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WNBA Seattle Storm

HOK Sport selected as architect and design firm for new multi-purpose arena in Puget Sound region

November 29, 2006 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release


SEATTLE, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006 - The Seattle SuperSonics & Storm have retained HOK Sport, a global leader in sports architecture, to design a new multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena in the greater Seattle region to become the new home of the NBA SuperSonics and WNBA Storm professional basketball teams.

"HOK Sport is a clear choice for this very important assignment. They are internationally renowned for creating state-of-the-art, world-class sports and entertainment facilities," said Clayton I. Bennett, Chairman of the Sonics and Storm ownership group. "The firm's project list is extensive and impressive, and includes the Pepsi Center in Denver, Toyota Center in Houston, the United Center in Chicago, Philips Arena in Atlanta, four of the finest multi-purpose sports and entertainment arenas in the country. The new facilities they have designed in Kansas City, London and Berlin will set new standards in quality and value-oriented public facilities."

HOK emerged as an innovative designer of sports facilities with the 1992 opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball team. The design won critical acclaim and immediately became the benchmark for future baseball parks, above all because the fan experience was deemed second to none. The park's design complemented and enhanced the urban landscape in Baltimore's warehouse district where it sparked an economic revival.

The firm's creativity and ability to address complex challenges is manifested in the Nanjing Sports Park project in China as well as the $600 million renovation of Phoenix Civic Plaza.

"We are thrilled with the opportunity to work with the greater Seattle community to design and develop a world-class arena commensurate with the remarkable vitality and diversity of this important marketplace," said Jim Walters, HOK Sport Senior Principal.

The initial work will focus on site analysis, development planning, preliminary programming and design concepts and financial modeling.

HOK Sport was selected in a competitive process led by the new Owner's Representative, ICON Venue Group. Tim Romani serves as president of ICON Venue Group, a joint venture of Romani Group and AEG.

HOK Sport's extensive experience with sports and entertainment clients also includes:

24 Major League Baseball franchises, including new stadiums for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates. The firm is designing new ballparks for the New York Yankees and Mets, the Washington Nationals and the Minnesota Twins;

30 NFL clients, including new football stadiums for the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Houston Texans of the NFL along with current renovations to Arrowhead and Dolphin Stadiums;

80 professional and civic arena clients, including The Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, home of the Nashville Predators of the NHL and current work in Kansas City, Newark, London and Berlin;

120 colleges and universities, including work at both the University of Washington and Washington State University; and

Major sports, entertainment and retail venues in Hong Kong, Australia, Madrid, London and many other locations.

"With the addition of HOK Sport and ICON, we continue to assemble a first-rate leadership team capable of developing a premier facility that can be a home to the Sonics and Storm, professional hockey, and any number of entertainment and commercial events and activities," Bennett said. "This building will become an enormously popular and valuable asset to the region."

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