The partnership behind the design and construction of the Intuit Dome

AECOM is the lead designer of the Intuit Dome, the future home of the LA Clippers. Designed for optimal and intimate community and fan interaction, the iconic new sports and entertainment venue will raise the bar for every major sports franchise in the world in terms of sustainability through design and fan experience.

In the Intuit Dome Blog SeriesWe'll dive deep into each element of the Intuit Dome with the people who made this project a reality, discussing community engagement, sustainability and visionary design/innovation to learn more about what makes the Intuit Dome a game-changing event in sports and entertainment.

LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer originally thought an existing building (then the Staples Center) would be beneficial when he purchased the team. Within the first six months, he realized the situation as a third tenant in the building was not practical, so he sought out AECOM as lead designer as he envisioned the creation of his team's new home. After initial site selection and conceptual design, Ballmer then brought AECOM Hunt on board to review real-time construction cost estimates. A separate procurement led to the hiring of a joint venture of AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction as construction managers. This resulted in a unique partnership that proved to be as iconic as the venue itself.

The scale of this project was critical for the design and execution team because of Steve Ballmer's leadership and commitment. On many projects, the design team and contractors are placed in opposing camps to determine responsibility for risks or challenges. At Intuit Dome, everyone put their traditional practices aside to put the success of the project first. The typical process of change orders and requests for information was not discussed in contractual terms, but focused on solutions. Combining design and construction management expertise to complete this project takes it to a new level.

AECOM has performed both roles simultaneously in the past, most recently at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but typically these roles were contracted out separately, assuming we would operate in traditional designer/contractor roles. However, this is the first time we have entered into a full collaboration with the team at CAA ICON. Across all team members, regardless of company, the focus was on delivering the highest standard for our client.

Intuit Dome surpasses all others in the sports and entertainment industry in terms of technological advancements. The arena's design and ambitious technology goals were aligned by the team with technology partners during the pre-construction phase. The most visible symbol of this commitment is the Halo scoreboard, which encompasses nearly an acre of 4k LED screens, making it 4-5 times the size of a typical NBA scoreboard. This is also the first time a venue has been equipped with fan-facing technology such as frictionless points of sale – from concessions to merchandise to their own seats. With technology built into the building, the focus is truly on creating an atmosphere where the fan experience is at the forefront.

Additionally, on the construction side, the team leveraged Microsoft HoloLens technology, which allows teams to leverage real-time BIM information in augmented reality to review work on site and resolve conflicts. We believe we are just scratching the surface of future use of the technology on large-scale projects like Intuit Dome.

There were a number of challenges for our team to overcome throughout the design and build process. This project was unique in that we had to deliver the design and build documents during COVID-19 while working from offices in LA, Chicago, Kansas City, London and Melbourne. The joint venture had to deal with the cost impact of the pandemic as well as limited raw materials and reliance on overseas work, so our team was very clear in communicating the cost impact to the client and outlining the increases and risks.

Another key scheduling issue on the project was the manufacture and delivery of our diagrid steel. The stadium's 2,791 tonne diagrid steel frame (or gridshell) is inspired by a basketball net and is primarily made up of radial tubes, diagonal elements and complex nodes. The arena fencing, car park, plaza and garden were all affected by the diagrid's delivery schedule. Despite all the scheduling challenges, our team worked closely together to meet our client's requirements by creating different sequences to bring certain components forward of the work.

Beyond the arena, connecting the project to the surrounding neighborhood was critical in both social and sustainability terms. The LA Clippers worked with the City of Inglewood on a wide-ranging benefits package—funding schools, housing, infrastructure and jobs was part of a commitment to developing an arena that would have a positive community impact. Inglewood Mayor James Butts wanted this project to increase job opportunities in his city, particularly training for young adults. Before the construction of the Intuit Dome and SoFi Stadium just to the north, Inglewood's unemployment rate was about 17 percent. Now that more jobs have been created in the area, the unemployment rate has dropped to about 4 percent.

All in all, partnering with AECOM proved to be more efficient and cost-effective, enabled higher quality design and produced a better outcome. Working together and successfully creating a world-renowned venue speaks volumes about our ability as a company to deliver a stunning project like the Intuit Dome.

Originally published on September 11, 2024

Authors:

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Bill Hanway

Bill Hanway is Executive Vice President / Global Sports & Social Infrastructure Leader at AECOM.

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Craig Boyda

Craig Bojda is a project manager at AECOM Hunt.