INTERVIEW
“Whether it’s my building or not, a sport designer
is constantly looking at the concourses, seating
bowl, and how guests interact with the building”
Tell us about your career path to now
I graduated from university in 1994 and I went straight
to work for what was then HOK Sport, which later
became Populous – but after I left.
It was the dawn of computers in the architect’s
office. My design abilities on the computer helped me
get on project teams for nice projects, and after 13
years, I had worked my way up to managing director
of design. While I was at HOK Sport, I worked on
a number of great projects and fell in love with the
stadium building type.
In 2007, I decided I wanted to follow my dream
of creating my own design studio. At the time, I knew
was either going to carry on at HOK Sport and pursue
my career as a partner there, or move on and try
something else. I just felt like there was a better way to
do what we do. I realized that there are a lot of good
architects around the world but not all of them can
create a great stadium.
That’s why I intentionally created a boutique design
studio that solely focusses on the up front stages of
sport and entertainment design. We always partner
with a local architect to follow through on our
developed design and then we assist and support our
partners through the completion of the project.
We complete all aspects of the design, but at the
point where it turns into the more technical drawings
required for construction, that’s when working with
a non-sport local architect makes more sense for the
client. This kind of shared approach allows us to work
globally, and owners don’t have to pay to fly us from
Kansas City to the site during construction all the time.
Instead clients get international expertise combined
with local know-how and all the benefits of working
with local companies. I think it’s the perfect solution
for our projects and our clients.
What was your first stadium design
project and can you recall what
that experience like for you?
The very first big building that I cut my teeth on would
have been the Air Canada Centre now, Scotiabank
Arena in Toronto, home to the NBA’s Raptors and
NHL’s Maple Leafs.
The Allegiant Stadium in Las
Vegas, Nevada, which opens
in 2020, aims to set a new
benchmark for NFL venues
72 www.stadia-magazine.com Showcase 2020
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