Sports and Stadia

Sports venues should bring communities together, fostering local identity and pride. Arenas and stadia have the power to light up a city’s skyline, put a region on the map, and bring together all parts of a diverse community. But juggling local needs and sensitivities with the intense pressures of the international sports world can be a challenge.

Engineering Winning Spaces

At WSP, we understand that all sports venues, from Olympic stadia to university recreation centers, must enhance the lives of the people around them. We know how to respect the heritage of much-loved buildings, while keeping them relevant; how to create world-class facilities for university and professional athletes alike; and how to minimize disruption during construction – making sure these crucial spaces stay in play for those who need them most.

We have been a proud player in global sports development for over four decades, helping clients enrich communities and electrify audiences with striking and sustainable venues. Our teams have a long history supporting the creation of diverse sports facilities for a rich array of clients. Our award-winning portfolio encompasses projects for major professional sports leagues, leading universities and communities.

Mercedes Benz Stadium, Courtesy HOK

Enabling World-Class Experiences

Sports events are special. They are times of excitement and tension, highs and lows, moments that make and break careers and are retold for generations. The buildings where they happen are special too. Giving spectators and players outstanding experiences depends on inspiring, comfortable, and reliable structures. At WSP, we know that the venue and the action are intimately entwined.

We are experts in creating sports facilities that deliver every time, whether we are engineering retractable roof for Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York to ensure all-weather protection for tennis stars and fans, designing a photovoltaic array to power home games for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, or designing a system that provides free cooling most of the year to Barclays Arena. When that crucial point is won, or the finish line is reached, our arenas and stadia ensure that everyone can be in on the action.

Delivering Flexibility and Innovation

Successful sports venues must juggle many roles without losing their distinctive character. From hosting world-class tournaments and international concerts to training sessions and corporate away days, handling the competing needs of diverse events is par for the course for most sports venues.

Ensuring full use of such large spaces best serves the public – and it makes good business sense. However being the go-to place for a wide array of users is not easy. A multiuse facility must effortlessly adapt to its different roles, whatever the site’s constraints and it must do so without diluting the unique atmosphere that inspires all who visit.

We have experience in creating integrated, mixed-use spaces which combine commercial viability with stunning structures. With trailblazing technology and imagination, we find ways around even the toughest engineering challenges.

Barclays Center, © Bruce Damonte

Ensuring Pace and Efficiency

Deadlines are deadlines in the fast-paced world of international sports: no matter what challenges the construction process throws up, opening day can’t wait. However, the need for efficiency doesn’t stop when the season begins, and even the most impressive structures must operate cost-effectively and energy-efficiently to ensure commercial viability and a sustainable legacy for future generations.

With a creative and high-tech approach, we make sure tight construction timelines are met with the minimum fuss. We deliver high-quality buildings that continue to save money, energy, and time without sacrificing spectator experience, whether through providing cutting-edge information and communications technology services or implementing innovative high performance solutions.

Wide-Ranging Expertise in Sports

We bring a global skill set, our passion for beautiful buildings, and matchless experience to every project, working with architects, owners and developers to create iconic and cost-effective structures that reward both users and operators.

With an intimate understanding of international sports dynamics as well as creative and flexible teams, we tailor global best practice to meet the needs of every project and the different cultures, standards and requirements of each country. Whatever the sport, and wherever the venue, our experts know how to boost building performance and enhance spectator experience.

Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Experience with Every Type of Sports Venue

Our expertise spans a wide range of sporting events. Our work on NFL stadia includes a ground-breaking Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the multipurpose Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and the LEED Gold certified Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Our teams have contributed to numerous exciting soccer stadia, including, Basra Sports City in Iraq and Avaya Stadium in San Jose.

For the MLB, we have designed spring training facilities including Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks; and Ballpark of the Palm Beaches for the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. We provided structural engineering for Citi Field, the new home of the New York Mets; and MEP engineering for the renovation of Boston’s famed Fenway Park.

We have also provided engineering services for a number of industry-leading arenas, including Barclays Center, the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, OR, American Airlines Center in Miami, and on-going facilities services for the TDBank Garden in Boston.