Building sports arenas is always expensive, but it pays off in the long run. Brooklyn has its own sports arena, Barclays Center. It is the home of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team.
The capacity of such sports arenas makes it possible to hold not only sports games.
Barclays Center is the second largest stadium in New York City, behind only Madison Square Garden. The main Brooklyn sports arena is located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue. Learn more at i-brooklyn.
Construction of the main arena
The construction company Ellerbe Becke designed Barclays Center. The firm was founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1909 under the name Ellerbe & Co. Franklin Ellerbe headed the company until 1921, after which it passed to his son. In 1966, the company became a public joint-stock company. In 1988, they merged with Welton Becket and Associates. At the same time, a department of sports design was opened in Kansas City.
The world’s largest architectural company, AECOM, acquired them in 2009. Their offices are located all over the world, including the UAE. The firm designed a building or sports arena in almost every state in America. Additionally, they have worked in 20 countries.
The construction of Barclays Center began in 2010. Such a project is a costly endeavor. Financial aid was offered by Mikhail Prokhorov. In 2009, he bought the New Jersey Nets. Following the construction, Prokhorov became the owner of the sports arena and the Brooklyn Nets basketball team. He bought them for $1.5 billion and sold them in 2019 to Chinese billionaire Joseph Tsai for $2.35 billion.
The name Barclays Center was chosen before the start of construction. After that, a controversial moment arose. The English company Barclays was forced to pay the football arena $400 million for the right to have the same name. The same happened with Philips Arena, but the sum was lower, $185 million.
Features and Benefits
The Brooklyn arena was built in accordance with modern standards and is in no way inferior to other arenas.
During construction, engineers used comfortable and modern seats. The new configuration and materials allowed spectators to feel comfortable while watching a show or a game.
In the 21st century, ecologists monitor every large-scale construction project. To build a particular structure, a large number of permits and certificates are required. Barclays Center became the first sports and entertainment center in the city to receive a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
It should seem that building a sports stadium is not a difficult task. After all, what could be so hard about it? However, it’s not a simple matter. Annual competitions are held to award sports arenas. In 2012, Barclays Center received the Pollstar Award and was recognized as the best large concert venue. The center also won the 2013 Sports Business Award and Architizer A+ Building of the Year.
Apart from sports seasons and games of major clubs, many famous artists have performed at Barclays Center. Some of the most expensive and popular ones included JAY-Z, Barbara Streisand, The Rolling Stones, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Madonna and others. It was these famous individuals who brought popularity to the sports arena. In 2018, it made it into the top ten most visited sports arenas in the country.
Artists were not the only ones who helped to achieve this. Managers need to try hard if they want stars to choose their venue for the performances. The conditions, security, acoustics and design must be top-notch.