Manhattan Construction Co. selected to build new Houston Dynamo Stadium
The Houston Dynamo organization has selected Manhattan Construction Co. to build Houston’s new 22,000-seat, Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium. The construction cost is estimated at approximately $60 million and preliminary site work is scheduled to begin in January, 2011. It is anticipated to open for the 2012 MLS season.
“We’re very happy to have selected Manhattan Construction Co. as the builder of our stadium”, Dynamo Chief Operating Officer Chris Canetti said. “Manhattan has an excellent track record, not only in our community, but also in the country as one of the premier stadium-developing organizations. We look forward to getting the construction process started quickly so our team can begin playing in their new home by the first half of 2012.”
The new stadium will be located in downtown Houston and will include 34 luxury suites, 1,000 club seats, and a stadium club. The stadium design includes both an upper and a lower bowl with roof canopy structures on both sidelines and a stage canopy at the south end. The facility will provide an opportunity to host other events including but not limited to international soccer matches, U.S. national team matches, the NCAA College Cup, high school soccer matches, and high school football playoff games in addition to concerts, other championship sporting events, and special events.
“As a fan-minded builder we share the excitement of what the facility will mean to the Houston community, Major League Soccer and the Houston Dynamo organization,” said Duane Duffy, Manhattan Construction Co. executive vice president. “This is a distinctively bold stadium design that will become an iconic Houston landmark and we are honored to have been selected to build it.”
This will be the fourth professional team sports facility to be constructed by Manhattan in Texas. Manhattan is known for building high-profile, technically difficult mega projects like Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, with the first retractable roof stadium in the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, which is recognized as one of the world’s most important sports venues. The firm also constructed Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and is currently building the University of North Texas Football Stadium in Denton.
ICON Venue Group, Inc. is serving as owner’s representative for the Houston Dynamo Stadium project. The architect is Populous and the structural engineer is Walter P Moore.
About Manhattan Construction Company
Founded in 1896, Manhattan Construction Company is ranked as the number one sports complex builder in Texas by McGraw-Hill’s Texas Construction Magazine. The company’s $15+ billion project portfolio includes sports stadium, office, healthcare, government, higher education, K-12 school, laboratory, aviation, religious, museum, library, transportation, condominium, convention, casino, entertainment, and hospitality facilities. Manhattan builds projects throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The firm’s services include Manhattan’s trademarked Builder-Driven Pre-Construction®, construction management, general building, and design/build. Manhattan operates from offices in Dallas and Houston, Texas; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.manhattanconstruction.com.
About the Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo is a Major League Soccer club that has won two MLS Cup championships in its first four seasons and represented the United States in four consecutive regional championships. For more information, visit www.HoustonDynamo.com.
About ICON Venue Group
ICON Venue Group is the leading Owner’s Representative firm in the sports and entertainment industry providing the full spectrum of venue development services including project feasibility, financing, site selection and acquisition, facility programming, design development, construction phase management, venue commissioning, sponsorship sales and servicing, and start up operations. ICON has worked with both public sector and private sector clients and has managed several of the most successful arena and stadium projects in the world. ICON Venue Group has demonstrated expertise in designing, constructing, commissioning, and operating projects for NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS franchises totaling over $3 billion. For more information, visit www.iconvenue.com.
About Populous
Since inception in 1983, Populous has grown into the world’s leading design firm dedicated exclusively to creating environments that draw people and communities together for unforgettable experiences. The firm has completed more than 1,000 projects around the globe with construction value exceeding $20 billion. Populous has worked with 24 Major League Baseball franchises, 30 NFL franchises, 80 professional and civic arena clients, 40 global soccer and rugby teams, 120 universities, 40 convention center clients, 29 equestrian clients and has planned more than 30 major worldwide events. For more information, visit www.populous.com.
About Walter P Moore
An international engineering and consulting firm, WALTER P MOORE has been recognized throughout its long history for superb client service, engineering excellence and innovation. For more information, visit www.walterpmoore.com.