Photo credit: Fernando Medina/Orlando Magic
Construction on the new Amway Center in downtown Orlando met a major milestone today as the placement of the final steel beam, known traditionally as the “Topping Off” ceremony, was hoisted in place.
On hand to observe the proceedings were City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, Orlando Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins, Orlando Magic President/CEO Bob Vander Weide, City of Orlando District 5 Commissioner Daisy Lynum, City of Orlando District 6 Commissioner Samuel B. Ings, Orange County District 5 Commissioner Bill Segal, among others.
The 875,000-square-foot Amway Center will open in the fall of 2010 and compete to host major national events, concerts and family shows, while serving as the home of the Orlando Magic.
“Topping Off,” coined by ironworkers in the 1920s, celebrates hoisting the final piece of structural steel once a building has reached its maximum height. The beam will be signed by fans, construction crews, Orlando Magic and City and County officials. Traditionally “Topping Off” also involves placing a small tree or branches at the top of the new building to signify a safe and efficient job well done, while honoring nature for providing natural resources for its construction. Amway Center will be Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certified.
Seven short miles from Amway Center, the six, 380-foot long, 150-ton steel roof trusses were fabricated. Roof truss erection began on July 14. The entire structural steel portion of Amway Center is in excess of 3,000 tons. The cutting, shaping and assembling of the raw steel involved 200-plus local steel workers.
AMWAY CENTER FACT SHEET
Scheduled Opening: October 2010
Cost: $380 million (total construction cost)
Location: Downtown Orlando; bound by Church Street (north); Hughey Avenue (east); South Street (south); Division Avenue (west)
Owner: City of Orlando
Operator: City of Orlando
Primary Tenant: Orlando Magic
Functions: NBA and collegiate basketball, arena football, indoor soccer, concerts, hockey, circuses, stage shows and exhibitions
Design Architect: Populous (formerly HOK Sport)
Local Architects: C.T. Hsu + Associates; Baker Barrios Architects, Inc.
Construction Manager: Hunt Construction Group in association with Rey Group, R.L. Burns, Inc., HZ Construction and Albu & Associates, Inc.
Program Manager: Turner Construction Company
Champions of CommunityPartners: Harris Corporation; AirTran Airways
Site Acreage: 8.75 acres
Number of Levels: 7: Event Level; Mezzanine Level; Founders Level; Terrace Level; Club Level; Promenade Level; Sky Level; Press Level
Level Square Footage: 875,000 square feet
Seating Capacities: 19,700 (center stage concert)
16,000 (end stage concerts)
18,600 (NBA)
20,000 (NCAA basketball)
17,200 (hockey/arena football)
Premium Spaces: 60 private suites; 4 bunker suites; 2 super suites; 4 party suites
Private suites distributed on two levels:
1,400 club seats
68 loge boxes (328 seats)
Sustainable Design: Anticipated LEED Certified: Sustainable building design will exist in various categories, including a sustainable site; water efficiency; energy optimization and atmosphere protection; materials and resource conservation; indoor environmental quality and health; and environmentally preferred operations and maintenance
Technology: Harris Corporation is the official technology partner for the Amway Center. The arena will have more than 1,100 screens of high-definition content via Internet Protocol Television and a state-of-the-art digital signage network which will maximize fan engagement and interaction, distribute an unprecedented amount of patron information, as well as providing unlimited opportunities for advertisers and sponsors.
MBE/WBE Participation: Commitment to Blueprint (Goals of 24% total MWBE participation).
Amenities
Amenities for every level of building and ticket price point and all patrons include:
* Outdoor Patio overlooking Church Street with Food & Beverage Service
* Full service themed restaurant and lounge on club concourse overlooking event floor
* Themed fan experience zone and adjacent children’s fun zone in upper concourse
* Public bar and food court on main concourse level with view of event floor
* Wide variety of food & beverage options
* ADA Accessibility on every level
* 18 men’s restrooms and 19 women’s restrooms
* Minimum one concession point of sale for every 125 spectators
* ATM machines at each entrance lobby
Additional amenities include:
* Six Clubs on various levels
* Iconic 120-foot-tall tower with sky bar and sky terrace at top
* Graphic wall on I-4 exterior façade
* 31,000 SF arena floor can be used for exhibition/trade show space, banquets and meetings
* Six banquet rooms and a board room on Founder’s level
* Information kiosks distributed throughout the arena
* Enclosed bridge to connect to planned parking garage
* Two street-level retail locations on Church Street
* Main concourse will average 30’ width
* State-of-the-art center hung scoreboard with video capability; auxiliary boards located throughout the seating bowl; two LED ribbon boards on founder’s level and club level fascia
* Full basketball practice court that can also be used for events seating up to 500 people
* 2 NBA locker rooms; home hockey locker room; home arena football locker room; visiting hockey/arena football locker room; officials’ locker room; 6 star performer dressing rooms; green room for staging and hospitality; additional auxiliary locker room for show personnel
* 13,500 SF of office space for team administration and 15,000 SF for City Venue Administration
* Media interview room and working media facilities on event level
* 6 enclosed truck docks and ramp
