Construction continues as the Sacramento Kings’ new arena, the Golden 1 Center, looks to open in October, just in time for the 2016-2017 NBA season. According to the arena’s website, the project has encompassed four city blocks including the arena and the downtown commons area. Along with the arena, there will be 1.5 million square feet of additional development that includes office space, retail space, hotels, and residential units. There will also be a new state-of-the-art sports medicine facility, with the Kings teaming up with Kaiser Permanente.
The project has been innovative for several reasons: technology and sustainability. The Kings’ owner is tech mogul Vivek Ranadivé, so it’s no wonder that the Golden 1 Center will have as many bells and whistles as possible. In a report released in January, the Kings laid out their plans which included partnering with Comcast Business, Commscope, and Valley Communications to build more than 900 miles of fiber and copper cabling to enhance all communications and deliver data extremely fast with the Internet connection estimated to be 17,000 times faster than if you were at home.
Perhaps the jewel of the new arena will be the new 4K Ultra HD video board which will be the largest in the NBA. It was built by Panasonic and has a four-screen display that totals more than 32 million pixels and is seven times larger than the team’s previous video board. With the team’s mobile app, fans can also check everything from the shortest bathroom line to the shortest concession stand line. However, Ranadivé told Bloomberg Technology back in December that there might be plans to add more technology in the future:
What might that future include? The owner said he is also experimenting with robots to help with arena security, armrests that charge your mobile phone, drone-aided parking, and virtual-reality glasses that offer fans a view from the coach’s perspective or from the hoop itself.
Sustainability has been another aspect of this project with the new Golden 1 Center looking to earn a LEED-Gold certification, which is a rating system that measures the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. The Golden 1 Center will be carbon and grid neutral and will be utilizing regionally sourced materials and only FSC-Certifed wood, an international standard of quality and responsible forest management.
According to the arena’s website, 100 percent of the arena’s energy will come from solar energy sourced within 50 miles of the arena. About 85 percent of the energy will come from the Sacramento Municipality Utility District via Rancho Seco Solar Array while the remaining 15 percent will come from the roof of the arena, where solar panels will be installed. The arena will also use a displacement ventilation system to reduce use of overhead fans and its food and beverage program will source 90 percent of the arena’s ingredients from producers within 150 miles. With all of the new green additions to the arena, the Golden 1 Center has been chosen to host the 2017 Green Sports Alliance Summit.
Construction is still on schedule and the arena is expected to open in October. For up-to-date photos and even a live camera of the construction action, you can visit the arena’s website at www.golden1center.com.
Renderings courtesy of the Sacramento Kings.
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