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By Mark A. Williams, AIA, NCARB
Since its opening in 2001, the American Airlines Center in Dallas has
offered its patrons a first-class environment no matter where they are
within the venue. The nearly 20,000-seat, multipurpose venue opened as the
premier NBA/NHL arena in the country and has not stopped since classic
rockers The Eagles took the stage on opening night. “[Architectural firm] HKS guided us in thinking about the patrons’ experience, what our partners
and sponsors desired, and what revenue-generating ideas we could incorporate
into the venue from day one of the design. Now we have an extremely
successful venue and are still thinking the same way we did that first day,”
says Brad Mayne, president and CEO, Center Operating Co. “Every year we
strive to do something new and different. For us, it’s a continuation of
updating the building.”
Even though American Airlines Center is newer than most NBA arenas, the plan
is to implement regular updates rather than waiting to do a major renovation
when the venue is 15 years old. This approach has set the stage for
sustaining a venue that continues to be the standard for all major sports
and entertainment venues in the world.
A Unique Design
The Center’s award-winning design gives patrons, the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks,
the NHL’s Dallas Stars and sponsors an experience like no other. Each of the
concourses is designed with finishes and amenities that had historically
only been seen in premium areas of other venues. Patrons walk on terrazzo
floors on the Main
 Concourse and Upper Concourse, which also feature
textured wall coatings and decorative ceilings and lighting. The sponsors
and potential sponsors quickly noticed that the design of the concourses
allowed them to exclusively brand specific areas with their products.
Avoiding the typical “racetrack” configuration, the venue has five
concourses of wide-open space. The building’s four lobbies are points of
reference, each with its own theme. The American Airlines Lobby looks over
the AT&T Plaza and has spectacular views of the downtown skyline; the North
Lobby looks toward Dallas’ Design District; the East Lobby enjoys views to
the Crescent and Ritz- Carlton; and the West Lobby view stretches to the
Trinity River.
The seating bowl configuration is unique for both the National Basketball
Association and the National Hockey League. Bunker suites located under the
seating bowl were a cutting-edge idea for each league, and the American
Airlines Center is the first venue shared by both leagues that addresses
sight-line requirements for both hockey and basketball. Retractable and
articulating seats at the end courts allow the venue to transform from
hockey to basketball in about one hour and give the patrons optimum sight
lines for either sport.
The new venue has garnered numerous awards, including “Best Locker Room in
Sports” by Sports Illustrated for its Dallas Mavericks locker room, and
“Concert Venue of the Year” by Pollstar Magazine.
Ongoing Success
Today, the American Airlines Center is the heart of the most significant
master-planned urban development in the history of America’s Southwest:
Victory Park, a 72-acre site that connects Dallas’ revitalizing downtown to
the affluent in-town districts of Uptown and Turtle Creek. The HKS Sports
and Entertainment Group continues to partner with the Center Operating Co.
and its tenants to maintain the American Airlines Center’s stature in the
world of sports and entertainment venues.
Each year since the Center’s opening, the creative design team expands the
amenities of the venue and amplifies its trend-setting stature. A 28-foot by
51-foot 12mm video display was recently installed and integrated seamlessly
into the venue’s south elevation. It is the feature element of the
technology-oriented and newly sponsored AT&T Plaza, designed to be the heart
of Victory Park.
The Plaza is bordered by two Victory Plaza buildings and the award winning,
HKS-designed W Dallas– Victory Hotel and Residences. The 220,000-sq.-ft.
Plaza buildings include 155,000 square feet of office space and 65,000
square feet of retail space, and they feature tenants ranging from WFAA-TV’s
broadcast studios to numerous dining and retail opportunities. The W
Dallas–Victory Hotel and Residences is a 33-story hotel and condominium
facility that has established an iconic vision for the development and
inspired the city’s architecture.
The American Airlines Center also expanded one of its premium levels to
re-create The Platinum Club, a private dining and bar area on the venue’s
second level. The renovations filled in the floor above the south lobby and
moved the existing bars to the rotundas located on each side of the lobby.
HKS and the Center Operating Co. worked with American Airlines to relocate
their fleet of model planes that floated over the American Airlines Lobby.
The planes have been dispersed throughout the venue and are closer and more
accessible to all patrons.
The Platinum Club renovations have doubled the club’s size and allow it to
function as a significant gathering space or as two separate and distinct
areas. The new club brought in $1 million in new season-ticket sales in just
the first week of its opening, with individual tickets being sold in three-, five and seven-year packages.
Sponsorship opportunities continue to set higher and higher standards for
the venue. Sponsors are able to come into a branded level and create a
distinct area that fully encompasses their brand and goals. The Red Bull
Lounge is one of the latest additions and features an ultra-modern interior
complete with geometric plastic furniture, lush fabrics and high-definition,
flat-screen televisions. The Lounge features a full bar and the ability to
mix your favorite Red Bull as well as provides an array of cocktails and
wine. This is just one example of how the original design created
opportunities for improvements and new accommodations to be added within the
context of the facility.
Two unique, 50-person party suite podiums within the seating bowl were
created during the 2004 off-season to respond to the growing demands for
group entertaining in the Dallas/Fort Worth market. The suites are a cross
between a private suite and club seats. Patrons can enjoy upgraded seats
within an open-seating bowl environment and then walk up to a fully
furnished suite atmosphere.
The partnership of Center Operating Co. and the HKS Sports and Entertainment
Group continues to work on revenue-generating ideas and designs that will
keep the American Airlines Center in the spotlight and a forerunner in the
sports and entertainment industry.
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Mark A. Williams, AIA, NCARB, is an associate principal with HKS Inc., based
in Dallas. He may becontacted at mwilliams@hksinc.com.
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