Colorado Rockies’ baseball stadium complex in Arizona on track
Colorado Rockies, a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, is constructing a new spring training facility in Arizona, which is gearing towards completion.
The new complex is designed to serve as the spring training headquarters for the Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. The open and welcoming complex will serve as a community gathering place throughout the year.
The stadium’s layout of 13 baseball fields and two soccer fields is oriented in such a way that the main venue is in the centre, facing east. The layout evokes the image of ancient ball courts that were also oriented in the centre and had various courtyards and plazas connected to the stadium. The main stadium faces east which indicates an important architectural aspect related to traditional dwellings of the tribes, which also face their doorways to the east to greet the sunrise.
The Rockies' weight room at the stadium is characterized by soaring glass walls that face east toward Four Peaks and Red Mountain. Mo Stein, principal at HKS Inc.’s Phoenix office, commented that the fundamental element of this project is to create a fan-immersed experience in Major League Baseball. HKS is responsible for the stadium’s design and site plan.
Respecting the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian culture and providing the Rockies and D-backs with custom facilities that will give them a competitive edge are some other design objectives.
Expected to be completed within less than three months, the new training facility located on a 145-acre site on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land encompasses a $100 million baseball stadium complex. The facility is expected to be completed by 28 January 2010.
Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction, which has a portfolio of sports-related work including Target Field, serves as the project’s general contractor.
