In the fall of 2005, residents of Charlotte and the surrounding areas will greet a new beacon to Uptown Charlotte. Located just steps away from a variety of office buildings, restaurants, stores and two city transit terminals, the new arena is being built by the City of Charlotte and will be the home of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and the WNBA's Charlotte Sting. In addition to professional basketball, the new Charlotte arena will play host to a variety of events, ranging from college basketball games and tournaments, to popular concerts and family shows.

Charlotte's new arena will offer an emotionally engaging experience for all guests. From the moment patrons approach the new arena, to their final steps out on the way home, fans will be treated to a superior level of amenities. Guests will enter the arena from a plaza either at Trade or Fifth Street. The new Charlotte Light Rail system will transport visitors to and from the arena when completed.

Once inside the building, a variety of food and beverage options will cater to every fan's taste. From traditional arena fare to fine dining, guests can select from traditional food courts and mobile kiosks to a variety of restaurants and lounges.

Ticket holder comfort will be the hallmark of the arena experience. The intimate feel of the arena will provide fans a unique feeling of closeness to the court, stage or ice while generous seating and legroom will be standard at every seat.

The building has been designed to represent the Charlotte area's diverse urban culture as well as the strength, stability and foundation of the city's heritage. Contemporary elements highlight Charlotte's focus on, and anticipation of, an exciting future for the city, team and arena. The architectural highlight of the building will be a crescent "C" shape surrounding a large portion of the arena, beginning at the entry lobby on Trade Street and sweeping around the building towards Fifth Street. The "C" will serve as a symbol of community unity and as a welcome icon for arena patrons.

Events

• Home to the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and the WNBA's Charlotte Sting as well as high school and college basketball, the circus, concerts, ice shows and family events.

Location

• Center City Charlotte, North Carolina

Owner

• City of Charlotte

Operator

• Charlotte Bobcats/Charlotte Sting
• Charlotte Coliseum Authority

Cost

• $200 Million (design and construction)

Construction Manager

• Hunt Construction Group - Indianapolis, Indiana
• R. J. Leeper Construction - Charlotte, NC

NBA Charlotte Basketball Representative

• Barry Silberman -- EVP/Arena Development, Operations and Entertainment
• PC Sports

Architect

• Ellerbe Becket Architects and Engineers - Kansas City, Missouri

Associate Architects

• Odell Associates, Inc - Charlotte, NC
• The Freelon Group, Inc. - Charlotte, NC

Engineers and Consultants

• Structural (Superstructure / Roof) - Ellerbe Becket
• Structural (Foundations) - Odell Associates, Inc
• Mechanical, Electrical, Lighting - Ellerbe Becket
• Plumbing, Fire Protection - Odell Associates, Inc
• Acoustical / Sound - PMK Consultants
• ADA - Kevin McGuire Associates
• Broadcast / Video - Patlin Electronics, Inc
• Civil, Landscaping - ColeJenest & Stone
• Code / Life Safety - FP&C Consultants, Inc
• Communications / Data - Thompson, Ross Associates
• Food Service - Levy Restaurants / William Caruso & Associates
• Graphics - Workshop Design
• Microclimate Analysis - RWDI Consulting Engineers
• Printing - Richa Graphics
• Security - Kroll / Schiff
• Vertical Transportation - Lerch Bates & Associates

Land

• +/- 9 acre site
• Bordered between Trade, 5th, Caldwell Streets and Light Rail Corridor

Building Dimensions

• 470 +/- feet (NS) by
• 550 +/- feet (EW)
• 780,000 square feet
• 150 +/- feet from event floor level to top of roof (110 feet from event floor to bottom of truss)
• 396 feet clear span
• Building is a circular shape with a box truss roof structure.
• Basic geometry is "offset" for ice events to create a more intimate feeling for basketball events in the seating bowl.
• Concourse Widths - Main 25 feet average width, Upper Concourse 18 feet average width, Suite Corridor 8 feet average width
• Seat tread depth - Lower Bowl 35" / Upper Bowl 34" (Industry std 33")

Seating

• NBA/WNBA Basketball: 18,500
• College Basketball: 20,200
• Hockey: 14,100
• End Stage Concert: 16,700

Premium Seat Offerings

• Founders Suites
• Uptown Luxury Suites
• Party Suites
• Inner Circle Seats
• Courtside Club Seats
• Ledge Seats
• Terrace Tables

Special Amenities Areas

• Team Store at Trade Street Main Entry - 3,500 square feet
• Uptown Terrace (Upper Concourse over Lobby) - 2,600 square feet
• General Terraces - one each on Main Concourse, Loge Level, Suite Level and one additional terrace on Upper Concourse
• Special Fan Zone (open to bowl) - Upper Concourse - 9,000 square feet
• Loge Level Premium Seating Restaurant - views into the seating bowl
• Sports bar on Main Concourse and off 5th Street - 3,200 square feet

Other Building Features

• 22 Ticket/box office windows
• 2 Fan services locations (Main and Upper Concourses)
• 2 First Aid Stations (Main and Upper Concourses)
• ATM Machines (final locations TBD)
• 4 truck docks
• 2 trash docks
• 1 trash chute
• 6 passenger elevators
• 2 freight /food service elevators
• 5 escalators (4 directly from Main to Upper Concourse)

Locker Rooms

• Home Charlotte Bobcats Team Locker Room
• Home Charlotte Sting Locker Room
• Visitor NBA/WNBA Locker Room
• Home Arena Football / Hockey Locker
• 3 Auxiliary Locker Rooms
• 2 Official Locker Rooms (Men and Women)
• 8 Star / Performers Dressing / Production Rooms

Design / Construction Schedule (Fast Track Schedule)

• August - October 2002 - Pre-Design / Programming Phase
• November 2002 - February 2003 - Schematic / Urban Design Phases
• March - June 2003 - Design Development Phase
• July - January 2004 - Construction Documents
• July 2003 - Construction Begins
• October 2005 - Substantial Construction completed
• November 2005 - First Regular Season Basketball game