New complexes open with fan amenities for year round use
On February 25, nearly 20,000 fans will experience a new model for spring training when the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays open their respective spring training seasons. In Goodyear, HOK Sport designed an entire master planned Ballpark Village, which will provide retail and residential space, a hotel and a convention center for year-round use. In Port Charlotte, HOK Sport turned the existing ballpark into a state of the art complex including a clubhouse and community boardwalk.

"Today's spring training facilities are more about the fan experience than ever before," said David Bower, AIA, HOK Sport principal. "They’re also about a year-round facility – not only for the teams, but for their communities as well."

The HOK Sport-designed master plan of the Goodyear (Ariz.) Recreational Sports Complex, new spring training home of the Cleveland Indians, integrates the ballpark into private development that will complement the facility and will ensure the ballpark’s success well beyond spring training. The ballpark, situated within a master planned Ballpark Village, was designed for year-round access – the concourse, will provide circulation through the district even on non game days.

Goodyear's player development concept also been noted as a major selling point for players in the off-season; the Associated Press reported Indians pitcher Kerry Wood chose to relocate to Goodyear because of the meticulous planning and thought HOK Sport put into the player development complex.

And in Port Charlotte, Fla., HOK Sport has shown how to turn an existing, ordinary ballpark into a state-of-the-art complex befitting of baseball's 2008 American League champions. For the players a 40,000 square foot major league/minor league clubhouse with upgraded weight, training and locker rooms is just one added benefit of a new spring training home – the Charlotte project has become a holistic location for player development. It also provided a new level of energy to a community still struggling to rebuild after Hurricane Charley’s devastation in 2004.

"The Rays' new complex was the momentum both the team and the Port Charlotte community needed," said Bower. "We've been able to give them all the player and fan amenities of a new spring training ballpark for a fraction of the cost."

The Tampa Bay Rays' renovated spring training complex also meets the needs of today's Rays spring training fans. The Rays strategically selected Port Charlotte because this new facility is just 90 minutes from their Major League ballpark – a short drive to help maintain the fan base year round. While adding much needed space for both player and fan comfort, the renovation also sought to add elements to provide a community feel, such as a 19,000 square foot boardwalk with patio seating and a restaurant concept, the Boardwalk Beverage and Grill, beyond two new seating berms in the outfield.

Architecturally, both projects add distinct local touches to their landscapes.

Goodyear's architectural language displays a simple elegance using raw materials and individual masses drawing upon the region's desert landscape. Concrete, coupled with glazing, wood and metal panels, were designed to weather over time and to minimize the short- and long-term maintenance costs of the facility, thus creating a more environmentally friendly project.

HOK Sport left the skeleton of the Rays' old precast concrete ballpark exterior intact, but created a more modern expression for the new ballpark. Graphics and signage help create excitement leading up to the entry as well.

While HOK Sport is immediately impacting the spring training landscape in 2009, plans on the horizon call for more change in spring training ballpark design.

HOK Sport also was recently selected to design a new spring training ballpark for the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla. The 9,999-seat, $70 million ballpark, which is scheduled to open in December 2011, will be the largest spring training facility in the state of Florida. The ballpark will strive for LEED Certification and again will be designed to be a part of a mixed-use development attracting Red Sox fans from across the nation.

"Spring training has become a natural extension of Major League Baseball," said Bower. "We're fortunate to be able to affect, through design and thoughtful planning, the successful future of such a tradition."

For further information please contact
Gina Leo Stingley at Populous (Kansas City)
Telephone: +1 816 221 1500
Facsimile: +1 816 221 1578
 
Email media@populous.com

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