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Illustration by Michael Hogue.<\/p>\n
Photos\/DMN files, Getty Images; Michael Hogue\/Staff Artist<\/p>\n
It\u2019s settled. The Dallas Mavericks<\/a> are moving to Valley View, whether Mark Cuban likes it or not<\/a>. It is the logical move, at least for the team. Why get involved in the contentious debate over the future of City Hall<\/a> \u2014 a political quagmire that could drag on for who knows how long \u2014 when there\u2019s a large, shovel-ready site ready to go?<\/p>\n But even if we know where the team is moving, there\u2019s no clarity on\u00a0exactly what<\/a> it will build. An arena, obviously, but presumably also an entertainment district that will incorporate restaurants, bars, hotels and, if the Texas Legislature ever allows it, a casino.\u00a0<\/p>\n Valley View offers plenty of space for all this development. The team\u2019s challenge is to avoid building a boring, soulless, antiseptic place that has no local character, which is to say, not replicating the experience of the\u00a0sports-themed developments Victory Park, the Star<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Frisco and Texas Live! in Arlington. \u00a0<\/p>\n What should this new place look like? How do you make a basketball arena (let alone a casino) a compelling work of architecture and a dynamic place to watch a game? As an architecture critic and longtime NBA fan, I can offer some advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aerial photo of the Valley View mall in 1973.<\/p>\n Tom Dillard\/Staff photographer<\/p>\n Start with an urban plan<\/p>\n The first order of business should be gathering a team of planners, architects and landscape architects who can create an appealing campus environment. They should prioritize a natural landscape, with plenty of park space and, perhaps, an amphitheater (think: Hollywood Bowl) that can also be used for concerts and large watch parties. To the greatest extent possible, cars should be kept at the periphery. When it comes to the architecture, don\u2019t reflexively hire one of the large corporate firms with a history designing arenas. Make space for local, independent practitioners who understand the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Be sensitive to the environment<\/p>\n Buildings and landscape should be sustainable and resilient. Use native, drought sensitive plants. Portland has built a mass timber airport terminal. Could Dallas have the first mass timber arena?\u00a0<\/p>\n Garages are the front door<\/p>\n It is frustrating that Valley View is not better served by public transit. That’s something to work on with the city. But it\u00a0means the vast majority of people will arrive by car, and parking garages will be their first experience of the development. Don\u2019t treat these structures as afterthoughts. As much design inspiration needs to go into these spaces as the rest of the buildings. Two examples of appealing parking structures are in Miami: the Museum Garage,<\/a> designed by New York architects Work\/AC, and 1111 Lincoln Road, by the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A live-work environment<\/p>\n Adding apartments to the development will help make it a vital place. But don\u2019t build only luxury housing. Make space for the workforce that will keep this district operational. City leaders should use their leverage in negotiating with the team to make sure this happens.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not a dumb box<\/p>\n Basketball arenas are a tricky design challenge because they are immense blank boxes (or ovals) that look inward, making them visually uninteresting and unpleasant to navigate on foot. The\u00a0NBA\u2019s newest arena, the Los Angeles Clippers\u2019 Intuit Dome, resolves these problems fairly well, and would be a good model for a project in Dallas. The architects, AECOM<\/a>, smartly built a shell of metal screens around the arena structure, creating a middle space between inside and out. The porous metal skin gives the building more character than the typical arena, and creates a pleasant space for fans to gather and orient themselves.<\/p>\n The mural designed by architect Brenda Stubel on the old Sanger Harris\u00a0building at Valley View Center in Dallas, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jae S. Lee\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Embrace Valley View\u2019s history<\/p>\n Take inspiration from the old Valley View mall; the architecture of that behemoth, with its flattened colonnades, is best left in the past, but a\u00a0reimagination of the abstract murals<\/a>\u00a0of glass tile, created by Dallas architect Brenda Stubel, that fronted the facades of the mall\u2019s anchor tenant, Sanger Harris, would be a welcome nod to local history.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fans at Intuit Dome’s “The Wall”\u00a0try to disrupt a free-throw shooter.<\/p>\n Ronald Martinez\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Get fans close<\/p>\n The success or failure of a basketball arena ultimately resides in the fan experience, and not just for those who can afford to sit\u00a0courtside. Putting as many fans as close to the floor as possible should be a priority, both because it gives the most people the best views, and because density creates the electric atmosphere that fans and athletes crave. That goal can come at the expense of luxury seating. At the aforementioned Intuit Dome, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sacrificed luxury seating to create \u201cThe Wall,<\/a>\u201d a steeply raked section reserved for diehards. The Mavs could implement a similar arrangement or develop their own creative idea. To say that the team\u00a0still needs to make up with fans for the Luka debacle is an understatement.\u00a0The Mavs have promised a “premium experience”<\/a> for all fans. Live up to this commitment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Put video in its place<\/p>\n Another innovation at Intuit Dome is the shifting of video boards from a drop-down cube that hangs over center court to a halo band above the upper deck. The result is a more visually dramatic and open bowl, with fewer distractions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Circulation is key<\/p>\n Navigating an\u00a0NBA arena can be disorienting, tedious and unpleasant. (American Airlines Center is especially disconcerting in this department.) Broad corridors and aisles are essential for easing congestion. Wherever possible, introduce natural light. Take a cue from NorthPark Center<\/a> and avoid floating kiosks and concession stands in the middle of corridors, where they block space and cause distraction. Barclays Center,<\/a> home of the Brooklyn Nets, has one of the league\u2019s stronger visual environments. Designed by the New York firm SHoP Architects, it keeps clutter to a minimum in spaces that have a clean, industrial aesthetic.<\/p>\n Terrace of Kaseya Center, home of the Miami Heat.<\/p>\n Mark Lamster<\/p>\n Get people outside<\/p>\n The arena experience can be claustrophobic. An antidote: Let fans go outside. The most appealing feature of\u00a0Kaseya Center, home of the Miami Heat, are the terraces along its concourses, which have views of the city\u2019s skyline and allow fans to step outside for a drink before and after games and during halftimes. The Mavs could take that idea a step further by creating a system of ramps and terraces that lead to a rooftop park with views of downtown Dallas.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make\u00a0wayfinding easy<\/p>\n It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of\u00a0wayfinding in an arena. Graphics should be bold, clear and plentiful. Think creatively about visual orientation; sections coded to color, for example, can help visitors figure out where they are, and where they need to go.<\/p>\n A new graphic identity<\/p>\n While we\u2019re on the subject of graphic design, it\u2019s well past time for a new team identity. The weird horse-head logo is one of the least compelling in the league, and makes no sense: A maverick is a cow, not a horse. The team has put together some impressive alternate jersey designs in recent years, and it\u2019s nice to see the throwback cowboy hat version make the occasional return, but the default uniforms are the graphic equivalent of a missed free-throw.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Say no to Big Brother<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Mark Lamster<\/p>\n
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