Set to replace the team's existing home at the Oracle Arena in Oakland when the lease expires in 2017, the 67,000 square-metre arena will be constructed in time for the start of the 2017-18 basketball season and will also provide a venue for music concerts, conventions and other cultural events.

Snøhetta and AECOM's latest design shows a circular building with large areas of glazing around the facade, designed to give visitors a view from outside into the practice facility and the arena during games.

Additional high-level windows will allow spectators inside the building a view through the walls to Bay Bridge just beyond.

"We believe our new design lives up to the importance of this incredible waterfront site and fuses together the vision of the Golden State Warriors with the landscape of the bay," says Craig Dykers, architect and founding director of Snøhetta.

The Golden State Warriors arena will also accommodate 8000-square-metres of retail, plus a fire station with docks for two fireboats.

The large disc-like roof is to be covered with LEDs and will be used for the projection of images and motifs.

Construction is expected to take three years and will include $100 million worth of repairs to the piers, where the arena is set to be located.

Both Snøhetta and AECOM are also currently involved in the construction of several other major sport and event venues. AECOM has designed the masterplan for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, while Snøhetta is working on an opera house in South Korea and the extension of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).

See more architecture by Snøhetta »
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Here's more information from the design team:

Golden State Warriors release updated design of new arena on San Francisco waterfront

Today the Golden State Warriors released the updated design of their new sports and entertainment arena on the waterfront at Piers 30-32 in San Francisco.

"This new design by Snøhetta and AECOM builds on the first draft we released to create an arena experience on the waterfront that is unique, community-focused and unlike any other venue in existence around the world," said Joe Lacob, Co-Executive Chairman and CEO of the Warriors. "The new design creates more open space and accessibility to the waterfront, new berths for fireboats and cruise ships and public views into the arena that will be one-of-a-kind for an NBA venue."

"From the beginning, we've said this arena will be world-class, incorporating the best in design, technology and sustainability," said Peter Guber, Co-Executive Chairman of the Warriors. "Snøhetta and AECOM have done a masterful job designing an arena and public space that will serve as the model for a 21st century digital sports and entertainment center."

The new arena design now includes a fire station with berths for two fireboats, a deep-water berth for large ships, public access space on the eastern edge of the pier, a sustainable "Gabion Wall" stormwater filtration system and public views that allow visitors to see inside the Golden State Warriors practice facility and into the arena during Warriors games. Additionally, the Warriors have removed nearly 750 seats and several luxury suites to allow fans to view the Bay Bridge from their seats inside the arena during games. The exterior roof of the arena will also feature small LEDs similar to the current Bay Lights art installation that can project images, patterns or shapes.

"We believe our new design lives up to the importance of this incredible waterfront site and fuses together the vision of the Golden State Warriors with the landscape of the bay and the community input we've heard over the past several months," said Craig Dykers, Architect and Founding Partner of Snøhetta. "When people view the new designs, they will see a place that provides for everyone: fans, pedestrians, bicyclists, tourists, local residents and the diverse community of San Francisco."

"The NBA is thrilled about this new design and excited that the Bay Area's NBA team will be playing in a unique, world-class facility on the San Francisco waterfront," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. "Once completed, the Warriors' arena will provide our fans with one of the most technologically advanced and unique fan experiences in the NBA and all of professional sports."

"These updated designs show the incredible potential of a new waterfront venue at Piers 30-32," said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. "In addition to hosting the Warriors and enabling our city to host major indoor sporting events and concerts, the Piers 30-32 project will provide tremendous public benefits to San Francisco, including a new fire station, berths for large ships and SFFD fire boats and an expansive new civic space for fans, residents and tourists to enjoy."

The privately financed arena will be located at Piers 30-32 on San Francisco Bay, south of the Bay Bridge, between the Ferry Building and AT&T Park.

Under the agreement, the City will provide the land and the Warriors will pay to repair the crumbling piers and privately finance the arena project. The cost of repairs alone is estimated at $100-120 million.

The new facility will host the Bay Area's NBA basketball team, as well as provide a spectacular new venue for top-tier concerts, cultural events and conventions - prominent events the City currently cannot accommodate.

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by Snøhetta and AECOM appeared first on Dezeen.

News: work has started on a football stadium in Bordeaux, France, by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.

First unveiled in 2011, when it was referred to as the Stade Bordeaux Atlantique, Herzog & de Meuron's Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux will provide seating for up to 42,000 spectators.

A rectangular white roof will cover the stadium, supported by a forest of slim white columns.

The structure is expected to be completed in 2015 ready to host matches during the Euro 2016 football championship.

Last week construction began on an outdoor bathing lake in Riehen, Switzerland, also by Herzog & de Meuron.

The architects previously completed the National Stadium in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games – see all architecture by Herzog & de Meuron or see all stadiums.

Earlier this year French designer Philippe Starck and car company Peugeot unveiled a prototype bicycle for a free cycle scheme in Bordeaux – see all projects in Bordeaux.

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News: the Rio de Janeiro stadium that was set to host athletics tournaments during the 2016 Olympics has been closed indefinitely due to structural problems.

The Joao Havelange Olympic Stadium, known locally as the Engenhao, will have to undergo roof repairs before it can be declared fit for use.

Rio's mayor Eduardo Paes said he had been told that the structural problems could pose a risk for spectators, depending on the wind speed and temperature.

"On that basis, I immediately decided to close the stadium until we had more details," he told a news conference.

"It's simply not acceptable that a stadium which was inaugurated such a short time ago now has to face this sort of situation."

Designed by architects Carlos Porto and Gilson Santos, the stadium opened late and over budget in 2007 and is currently the city's main football venue while the Maracana Stadium is rebuilt for this year's Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup.

Rio intends to build only nine permanent sites and six temporary venues for the 2016 Olympics in an attempt to avoid the legacy of 'white elephant' sporting venues suffered by former host cities Athens and Beijing.

Other sports venues we've reported on lately include Zaha Hadid Architects' successful bid to design the new national stadium for Japan and a competition-winning design for a football stadium in Ethiopia with stands built into mounds of earth – see all stadiums.

Photograph is by the Brazilian Foreign Office.

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The new 80,000-seat stadium will replace the existing Kasumigaoka National Stadium in Tokyo and could become the main sporting venue for the 2020 Olympic Games if Japan is successful in its bid to host the event.

The arena is also earmarked to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup and will be offered to FIFA as a possible venue for future World Cup football matches.

Zaha Hadid Architects has seen off ten other finalists to win the competition, which was organised by the Japan Sport Council.

"Our three decades of research into Japanese architecture and urbanism is evident in our winning design and we greatly look forward to building the new National Stadium," said Hadid. "The stadium will become an integral element of Tokyo's urban fabric, directly engaging with the surrounding cityscape to connect and carve the elegant forms of the design. The unique structure is both light and cohesive, defining a silhouette that integrates with the city. The perimeter of the stadium will be an inhabited bridge: a continuous exhibition space that creates an exciting new journey for visitors."

The new building will also feature a retractable roof and is scheduled for completion in 2018.

Also this week, the Zaha Hadid-designed Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum opened to the public at Michigan State University.

See more stories about Zaha Hadid Architects, including the recently completed Galaxy Soho, a 330,000-square-metre retail, office and entertainment complex in Beijing.

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Dezeen Wire: as the sliding roof on Wimbledon's Centre Court was closed today to allow the men's singles final between Andy Murray and Roger Federer to continue despite heavy rain, The Telegraph argues that the Populous-designed cover is the real star of this year's championships.

The Telegraph interviews the lead designer, Rod Sheard, who said: ““Grass is much more delicate than human beings. We can take off our coats or jumpers to cool down. Grass can’t, so if we just put the roof over, it would sweat and turn the court into a skating ring. The air conditioning we put in at Wimbledon is all about the grass, not the crowds.”

The roof was completed in 2009 and cost an estimated £80-£100 million.

See all our stories about sports design | See all our stories about tennis | Grimshaw to design new masterplan for Wimbledon

Here's some text from Populous about the roof:

CHALLENGE. Populous are privileged to have been working with the AELTC for a decade now, helping the Club to evolve and stay at the very forefront of Grand Slam tennis. To accommodate increasing visitor levels and give players and members the level of facilities they expect while maintaining the unmistakable atmosphere has required a careful balance of innovation and tradition – nowhere more so than with the retractable roof at Centre Court. The specifics were scientifically demanding, yet the internal environment with a closed roof had to keep the feel of ‘tennis in an English garden’, with players and spectators alike feeling comfortable.

INNOVATION. The hydraulically operated roof measures 65×75 metres and is a ‘folding fabric concertina’ with steel trusses supporting a translucent fabric skin. This skin allows natural light to reach the grass on the court, while an airflow removes condensation from within the bowl. In this way optimum player performance and spectator comfort is maintained and the sense of tradition that pervades the historic 1922 show court remains undisturbed. Beneath the roof, extra rows of seating, new wider seats, lifts and new members facilities enhance the experience even further.

IMPACT. Guaranteeing a schedule of play avoids major disruption to the event programme, which in turn ensures Wimbledon retains its status as the premier Grand Slam tennis event within the tennis calendar, with broadcast coverage of the tournament going out to an audience of millions worldwide.

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