CROSS-SECTION: UNDER THE SEATS THE STRUCTURE

INSIDE THE ARENA
Airiness and light set the Sprint Center apart from Kemper Arena and other indoor venues. Although many of the glass panels that form its skin appear
to be opaque from the outside, from the inside they are all transparent, allowing visitors on the two concourse rings to always know where they are in
relation to the city all around them. Such wide-openness provides a great window onto the lights and bustle of a resurgent downtown.
At the same time, however, curtains allow the event bowl to go dark for concerts or matinee performances.
GRAPHIC BY NOAH MUSSER AND MATT CAMPBELL | THE KANSAS CITY STAR
AN
EARLY
LOOK
The Sprint
Center will
open with a
ribbon-cutting
ceremony at
10:10 a.m. Oct.
10, followed by
an open house
for the public
until 10:10 p.m.
ARENA FACTS:
THE STRUCTURE:
FOOD
AND DRINK
THE BASICS
THE ART
The arena cost $276 million and is owned
by Kansas City and operated by the
Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).
It was designed by a consortium of HOK
Sport + Venue + Event, Ellerbe Becket,
360 Architecture and Rafael Architects.
The construction manager was Mortenson
Construction.
The public art project is a $1.3 million
work called “Moons” by New York artist
Chris Doyle. It features three round LED
boards in front of the arena facing Grand
Boulevard displaying images of Kansas
City area people “flying.”
The Sprint Center and adjoining National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and
College Basketball Experience sits on 8.5 acres of downtown Kansas City and
covers 709,225 square feet of space. It is designed to comfortably accommodate
future NHL and NBA teams.
There are 14 fixed
concession areas
on the main and
upper concourse.
With the arena
at full capacity
there is one point
of sale for every
145 people. Some
concession areas
are themed, such
as Taco Taco,
Truman’s BBQ
and Grand Grill.
QuikTrip and
Farmland Foods
also have concession areas.
GLASS
PANELS
From the street, the glass exterior panels
all look slightly different, but why?
They vary in size and shape and
have different areas shaded. This “frit”
pattern keeps the southern sunlight
under control, while on the northern
sides more transparent panels allow
increased visibility toward the skyline
and KC Live areas.
UNDER THE SEATS
Ever wonder what is on the lowest level of Sprint Center? Here’s a
glimpse at plans for the areas behind the scenes.
LOCKER ROOMS
Maintenence
Steam and
chilled
water entry
(Trigen)
Storage
Amber
The hockey locker rooms are close to the
ice, while the basketball locker rooms
are a short jog down the hall.
2,204: Total number of
glass panels that clad the
arena.
700 – 750: Average
weight in pounds of
each glass panel.
Chairman’s
room
Beer
storage
Family
room
Hydro
Tub
1/3 frit
pattern
5 feet by 12 feet: Largest
panel size (panels vary
in size depending on the
panel’s location within the
arena).
3: Percent of glass colored
amber (66 panels total).
Players’
Lounge
Asst.
Coach
Play
room Laundry
Court
storage
Partial
frit
pattern
Head
Coach
Asst.
Coach
Video
Shower
Trainer
Treatment Toilet
Grooming
Sprint Center is built on a hill. In fact the site
drops 27 feet from the northeast corner to
the southwest. This allows dock access on
the lower levels, important if you are trying
to drop off a load of gear for a touring
rock act.
Shower
Interview
Treatment
Room
Street
lockers
Doctors
Exam
Player’s
Home team’s
Lounge
locker rooms
(Hockey)
THE VIEW
ESCALTORS
Looking out from
this end of the
atrium-like upperlevel concourse
provides visitors
a panoramic view
of the Kansas City
skyline.
At the beginning of events all
escalators will be programmed to
go up and after events all will be
programmed to go down to allow
people to get in and out more
quickly.
Levels: (From top to bottom)
Press/catwalk level
Upper concourse
Suite level 2
Suite level 1
Main concourse
Club level
Event floor
Cleaning the glass requires
rappeling down the glass
exterior. A series of clips
allows the window washer to scale the areas
under the overhang of
the bulging sides.
The public can
enter through the
primary entrance
on Grand Boulevard or enter
through the doors
on Oak Street, to
avoid congestion
before or after an
event.
Auxillary
locker rooms
Coach
Treatment
Mascot
HEATING AND COOLING
Sprint Center taps into the TrigenKansas City system, an independent
company that provides centrally produced steam and chilled water to a variety of buildings in the central business
district of Kansas City.
CATWALKS
TRUSS SYSTEM
Suspended about 89 feet, 3 inches above
the floor, the catwalk system allows
technical crews easy access to lighting
and sound rigging. A tie-in cable system
protects technicians from falling if they
misstep.
The roof structure is designed to support
250,000 pounds of weight, allowing the
Sprint Center to stage the biggest, most
elaborate shows — unlike Kemper Arena.
During a basketball
game, the upper
level seats about
6,500. The capacity
is less for concerts,
when some
sections are
curtained off.
Operation
offices
Visiting
team’s locker
rooms
(basketball)
Shower
SUPERCOLUMNS
SCOREBOARD
The media have the
nosebleed seats,
perched high in the
rafters with unobstructed sightlines.
Large columns are visible at each of the
four corners. These support the primary
roof trusses and contain roof drains,
ductwork for ventilation, electrical and
telecommunications cable and venting for
the plumbing systems.
Made by Daktronics, the 31,823-pound
scoreboard has 18 LED displays that
can be programmed to show game info
and statistics, images or advertising. It
features four 9-by-15-foot screens (each
more than 192 inches) to provide fullvideo capability. The scoreboard is one
of the largest indoor in North America.
Beer
storage
Coach
SUITE LEVELS
MAIN CONCOURSE
There are 64 executive suites on two
levels available for long-term lease. Each
seats 12 with a full wet bar and 42-inch
plasma screen TV. AEG will not disclose
leaseholders or prices, but said the suites
cost a six-figure annual amount over a
commitment of five, seven or 10 years.
Eight suites are available for rent for an
individual event. Each can accommodate
up to 82 people.
Wide-open spaces and views of
downtown give the main concourses
an airy, open feel even during
crowded events.
Ice plant
Star
dressing
rooms
Star
dressing
rooms
PUBLIC BAR
In addition to the other concession areas, this gathering spot is a
large concession area and will offer
patrons food and drinks near
one of the primary entrances
to the seating area.
Press
Storage
FOUNDERS CLUB
Lounge privileges cost $3,500 a
year and include the opportunity to
purchase Founders Club level seats,
which are close to the floor and
separate from the rest of the lower
tier. Membership also includes a
separate VIP arena entrance in
addition to the fancier food and
lounge.
Entertainers and
players dining
lounge
Beer
storage
Trash/
Recycling
Tape
Retrieval
Roadie
laundry
Production
Lounge
Rigging
Central
command
Zamboni
Room
Janitorial
Offices
BOWL
SEATS
Club
lounge
Sources: DADT, Irwin Seating, HOK Sport+Venue+Event, 360 Architecture
RIBBON
DISPLAYS
Encircling the arena, a ring of ribbon
displays messages
and advertising.
ICE PIT
Ever wonder
where the ice goes
to melt after they
remove it from the
floor? The ice pit.
NO MORE KICKED DRINKS
Cupholders are attached to the seat in
front of you, at your feet
FLOOR, GENERAL AND
CLUB SEATING
Hockey
maximum
17,297
(17,647 at
Kemper)
YOU CAN DRIVE A
TRACTOR-TRAILER INSIDE
Architects have allowed room for a
tractor-trailer to pull into the open area
beneath the seats. But who on earth
would want to back out? Professional
drivers only, please.
Club
elevator
The main seating bowl has
13,900 seats made by Irwin
Seating, Grand Rapids, Mich.
DOCK AREA
Room to park six
media broadcast
trucks
There are 20
men’s rooms
and 20 women’s
rooms (compared
to 4 and 6 respectively at Kemper.
With the arena at
full capacity there
is one fixture for
every 46 people.
PRESS BOX
Shower
EVENT
FLOOR
RESTROOMS
Spotlight
operator
UPPER
LEVEL
Laundry
Toilet
TWO
ENTRANCES
WINDOW WASHERS
Weight
Room
X-ray
Equipment
Visiting
team’s locker
rooms
(Hockey)
Full frit
pattern
CROSS-SECTION:
Home team’s
locker rooms
(basketball)
Equipment
2/3 frit
pattern
Aisle armrests can swing out of the way to allow
easier access for disabled or injured patrons.
Seat width:
19-22 inches
depending
on space between aisles
Basketball
maximum
18,630
(about
19,000 at
Kemper)
Concert
maximum
14,356
with stage
at one end
Concert
maximum
19,246
with
stage in
the
middle
z 1 percent of arena
seating is reserved
for people with
disabilities and
another 1 percent
for people accompanying them
z The upper deck
can be curtained
off for smaller
events.