AECOM is the general contractor for the MSG Sphere at The Venetian, the spherical immersive entertainment venue currently under construction in Las Vegas.
AECOM has experience with large-scale sports and entertainment venues constructed in recent years, including T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV; Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA; and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY.
Located on an 18-acre site on Sands Avenue between Manhattan Street and Koval Lane (next to the Sands Expo Convention Center, part of the complex that includes the Venetian Resort, The Palazzo and the Grand Canal Shoppes), MSG Sphere at The Venetian will feature an iconic spherical shape, with a fully programmable LED exterior. This first-of-its-kind venue will be 360 feet tall and 516 feet wide, and will connect to the Venetian Resort via an approximately 1,000-foot long pedestrian bridge.
AECOM joins project architect Populous and project manager Rider Levett Bucknall. MSG’s goal is to open MSG Sphere at The Venetian in calendar 2021.
“We are making important progress in Las Vegas and are pleased to have added another world-class company to our team,” said Jayne McGivern, MSG’s Executive Vice President of Development and Construction, via press statement. “AECOM’s experience creating bold, innovative projects makes them the ideal partner for bringing MSG Sphere at The Venetian to life. We look forward to working with them to deliver a truly groundbreaking experience for Las Vegas, one that will ultimately redefine the entertainment industry and serve as a long-term investment in the city’s role as a leading international tourist destination.”
“We’re excited to partner with The Madison Square Garden Company to deliver a next-generation venue in the heart of the world’s most celebrated entertainment capital,” said Michael S. Burke, AECOM’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We’re thrilled about this opportunity to leverage our unrivaled construction management capabilities and expertise on the world’s most complex projects to help transform an ambitious vision into a destination venue unlike any that exists today.”
The stated goal for the MGM Sphere at The Venetian: Delivering a fully immersive experience on a large scale, as the facility’s capacity is approximately 17,500 seated. Guests will be surrounded by the largest and highest-resolution LED screen on Earth. More than 160,000 square feet of display surface (equal to three football fields) will wrap up, over and behind the stage and audience, at a resolution 100 times better than today’s HD televisions.
To go along with the video: an advanced acoustics system that features beamforming technology, enabling audio to be directed to specific locations in the bowl at a volume that remains constant, from point of origin to destination. Beamforming technology also allows multiple forms of content to be delivered simultaneously, which means two people–sitting five feet apart–could hear completely different things, adding to the possibilities for a truly customized experience, according to an MSG press release.
To awaken the sense of touch, an infrasound haptic system will use deep vibrations so that guests can “feel” the experience. And MSG Sphere at The Venetian will also ignite the sense of smell through evocative scents that truly transport audiences.
Additionally, the ground-breaking venue will introduce a new architecture for connectivity that will deliver 25 megabits per second for every guest, enabling a broader range of content and greater interaction.
Renderings courtesy MSG.
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