Streamlining Sports Arena & Entertainment Venue Construction

Centered on Stadiums & Arenas

Sports stadiums and entertainment facilities are among the physically largest projects on which construction companies work. In terms of scale, these projects are massive—contractors may have to clear huge tracts of land, source massive amounts of materials and equipment to raise the structure, and deal with community approval issues. These contracts also frequently come with tight deadlines and little cushion. However, they also come with multi-million dollar price tags, making them especially lucrative and highly sought after projects.



Worldwide Demand

Over the past few years, sports stadiums and entertainment facilities have been in high demand. The city of Los Angeles is looking to spend more than $1 billion on a proposed football stadium in the downtown region. In Georgia, talks are underway for a new $948 million facility that comes complete with a retractable roof. The Olympic Games recently took place in newly constructed venues where the U.K. government invested upward of $14.5 billion. For general contractors looking for a major source of revenue, sports stadiums and entertainment facilities are a major draw.

At the same time, the expense associated with building these billion-dollar complexes have also skyrocketed exponentially over the past two decades. Given the wavering economic conditions, organizations interested in building sports arenas have much tighter budgets—they want to launch these projects, but cost is an issue.

This financial risk adds an extra degree of pressure to the projects and General Contractors (GC) need to be prepared to handle it. Tighter budgets lead to a number of additional challenges—a GC’s estimate needs to be exact because they are working with smaller profit margins, they need to stay on schedule to avoid late fees or penalties, and they must be aware of which subcontractors will be best suited for the job. That means the GC needs to work within these constraints to even have a chance at winning the job.

Fortunately, construction automation software helps general contractors throughout the bidding and building process, enabling them to provide clients with better, more accurate estimates and helping them stay on schedule and on spec. This is keenly important when taking on massive projects with unique challenges, such as sports arenas and entertainment facilities.



Design Considerations

Every project has its own set of challenges and complexities, but sports stadiums and entertainment facilities are a whole new ballgame. There are several special circumstances that require a bit of extra attention when it comes to this type of project.

For example, sports arenas are absolutely massive—the stadium needs to hold tens of thousands of fans, plus extra facilities such as locker rooms, vendor spaces, and offices. The flow of people, both pedestrian and vehicular, in and out of the venue requires its own set of construction concerns. Beyond the stadium, there are practice fields or retail outlets. All of this requires a lot of planning and physical space.

Additionally, entertainment facilities tend to be very specific. They aren’t like commercial buildings that can be built from a similar cookie-cutter plan. Each sports arena has its own needs, and they are uniquely designed from the ground up for the client. They are truly one-of-a kind buildings. From initial design to digital takeoff to actual construction, each stadium project will be different from a general contractor’s past work. Another consideration is that many of these arenas are designed with multiple uses in mind. Football, for instance, is only played for four or five months out of the year. However, these facilities cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, and as a result, many clients look to host other events in the facility. A football stadium could host the home soccer team in the off-season or be used for concerts throughout the year. The sheer variety of uses needs to be accounted for by the general contractor, and could be a major consideration in the planning of these projects.

It also goes without saying that the deadlines on these projects are generally very strict. Whether it’s the start of the sports season or the Olympic Games, stadiums need to be completed in a timely fashion. This isn’t like residential construction or commercial building, where there is a degree of leeway—these projects need to be built on time, as they are home to events that can’t be delayed.

Sports arenas are intended to serve their local communities, whether it’s the state’s football team or a region’s Little League club. As such, it’s important that both clients and contractors consider the impact a stadium has on local residents. If the facility is being made for a major sports team, then clients must plan for the additional sound and noise coming from the arena or the effect of traffic from attendees on local communities.

In some instances, such as the recently constructed Olympic stadium in London, there needs to be a contingency plan as well. While the London arena was built with the Olympic Games in mind, it can also be repurposed to fit the needs of other sporting and entertainment events. It’s important that general contractors and architects are aware of post-initial construction plans so adjustments can be made if necessary.



Automating Sports Arenas

There are many issues facing contractors as they build sports stadiums and entertainment facilities. While there is no foolproof way of managing all of these different challenges, construction automation software is a good place to start. General contractors use these applications to store blueprints, perform digital takeoff to keep track of all the materials they need for the project, quickly create accurate bids, hit milestones and stay on schedule, as well as manage other aspects of the construction project. Construction software should be leveraged every step of the way to get the most value, ranging from quantity measurement to estimating and bidding, and through management of the project itself.

In the quantity measurement phase, software can be utilized to determine and track what materials are needed to make the architect’s design become a reality. This feeds into the estimating and bidding phase, with software being leveraged to determine how much the materials and labor will cost and the profit margins of a project. Finally, the right solution can assist in project management and ensuring that production stays on track.

The construction of sports and entertainment facilities can be a nerve-wracking, stress inducing process. However, having the right tools and equipment to do the job can help significantly. Construction automation software plays a critical role by reducing errors, improving efficiency, addressing any changes to designs or specifications, reducing waste, and minimizing risks.



On Center Software

On Center Software, Inc., is a privately held company providing software and training to construction industry professionals for over 24 years. Located in The Woodlands, Texas, the company’s mission is to transform the estimating, takeoff, and labor-tracking experience with comprehensive software solutions that turn winning bids into profitable projects. On Center Software solutions include On-Screen Takeoff®, Quick Bid®, and Digital Production Control™. Customers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, South Africa, and 60 other countries around the world leverage On Center Software’s internationally recognized solutions. For more information about On Center Software, call 866.627.6246 or visit www.oncenter.com.



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