Major League Baseball’s Athletics provided a first look at its proposed $1.5-billion Las Vegas ballpark, naming Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) as master planning design lead and HNTB as sports/hospitality designer and architect of record.

The joint venture of Mortenson Construction and McCarthy Building Cos. was announced last August as construction manager for the project, which will occupy a nine-acre portion of the existing 35-acre Tropicana Resort at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, and adjacent to Harry Reid International Airport. 

Renderings released by the Athletics on March 5 show a 33,000-seat facility enclosed by five overlapping roof layers, a design the team says is inspired by traditional baseball pennants.

Image Courtesy The Athletics, Design by BIG/Image by Negativ

To provide an outdoor feel with natural light and views of the Las Vegas Strip to the north, the ballpark’s outfield will be backed by what the Athletics are calling “the world’s large cable-net glass window.” Other features include upper and lower bowls to bring spectators closer to the field, and an 18,000-sq-ft jumbotron—the largest in major league baseball. The ballpark plan supports up to 2,500 on-site parking spots, as well as a two- to three-acre plaza that will extend from the site’s northwest corner to the main concourse.

In a team-issued press release, BIG founder and creative director Bjarke Ingels likened the ballpark’s architecture to “a spherical armadillo,” influenced by both the proximity to the Strip and the local climate. Ingels added that “all direct sunlight is blocked, while all the soft daylight is allowed to wash the field in natural light.”

Image Courtesy The Athletics, Design by BIG/Image by Negativ

The Athletics say the ballpark design will be refined as it navigates the approvals process, with the current schedule calling for the facility to be ready in time for the 2028 season. Because the team’s current lease at the Oakland, Calif., Coliseum expires after this year, however, it’s uncertain where they’ll play until the Las Vegas ballpark is ready.

Funding for the ballpark includes a $380-million public financing package approved by the Nevada legislature last year, along with $180 million in transferable tax credits. Clark County will issue $125 million in general obligation bonds and provide $25 million to construct the stadium’s surrounding infrastructure.

Meanwhile, a phased master plan for redeveloping the entire 35-acre Tropicana site by Bally’s Corp., the resort’s current owner, and Gaming & Leisure Properties, is currently being finalized, according to the Athletics.