$1.4 Billion Entertainment Complex Opens in San Francisco
One of the crown jewels of San Francisco's building boom, the new Chase Center, opened in September 2019 on an 11-acre site in the city's Mission Bay neighborhood—just in time for the October 24th season home opener of the Golden State Warriors basketball team.
The $1.4 billion mixed-use development includes an 18,064-seat sports and entertainment arena, two office buildings, 100,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, and 3.2 acres of public plazas and open space. The project was privately financed by the Warriors' ownership, and according to the team is the only privately financed arena or stadium project built on private property in the modern era of sports.
Mortenson/Clark, a joint venture between Bethesda, Md.-based Clark Construction Group and Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction, built the Chase Center. MANICA Architecture, a boutique firm in Kansas City, Mo., specializing in the design of international sports and entertainment venues, designed the new arena.
“The new Warriors sports and entertainment center is going to activate Mission Bay in new ways and create a 21st century fan experience and a premier entertainment experience for concert and convention-goers," said Peter Guber, co-executive chairman of the Warriors organization. “It will serve as a 'digital' meeting place, with state-of-the-art amenities, unbelievable sight-lines, and new views of the Bay."
Massive mixed-use development. The Chase Center project spans more than 2 million square feet spread across five structures. The main plaza video board on the exterior of Chase Center is 2,500 square feet wide —approximately half the size of an NBA basketball court.
Thrive City. The September 6 opening debut of the center featured a concert by Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony. The Warriors played their first game in Chase Center on October 5th in a preseason match against the Los Angeles Lakers. The new arena is expected to host more than 200 events per year, including Golden State Warriors games, concerts, and cultural events. JP Morgan Chase bought the naming rights for the building for 20 years.
The surrounding development around Chase Center, dubbed "Thrive City," includes office and retail development and space for year-round health and wellness activities, such as Get Fit clinics, yoga sessions, farmer's markets, and even ice skating.
Plans are also in the works for a new 5.5-acre waterfront park across Terry Francois Boulevard from the arena. The park will feature water-oriented activities and large lawn areas designed to accommodate a variety of recreational uses.
Two office buildings. As part of the arena complex development, local firms AE3 Partners and Pfau Long Architects designed two new office buildings on the site. The 11-story office towers include more than 550,000 square feet of space, with the first two floors dedicated to restaurant and retail use.
The buildings are steel-framed with a concrete shear core, and provide configuration flexibility to accommodate high-tech tenants. Both structures were designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, a benchmark for the development and operation of green buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Multi-modal access. Three levels of below-grade parking under Chase Center can accommodate 950 cars. In order to help reduce auto emissions and personal vehicle usage, the site also connects with public transportation options. Plans are in the works to add bus stops, shuttles, and an extension of the Muni system, which will connect to both the BART subway system and Caltrain. Preferred on-site parking is available for carpool vehicles, and the parking garage includes electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The site will also offer a variety of bicycle storage options, including an indoor bike valet for up to 300 bicycles and a corral for 100 additional bikes that will be open during events.
The Warriors have also proposed plans to build a new Starwood Hotel property attached to Chase Center with 142 rooms and 25 luxury condominiums. Current plans call for construction to start in 2021, with completion by 2023. Additionally, Marriott is currently building a 250-room hotel near the arena at the intersection of Channel and 3rd Streets.
Finishing touches. Construction planning for Chase Center began about five years ago, and included advanced 4D modeling. The Mortenson/Clark team developed an innovative construction approach that involved unraveling the arena from other structures on the site, and then sequencing construction around its four structural cores. Each quadrant of the arena was built based on its own schedule for concrete and steel, and each level had its own timetable for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and finish work. By using this approach, the construction team was able to align completion of each phase of the project.
Gensler, a global design and architecture firm, collaborated with MANICA and Houston architecture firm Kendall/Heaton Associates on the interior design of the arena. In all, more than 260 firms were involved in the construction of the new complex.
“A project of this scale and complexity doesn't happen without trust and collaboration among our partners in the field and throughout every level of this team," said Jim McLamb, Mortenson/Clark's project director for Chase Center. “We had an exceptional pool of talented and determined project partners, all rowing in the same direction and working toward the same goal."
Environmentally-friendly. The arena, like the office buildings, was designed for LEED Gold Certification. Interior finishes in the building, for example, were chosen to reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the arena, which means better indoor air quality. The exterior of Chase Center uses a light-colored roofing material with a high solar reflectance index in order to create an eco-friendly heat island effect that reflects sunlight and prevents heat absorption.
Live and on screen. Chase Center features the NBA's largest scoreboard, with over 9,500 square feet of LED screen space, developed by Samsung. The scoreboard fully retracts into the ceiling for storage during non-sporting events. Let the games begin!
