by Shane Henson — October 5, 2012—The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and the Minnesota Vikings have contracted HKS Sports & Entertainment Group to provide design services for an innovative new home for the National Football League (NFL) team. The multipurpose “People’s Stadium” stadium will also serve as a venue for large events.
HKS Sports & Entertainment Group, a division of architectural firm HKS, was chosen in part because of its history in designing world-class stadiums, including Cowboys Stadium in Texas, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana, and Dodger Stadium in California. MSFA also noted that HKS was set apart from other firms by its “exceptional experience in roof design,” which is particularly significant in light of the collapse of the Vikings Metrodome’s inflatable roof during a massive snowstorm in 2010, and that the Group “consistently raise[s] the design bar on every project they are involved in.”
Scheduled to open in time for the 2016 NFL season, the new stadium will seat 65,000 people and expand to accommodate 72,000 fans during major sporting events, says the MSFA. It will feature 150 suites, 7,000 club seats, and space for gift shops and restaurants, as well as an NFL team museum and Hall of Fame. The stadium will be available 355 days a year for public uses, including high school and amateur sports, cultural celebrations and entertainment events. Preliminary work will begin in fall 2012, and construction is expected to begin in late 2013.
HKS has pledged to work with a local architectural firm for a portion of the design and has committed to hiring 19 percent targeted businesses—8 percent minority and 11 percent women-owned firms—for portions of the contract, says the company. The contract is for design services and is in the amount of $34 million.
