The Beck Group is working on two major projects in the Dallas area for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings—a new practice facility in Oak Cliff and a renovation to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, which will be the team’s future home.
The Dallas Wings Practice Facility, which broke ground on Sept. 26 at Joey Georgusis Park, will give the team a permanent training center when complete in 2027.
Designed by Gensler and being built by the Beck Group, in partnership with Azteca Enterprises, the facility blends athletic spaces with community-focused programming.
Jeff Helmreich, project executive of the Beck Group, says the project benefits from a straightforward site and building system. The facility is a custom prefabricated engineered metal structure set on an open field with favorable soil conditions, including clay overburden above weathered shale and rock, he says.
Inside, the building will feature training amenities, including an underwater treadmill and recovery spaces. WSP and MEPCE are working as M/E/P engineers, and Martinez Moore is the project’s structural engineer.
A rendering of the Dallas Wings’ new practice facility in Oak Cliff, designed to support player development and team operations.
Rendering courtesy of the Beck Group
Once complete, it will host professional training, youth sports and local events.
The project is currently in the post–design development phase, with the team working through budget refinements before presenting the updated plan to the Dallas City Council.
Meanwhile, as the practice facility progresses toward construction, Beck Group is also leading renovation of the Dallas Wings Arena. Formerly known as the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, the historic 1957 Art Deco building was designed by George Dahl, a leading Dallas architect responsible for such landmarks as Fair Park and the Cotton Bowl.
The arena is being upgraded to prepare it for WNBA games and other major sporting and entertainment events.
Like the practice facility, the arena project is being delivered through a construction management at-risk approach, with MEP design assist. Gensler is serving as both design architect and architect-of-record.
Matt Leyman, Dallas regional director at the Beck Group, says the contractor is currently refining the budget in the post–design development phase, with substantial completion targeted for July 2027.
The renovation includes structural upgrades, including reinforcement for new elevators, stairs and accessible entries to the event bowl. Engineers are also working on reinforcing the arena’s concrete dome roof to support a new center‑hung scoreboard.
The original roof structure uses 70‑ft perimeter columns with 45‑ft‑tall rigid frames that cantilever inward to support the 204‑ft doubly curved concrete dome. This design eliminates the need for interior columns, creating a clear span of about 300 ft and providing the arena with a wide, unobstructed event space.
“The challenges with the concrete dome roof reinforcement are access to the work due to the convention center being connected to two sides of the arena,” says Helmreich.
As part of the project, all MEP systems and smoke-evacuation infrastructure will be replaced and a new fire sprinkler system will be installed.
“Maintaining the historical integrity of the 1957 concrete dome while layering in features for the modern sports and entertainment marketplace is a unique and energizing opportunity for the entire team,” says Helmreich.
The arena renovation is part of an overall revitalization of Downtown Dallas, which includes the redevelopment of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and the surrounding district.
Dallas is set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the arena will serve as the event’s global media broadcast center.
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