Design team unveils schematic plans for new downtown Oklahoma City arena

Designers presented schematic designs for a new downtown Oklahoma City arena during an amended public-property-agency agenda item and the schematic was accepted by the council as part of PPA business.

The presentation, led by David Manica of Manica Architecture and introduced by David Todd, MAPS program manager, described a circular, transparent building sited near Myriad Gardens with large entrance plazas on the northwest and southwest corners, a below-grade loading and truck dock on the northeast, a parking structure to the east, and multiple street-level and plaza entrances. Manica said the schematic is roughly 30% complete and emphasized circulation, visibility and backstage logistics.

The design team said the arena’s concourse will be a continuous 360-degree ring with the majority of circulation and concessions pulled ‘‘inside the concourse so that you walk around 360 degrees, and you always have views out of the building.’’ Manica said the design intentionally stacks program levels so ‘‘everyone’s together’’ in a single volume with sightlines from upper concourses down to the main concourse.

Why it matters: the schematic frames how the arena will function for the Oklahoma City Thunder, concerts and touring productions, and it shapes construction phasing, operations, traffic, and budgets that will come later in design-review phases.

Key project features and designer notes - Site and plazas: Manica described large entrance plazas and an elevated main plaza with grand staircases and pedestrian access points, including a western-facing plaza and an anticipated ‘‘Thunder Alley’’ along Ron Norick Boulevard. - Back-of-house and loading: the design locates a truck dock below grade to keep service activity off the street and pairs the dock with an optimized rigging grid; Manica said this will make load-in/load-out faster for touring shows. - Bowl geometry and acoustics: the seating bowl is optimized for basketball rather than hockey, pulling the ends closer to the court to improve sightlines and atmosphere. On acoustics, Manica said the design uses a soffit and tuned surfaces to bounce and attenuate sound, aiming to balance loudness for sport events and appropriate reverberation for concerts. - Accessibility and operations: designers pointed to street-level operational offices with natural light, multiple drop-off and circulation points, and increased restroom and food amenity distribution relative to the city’s current arena.

Council Q&A and safety detail Council members asked about railing heights and crowd noise. Councilmember Marin (commenting from the dais) noted an earlier slide with a low railing and said the design team had raised it; Manica confirmed the railing was ‘‘now pulled up to bar height with a glass railing that goes even higher.’’ Council members also asked how much louder the building could be; Manica answered that bringing people closer together and reducing intervening air will increase perceived volume and said the design is ‘‘intentionally designed to be even louder and even more exciting than the existing one.’’

Next steps and schedule The design team characterized schematic design as about 30% complete and said significant design and engineering work remains. David Todd said the PPA and council will continue to receive design updates under the development agreement. The PPA items that included schematic plans were approved unanimously by the council during the meeting and the schematic design will appear again on an amended consent docket for further action.

Ending Council members thanked the design team and MAPS staff for the presentation. Designers asked for continued input as design advances to the next phases and emphasized the schematic’s intent to make the arena a transparent, city-facing facility with improved logistics for concerts and sporting events.