With the design of their Las Vegas (US) ballpark sitting at about 50 percent complete, the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Oakland Athletics and their stadium project team presented their plan to the prospective contractors.
Inside the ballpark, the design team is aiming to have an open concourse feel.
‘LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL’ stated that several hundred people packed the Brasilia Ballroom at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas recently as new details of the stadium design and work schedule were laid out to the people who will potentially construct the planned $1.5 billion facility.
The Oakland Athletics ((often referred to as the ‘A’s’) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California (US). The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League West Division.
The 63,000-capacity Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is a multipurpose stadium in Oakland, California, United States. It is part of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex with the adjacent 19,200-capacity Oakland Arena near Interstate 880.
The club is set to open its new ballpark for the 2028 season on the Tropicana site on the Las Vegas Strip. Shaped by its location on the Las Vegas Strip, the 33,000-person capacity ballpark provides an outdoor feel with views of the City’s skyline. The tiered design will split the upper and lower seating bowls to bring fans closer to the action than the traditional ballparks and provide clear sightlines from every seat.
Observed Dave Kaval, ‘A’s’ President, “We’re going to need help from these subcontractors here to make this all happen. We’re talking about thousands of jobs just for the construction. This is a great way to showcase that.”
‘LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL’ further stated that the representatives from the ‘A’s’ stadium construction team of the joint venture, Mortenson-McCarthy, designer Bjarke Ingels Group and the stadium architect HNTB were on hand to provide information on the ballpark and initial steps of the construction hiring process.
Mortenson is a US-based, top-25 builder, developer and provider of energy and engineering services committed to helping the organizations move their strategies forward. Mortenson’s broad portfolio of integrated services ensures that its customers’ investments result in high-performing assets. The result is a turnkey partner fully invested in the business success of its customers.
Brooklyn (US)-based the Bjarke Ingels Group of architects, designers, engineers, builders, and thinkers operate within the fields of architecture, urbanism, interior design, landscape design, product design, and research and development (R&D). The office is currently involved in a large number of projects throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East.
Stadium Details
The 33,000-fan-capacity domed stadium will feature six primary levels with 30,000 fixed seats and an area for 3,000 standing-room-only ticket holders. The levels are broken down starting from the ground up including: The service and field, lower suite, upper suite, upper concourse, and upper deck.
About 30 percent of fans attending games and events at the ‘A’s’ ballpark will enter at the lower suite level. The armadillo-shaped exterior structure with five crisscrossing pennants on the roof was done with baseball and the Las Vegas heat in mind. The ballpark’s roof will span around 700 feet featuring a metal finish with translucent plastic panels.
Maintained Frankie Sharp, Senior Architect for Bjarke Ingels Group, “So, one of the most iconic images in baseball is the pennant, it’s synonymous with success in baseball. You’ll be able to see out of the giant cable net glass wall toward the Las Vegas Strip … and you’ll be protected from the elements year round and create just a really spectacular experience for everyone.”
From field level to the roof the maximum height is slated to be 290 feet.
That glass wall will span 36,000 square feet and allow natural light and views of the Strip while keeping the stadium an enclosed, climate-controlled facility.
‘Drop the Trop’
Before construction can begin on the Tropicana site (a defunct casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada), the skeletons of the two hotel towers need to be imploded.
Dubbed ‘Drop the Trop’, the implosion is scheduled for 2:30 am on October 9th, but ahead of the demolition, the ‘A’s’ and the Tropicana Owner Bally’s Corporation will host an event with fireworks and a drone show planned.
Lined with upscale casino hotels, the neon-soaked Strip is quintessential Las Vegas. As well as gambling floors, the vast hotel complexes house a variety of shops, restaurants (ranging from mainstream to high-end) and performance venues for music, comedy and circus-style acts. Attractions like the soaring, choreographed Fountains of Bellagio and the High Roller observation wheel draw crowds.
Providence (US)-based the Bally’s Corporation is a global casino-entertainment company with a growing omni-channel presence. It currently owns and manages 15 casinos across 10 States, a golf course in New York, a horse racetrack in Colorado, and has access to the online sports betting (OSB) licences in 18 States. It also owns Bally’s Interactive International, formerly the Gamesys Group, a leading, global, online gaming operator, Bally Bet, a first-in-class sports betting platform, and Bally Casino, a growing iCasino platform.
Added Kaval, “It’s going to be a milestone, in both a farewell to the Tropicana and what it meant for Las Vegas and Southern Nevada and the Strip and also to look forward to our incredible ballpark that we’re going to be building on the Strip. It’s going to be a really fun night and a great way to showcase the project and build the momentum for the future opening in 2028.”
After the towers are brought down, the crews will begin to clear the site for the ‘A’s’ to begin construction of the ballpark. That is scheduled to start in the second quarter of next year with completion slated for 2028.
Informed Kaval, “That’s the current schedule that we are on pace for.”
Outstanding Agreements
The ‘A’s’ have three outstanding agreements with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority that are being negotiated and set to be presented in nearly final forms at a planned October 17th meeting. Those agreements include non-relocation, lease and development agreements.
The Las Vegas Stadium Authority is responsible for the ownership and oversight of the National Football League (NFL) stadium project created by Senate Bill 1 during the 30th Special Session of the Nevada State Legislature. The Stadium Authority is also responsible for the ownership and oversight of the MLB stadium project created by Senate Bill 1 during the 35th Special Session of the Nevada State Legislature. The Stadium Authority roles and responsibilities include – owning and overseeing the stadiums and land, managing the coverage waterfall revenue distributions and managing the stadium capital improvement funds and related expenditures.
The Stadium Authority is overseen by a 13-Member Board of Directors including two ex-officio members.
Commented Kaval, “Everything is going to be presented there but the votes are not going to occur until the December meeting. We’re on track for those and we’re really happy with the progress we’ve made and ensuring that it’s done in an appropriate fashion and working hand-in-hand with the Stadium Authority.”
Workforce Diversity
The procurement schedule began last month and will last through February 2026. The early proposal packages are mainly for the exterior and interior base construction with later applications tied to the field, seating, clubhouse, and other finishing touches of the ballpark.
The Senate Bill 1, the public funding law that earmarks up to $380 million in public funding for the ballpark, also laid out strict workforce and community benefits requirements.
The project must include 51 percent of workers who are women, minority, veteran and disabled, with 15 percent of the work being awarded to the small local businesses.
Ross Edwards, Senior Vice-President of McCarthy Building Companies, said just like they did with the construction of the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, they will have no problem meeting and even exceeding those required thresholds.
Asserted Edwards, “With the Raiders we smashed the target at the Allegiant Stadium. We intend to do that again. It takes a lot of work on the front end to make sure you’re procuring things the right way, but the expectations are laid out properly. That’s what we tried to do here today (September 12th), is to make sure everyone is aware.”
For more than 150 years, St Louis (US)-based McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has been building America both by constructing essential projects the communities rely on as well as by helping those in the communities who need assistance. As one of the oldest American-owned construction companies with offices nationally knowing how to build from early in the design phase through completion is a tradition that will continue as they endeavor to advance the value of their expertise and deliver the highest quality, job-site safety and ultimately, the best final project costs.
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