGM Resorts International. At Marshall Moya Design, “heart” is at the heart of what we do. An innovative and collaborative group of architects, designers and brand strategists, we create the spaces where people gather to work, learn, live and share. Projects in our city have served to enrich the District, not only in terms of artistic representation, but also in terms of economic opportunity and community enhancement. Michael Marshall originally founded the firm in 1989 as Michael Marshall Architecture, and in 2010 he formed a partnership with Paola Moya to establish what is now known as Marshall Moya Design.

About ROSSETTI:
ROSSETTI is a global architectural design and planning firm with a portfolio spanning sports and entertainment, hospitality and commercial properties. ROSSETTI’s strategic approach to design and planning is one that ROSSETTI has developed through four decades of design solutions, combined with extensive R+D into how people experience environments. ROSSETTI’s training center portfolio includes the new LA Lakers Headquarters and Practice Facility, currently under construction, the Detroit Piston’s Training Facilities and locker room and the LA Clippers Practice Facility. Significant sports projects include the first motorsports stadium at Daytona International Speedway, the Green Bay Packers ‘Titletown’ sports anchored development, the USTA’s National Tennis Center and retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, and renovations at TD Garden and Michigan State University’s Breslin Center. The 46-year-old firm is headquartered in Detroit. The firm has a history of design innovation for sports facilities that began with the Detroit Piston’s Palace of Auburn Hills, where new concepts in hospitality design revolutionized the fan experience and economics of arena design. For more information about ROSSETTI, please visit www.rossetti.com.