The New Orleans Hornets unveil arena renovation plans

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The continued evolution of the New Orleans Hornets' long-term future, specifically major renovations to the 14-year-old New Orleans Arena, is ready to begin at the conclusion of the current NBA season. And the result for basketball fans will be a facilities update that will bring the building to the cutting edge of arenas nationwide while increasing amenities and attractions aimed toward making the fans' experience more pleasurable and accommodating.

As the NBA sought to find an owner that would keep the Hornets in New Orleans for the long-term, it was simultaneously negotiating with the State of Louisiana for upgrades to the building that was completed for the then-unheard-of sum of $114 million in 1999 while the state also searched for ways to relieve itself, as it did with the New Orleans Saints, of annually endowing franchise operations out of the general fund.

"There was the belief that we had to move away from the subsidized situation to basically a situation where the team could self-generate the money," said Hornets/Saints president Dennis Lauscha. "That's where much of this model came from, starting with us and came over to the Hornets as well."

In artist and architectural renderings released on Friday, the "improved" New Orleans Arena offers new club locations, an internal bandstand/bar area, suite renovations, interior club renovations, as well as the creation of exterior club space, expansion of the existing Capital One Club as well as the popular Hub Club, a new V-VIP area and entrance (Very-Very Important People), as well as a limited access Chairman's Club and a grand, new lobby, giving the building a main entrance it has lacked.

Players will benefit, as well, as the Hornets' locker room, as well as the visitor's quarters, will be expanded and made more plush. The visitor's dressing room will be relocated across the hall from its current location.

The $50 million project will be completed in two phases with bids being sought in the next 60 days and work beginning as soon as the season ends.

Interior building renovations will come in the first phase and are expected to be completed before the start of the 2013-14 season and therefore in time for the 2014 All-Star Game next year, while exterior work is expected to be finished by the start of the 2014-15 season.

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http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ss..._river_default

http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo...8-standard.jpg

http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo...9-standard.jpg

I wish the facade would cover the entire west side of the stadium but I can't complain. I'm glad their doing something to the exterior.

http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo...0-standard.jpg

http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo...1-standard.jpg

http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo...2-standard.jpg

I've talked about it before. I wish they would do something to the bowl, I don't like how much space there is before the actual stands start:

http://dilemmaxdotnet.files.wordpres...ns-hornets.jpg

I love places like Dallas where the seats are on top of the court:

https://classes.lt.unt.edu/Summer_10...arena-9798.jpg

Only thing they could do is build a new stadium. I wish our upper deck wasn't so damn big

I can't wait until the hornets start attracting crowds like that(if ever).

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Originally Posted by bojangles837

Only thing they could do is build a new stadium. I wish our upper deck wasn't so damn big

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I agree, but if you can't fill the cheap seats, having more of the pricey seats isn't going to help anyone. lol

Cupholders in the upper deck. That's all I ask. Or vendors who don't take bottle caps away

Need to chip in an extra few million and change the tiles on the outside..... that, too, would also help hide the ugly.

I'm digging the futuristic look, I just really want people in the city to support the team.

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Originally Posted by Tpstr

Cupholders in the upper deck. That's all I ask. Or vendors who don't take bottle caps away

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Lol. I want my damn bottle caps

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Originally Posted by Silverfoxx

I'm digging the futuristic look, I just really want people in the city to support the team.

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pretty much just a player or two away from assuring this......

given the teams record, i think the draw at the arena is appropriate. Teams in the bottom 5 of the league shouldn't sell out ever and the cities hosting those teams shouldn't feel bad for supporting a bad product.

The caps thing is a league rule.

Easy to throw lol

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Originally Posted by Stealth Matrix

Need to chip in an extra few million and change the tiles on the outside..... that, too, would also help hide the ugly.

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I don't see why they don't just get lights like the superdome to turn the arena Red, Navy, and Gold.

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Originally Posted by Inner_GI

I don't see why they don't just get lights like the superdome to turn the arena Red, Navy, and Gold.

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I asked about this. It's not in the plans. I'm not sure why . . . I agree with you.

There is money for more upgrades from 2016-2020. Smaller scale. Maybe then.

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Originally Posted by 42

I asked about this. It's not in the plans. I'm not sure why . . . I agree with you.

There is money for more upgrades from 2016-2020. Smaller scale. Maybe then.

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Will the video boards & sound system be replaced ?

I like it. Any improvements are welcomed

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Originally Posted by all2neat

given the teams record, i think the draw at the arena is appropriate. Teams in the bottom 5 of the league shouldn't sell out ever and the cities hosting those teams shouldn't feel bad for supporting a bad product.

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I totally agree. Five dollar tickets an all, you just aren't going to get a ton of casual fans to come out for a bottom five team, no matter how much potential the future holds. Next year will draw hard, guaranteed.

I think next year i'll be buying better tickets to less games. I'm out of town far too much to have full season passes. I only bought them to support the team. I may try to get a weekend pass for the season close to the floor.

R

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Originally Posted by Tpstr

Cupholders in the upper deck. That's all I ask. Or vendors who don't take bottle caps away

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THIS... Finally a voice for the lower class lol

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Originally Posted by Alg_Hornet

Will the video boards & sound system be replaced ?

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At least in part, maybe total.

These are plans. They plans have to go out for bid. So maybe they can't do it all. Maybe they decide to replace the main speakers, but leave the little satellite ones in place. I'm just making that up.

The control room / brains / guts of it all are going. More High Def, more in game replays (yeah, they exist), stuff like that. The big boards will be replaced with Hi Def screens. Given the advertising power, I believe a new LED ribbon above the suites will pair with the one below them. They are going to open the vomitoria up and put more screens in the halls etc. If you can see the game from the concession line, you are more likely to buy concessions. Et cetera.

Here's the article from 8 months ago that has some of this in there, but ask away.

http://www.hornets247.com/2012/07/13/home-improvement/

anyone know what architectural firm did the drawings?

In the linked article in the OP:

The New Orleans architectural firm of Eskew, Dumez and Ripple, along with national input from AECOM, drew up the renovation plans.

Thanks

Yeah more people should come out and support the team, no matter what the record is. I think i'm going to upgrade to the lower level with my partial season ticket plan next year. I have a feeling that the Pelicans in the near future will be a hard ticket to get, just like the Saints. Season ticket waiting list. So if you can afford to get tickets you might not want to wait to long, or get left out. Go Pelicans!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm shocked there isn't a "CONCEPT81: Arena Renovation Mock-ups" thread yet. Or did I miss it?

You missed it

you can bring an extra cap or two into the game... Think of it as recycling.

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Originally Posted by 42

At least in part, maybe total.

The control room / brains / guts of it all are going. More High Def, more in game replays (yeah, they exist), stuff like that. The big boards will be replaced with Hi Def screens.

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Control room is already being dismantled. I work in the control room for all of the games and we just moved to a control room in Dome for Hornets/Bulls. Like the Dome control room set up very much, more spacious.

Cool.

Keep us posted. Other comments?

I was told the control room area will stay like it is, since there will still be activity in there; I assume for VooDoo games before they play their rest of the games in the Dome. But we have already taken out what we use for Hornets games and moved to the Dome control room...

Second phase of New Orleans Arena capital repairs being revised after projected costs ran over budget

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The interior construction being done to upgrade the New Orleans Arena has been underway since May 1 and all indications are that the work will come in right at the budgeted amount.

But that doesn't appear to be case for phase two of the project, which is the exterior work.

SMG senior vice president Doug Thornton informed the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District Board during Wednesday's monthly meeting that the second part of the project will have to be revised after coming between $5 and $7 million over the expected budget. Thornton said he has already begun meeting with the contractors and members of the New Orleans Pelicans staff to discuss ways of revising the design of the planned exterior lobby.

Phase two was set to begin at a later date and now that could be even later.

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http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf..._river_default

http://www.behance.net/gallery/NO-Ar...vation/7946901

Check this out. Not much new, but still pretty cool.

Very nice, I think the arena website had some photos too.


http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.45683...80835&pid=15.1



http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.50155...65893&pid=15.1

Looks like a nest.

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Originally Posted by Stockdale

http://www.behance.net/gallery/NO-Ar...vation/7946901

Check this out. Not much new, but still pretty cool.

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If we could get a nice red brick veneer at the bottom, make that strip towards the top gold aluminum like what's on the Superdome and possibly the section right above it some kind of glass and or mirror, that would look awesome!

To me, just adding this addition to the outside of the arena won't suffice. Eventually they will have to update the facade as well.