bjarke ingels group is working on a major sports and entertainment destination in texas

bjarke ingels group has unveiled plans for a new sports and entertainment neighborhood to be built in texas. located east of downtown austin, the destination will include a 40,000-seat outdoor bowl — the city’s first pro-sports stadium — and a 15,000-seat arena, all contained beneath a checkered roofscape. in order to foster year-round activity, the masterplan also includes various workspaces, convention halls, hospitality amenities, and youth enrichment programming.

all images courtesy of bjarke ingels group

located at the site of rodeo austin, ‘east austin district’ has been conceived by BIG in partnership with local firm STG design. the masterplan’s individual buildings are arranged as a checkerboard of different functions, which appear as a latticed roofscape from above. as well as shading visitors from the hot sun, the canopy has been designed to accommodate photovoltaic panels that could, in future, allow the self-sufficient development to share its energy resources.

the destination will include a 40,000-seat outdoor bowl

‘like a collective campus rather than a monolithic stadium, the east austin district unifies all the elements of rodeo and soccer into a village of courtyards and canopies,’ explains bjarke ingels, founding partner, BIG. ’embracing austin’s local character and culture, the east austin district is a single destination composed of many smaller structures under one roof. part architecture, part urbanism, part landscape — the east austin district is the architectural manifestation of collective intimacy — a complex capable of making tens of thousands of fans come together and enjoy the best austin has to offer inside and between its buildings.’

generously proportioned courtyards encourage outdoor activity

positioned at the center of the plan, the 40,000-seat stadium is designed for large-scale sports events or music festivals, while the 15,000-seat multi-purpose arena will serve as the home for rodeo austin, and could also host basketball, hockey, or other desired programs. though separate in program, the individual buildings are unified by all-wooden interiors based on the local barn and porch vernacular. meanwhile, generously proportioned courtyards also respond to local customs, encouraging outdoor year-round activity.

the development is located at the site of rodeo austin

‘the east austin district represents an opportunity for austin to combine what it needs with what it wants — community infrastructure for district 1 with world-class facilities for sports and entertainment,’ says sean foley and andrew nestor, co-managing partners of austin sports & entertainment — the firm behind the development. ‘we are in active discussions with leading global sports and entertainment organizations, including our partner rodeo austin as well as various corporations, to serve as anchors to accelerate the goals of the spirit of east austin forum.’

the two arenas are located side by side

‘STG design is very excited to be part of the team for this visionary sports and entertainment hub in our home town,’ adds jack tisdale, principal at STG design. ‘austin sports & entertainment has targeted a site that makes a great deal of sense. the rodeo austin site is in the preferred growth area for austin, away from the environmentally sensitive zones, with excellent access to and from the CBD. it is also an area of austin that is prime and deserving for significant economic and cultural development.’

the smaller 15,000-seat stadium will serve as the home for rodeo austin

the development would also host music concerts of varying scales

the larger venue would be capable of hosting soccer games

the roof canopy has been designed to accommodate photovoltaic panels

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name: east austin district
status: in progress
size: 121,000 sqm / 1,302,433 sqf
project type: commission
client: austin sports & entertainment, LLC
collaborators: walter p. moore engineers, STG design, BIG engineering, BIG landscape, BIG ideas
location: austin, texas, USA

project team
partner-in-charge: bjarke ingels, thomas christoffersen
project leader: jakob henke
team: daniel sundlin, shane dalke, casey tucker, saecheol oh, melissa jones, manon otto, guilia frittoli, emily chen, terrence chew, rasmus streboel, ramona montecillo, tracy sodder, lorenz krisai