After the games are over, architect David Manica’s real work begins. He is assigned the task of taking the Olympic basketball venue and "Americanizing" it.
Kobe, Lebron, Yao and friends are just the beginning for the Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena. When the games are over, the place is going to undergo a transformation to change into a NBA-type venue. At least David Manica hopes it turns out that way.
Manica, founder of Manica Architecture, is biding his time right now. When the games end, he heads into action as the man who will transform the hoop venue from an economic basketball court into a premier, American-style venue.
The work is being done in conjunction with NBA China, a fairly new entity that handles all the league’s business in the country. Basketball has become a very popular sport in China. The NBA has been a couple of times for games and is interested in pursuing other relationships as well. To that end, the arena will undergo some changes after the games with the NBA in mind.
It will be similar to what Ellerbe Becket did a dozen years ago when it turned 85,000 seat Centennial Stadium into 50,000 seat Turner Field, the current home of the Atlanta Braves.
So what exactly will Manica be doing? The Kansas City Star has some details here.
