Phillips Arena
Atlanta
Arquitectonica (ARQ) / HOK Sport + Venue + Event

A major centerpiece that ties together the urban fabric of Atlanta's downtown

© Rion Rizzo

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

In designing this facility, the architects wished to create an arena that would be intimate in scale, would easily be identified as Atlanta’s own, and would seamlessly fit into the city’s downtown fabric.
Intimacy was achieved by featuring an entire quadrant of suites on one side of the court, allowing the majority of seating to be located in the lowest level, and pushing the upper seat levels closer to the action. A variable-rise seating system in the end zones raises and retracts to provide unprecedented views. The building’s roof trusses are a signature feature of the architecture. Not only have they been exposed and designed as architectural elements, but they help frame the seating bowl and event space, creating a modest scale.

Fans in the upper and lower seating decks have access to two concourses that connect to the adjacent CNN Center by a covered atrium, providing natural light to lower areas. The concourses provide multi-leveled entertainment and food venues that create an interior streetscape. The suite quadrant of the arena features a "window" from the club lounge into the seating bowl where the action is, enabling fans to follow the progress of the game.

The arena’s exterior is as unique as its interior. With its curvilinear steel roof planes and glass and stone planes, it appears elegant and modern. On the eastern side, fans enter the arena under the word "Atlanta," a striking steel-clad feature that is not only a monumental sculpture, but also a part of the structure that holds up the roof. Similarly, steel-clad letters read "CNN" at the north entrance. The north and west elevations are wrapped in granite and articulated with large glass openings, allowing views into and out of the concourses.

Formal name of Project:
Philips Arena

Location:
Atlanta

Gross square footage:
680,000 sq ft

Total construction cost:
$213 million

Owner:
Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority

Architects:
Arquitectonica (ARQ)
550 Brickell Avenue, Suite 200
Miami, FL 33131
305. 372-1812
(Fax) 305.372-1175
www.arquitectonica.com

HOK Sport + Venue + Event
323 W. 8th St.
KC, MO 64105
816.221.1500 phone
816.221.1578 fax