INSIDE THE ARENA

CROSS-SECTION:

UNDER THE SEATS

THE STRUCTURE:ARENA FACTS:

UPPER LEVELDuring a basketball game, the upper level seats about 6,500. The capacity is less for concerts, when some sections are curtained off.

MAIN CONCOURSEWide-open spaces and views of downtown give the main concourses an airy, open feel even during crowded events.

SUITE LEVELSThere are 64 executive suites on two levels available for long-term lease. Each seats 12 with a full wet bar and 42-inch plasma screen TV. AEG will not disclose leaseholders or prices, but said the suites cost a six-figure annual amount over a commitment of five, seven or 10 years. Eight suites are available for rent for an individual event. Each can accommodate up to 82 people.

SUPERCOLUMNSLarge columns are visible at each of the four corners. These support the primary roof trusses and contain roof drains, ductwork for ventilation, electrical and telecommunications cable and venting for the plumbing systems.

SCOREBOARDMade by Daktronics, the 31,823-pound scoreboard has 18 LED displays that can be programmed to show game info and statistics, images or advertising. It features four 9-by-15-foot screens (each more than 192 inches) to provide full- video capability. The scoreboard is one of the largest indoor in North America.

RIBBON DISPLAYSEncircling the are-na, a ring of ribbon displays messages and advertising.

PRESS BOXThe media have the nosebleed seats, perched high in the rafters with unob-structed sightlines.

WINDOW WASHERS

YOU CAN DRIVE A TRACTOR-TRAILER INSIDEArchitects have allowed room for a tractor-trailer to pull into the open area beneath the seats. But who on earth would want to back out? Professional drivers only, please.

DOCK AREARoom to park six media broadcast trucks

LOCKER ROOMSTWO ENTRANCESThe public can enter through the primary entrance on Grand Bou-levard or enter through the doors on Oak Street, to avoid congestion before or after an event.

RESTROOMSThere are 20 men’s rooms and 20 women’s rooms (compared to 4 and 6 respec-tively at Kemper.With the arena at full capacity there is one fixture for every 46 people.

FOOD AND DRINKThere are 14 fixed concession areas on the main and upper concourse. With the arena at full capacity there is one point of sale for every 145 people. Some concession areas are themed, such as Taco Taco, Truman’s BBQ and Grand Grill. QuikTrip and Farmland Foods also have conces-sion areas.

TRUSS SYSTEMThe roof structure is designed to support 250,000 pounds of weight, allowing the Sprint Center to stage the biggest, most elaborate shows — unlike Kemper Arena.

CATWALKSSuspended about 89 feet, 3 inches above the floor, the catwalk system allows technical crews easy access to lighting and sound rigging. A tie-in cable system protects technicians from falling if they misstep.

ICE PITEver wonder where the ice goes to melt after they remove it from the floor? The ice pit.

HEATING AND COOLINGSprint Center taps into the Trigen- Kansas City system, an independent company that provides centrally pro-duced steam and chilled water to a va-riety of buildings in the central business district of Kansas City.

GLASS PANELS

THE ARTThe public art project is a $1.3 million work called “Moons” by New York artist Chris Doyle. It features three round LED boards in front of the arena facing Grand Boulevard displaying images of Kansas City area people “flying.”

Airiness and light set the Sprint Center apart from Kemper Arena and other indoor venues. Although many of the glass panels that form its skin appear to be opaque from the outside, from the inside they are all transparent, allowing visitors on the two concourse rings to always know where they are in relation to the city all around them. Such wide-openness provides a great window onto the lights and bustle of a resurgent downtown. At the same time, however, curtains allow the event bowl to go dark for concerts or matinee performances.

The Sprint Center and adjoining National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and College Basketball Experience sits on 8.5 acres of downtown Kansas City and covers 709,225 square feet of space. It is designed to comfortably accommodate future NHL and NBA teams.

AN EARLY LOOK The Sprint Center will open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:10 a.m. Oct. 10, followed by an open house for the public until 10:10 p.m.

Levels: (From top to bottom)Press/catwalk level Upper concourseSuite level 2 Suite level 1 Main concourseClub levelEvent floor

Ever wonder what is on the lowest level of Sprint Center? Here’s a glimpse at plans for the areas behind the scenes.

Amber Partialfrit

pattern

1/3 fritpattern

2/3 fritpattern

Full fritpattern

THE VIEWLooking out from this end of the atrium-like upper-level concourse provides visitors a panoramic view of the Kansas City skyline.

ESCALTORSAt the beginning of events all escalators will be programmed to go up and after events all will be programmed to go down to allow people to get in and out more quickly.

PUBLIC BARIn addition to the other conces-sion areas, this gathering spot is a large concession area and will offer patrons food and drinks near one of the primary entrances to the seating area.

FOUNDERS CLUBLounge privileges cost $3,500 a year and include the opportunity to purchase Founders Club level seats, which are close to the floor and separate from the rest of the lower tier. Membership also includes a separate VIP arena entrance in addition to the fancier food and lounge.

Spotlight operator

Visiting team’s locker

rooms(Hockey)

Visiting team’s locker

rooms(basketball)

Auxillary locker rooms

Star dressing rooms

Star dressing rooms

Roadie laundry

Central command

Rigging

Tape Retrieval

ZamboniRoom

Entertainers and players dining

lounge

Home team’s locker rooms

(Hockey)

Shower

Asst. Coach

Asst. Coach

Head Coach

Shower

Shower

ShowerVideo

Equipment

Laundry

X-ray

Interview Room

Mascot

Toilet

Toilet

Laundry

Player’s Lounge

Players’ Lounge

Street lockersDoctors

Exam

Treatment TreatmentTrainer

HydroTub

Equipment

Coach

Coach

Press Storage

Production Lounge

Janitorial Offices

Treatment

Grooming

Home team’s locker rooms(basketball)

Weight Room

Club elevator

Club lounge

EVENT FLOOR

Court storage

StorageBeer

storage

Beer storage

Chairman’s room

Steam and chilled

water entry(Trigen)

Maintenence

Family room

Play room

Beer storage

Ice plant

Operation offices

Trash/ Recycling

GRAPHIC BY NOAH MUSSER AND MATT CAMPBELL | THE KANSAS CITY STAR

THE BASICSThe arena cost $276 million and is owned by Kansas City and operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). It was designed by a consortium of HOK Sport + Venue + Event, Ellerbe Becket, 360 Architecture and Rafael Architects. The construction manager was Mortenson Construction.

The hockey locker rooms are close to the ice, while the basketball locker rooms

are a short jog down the hall.

BOWL SEATSThe main seating bowl has 13,900 seats made by Irwin Seating, Grand Rapids, Mich.

NO MORE KICKED DRINKSCupholders are attached to the seat in front of you, at your feet

Aisle armrests can swing out of the way to allow easier access for disabled or injured patrons.

Seat width: 19-22 inchesdepending on space be-tween aisles

Sources: DADT, Irwin Seating, HOK Sport+Venue+Event, 360 Architecture

From the street, the glass exterior panels all look slightly different, but why? They vary in size and shape and have different areas shaded. This “frit” pattern keeps the southern sunlight under control, while on the northern sides more transparent panels allow increased visibility toward the skyline and KC Live areas.

2,204: Total number of glass panels that clad the arena.700 – 750: Average weight in pounds of each glass panel.

5 feet by 12 feet: Largest panel size (panels vary in size depending on the panel’s location within the arena).3: Percent of glass colored amber (66 panels total).

Sprint Center is built on a hill. In fact the site drops 27 feet from the northeast corner to the southwest. This allows dock access on the lower levels, important if you are trying to drop off a load of gear for a touring rock act.

Cleaning the glass requires rappeling down the glass

exterior. A series of clips allows the window wash-

er to scale the areas under the overhang of

the bulging sides.

Hockey maximum 17,297 (17,647 at Kemper)

Basketball maximum 18,630 (about 19,000 at Kemper)

Concert maximum 14,356 with stage at one end

Concert maximum 19,246 with stage in the middle

z The upper deck can be curtained off for smaller events.

z 1 percent of arena seating is reserved for people with disabilities and another 1 percent for people accom-panying them

FLOOR, GENERAL AND CLUB SEATING