Populous (company)

Populous is a global architectural firm specializing in the design of sports facilities and convention centers, as well as planning of major special events.

The firm enjoys a dominant role in the design of sporting stadiums and arenas, including such globally prominent facilities as the new Yankee Stadium in New York, Wembley Stadium in London, Stadium Australia in Sydney, Wimbledon Centre Court, Minneapolis' Target Field, San Francisco's AT&T Park, Duluth's AMSOIL Arena,Chicago's United Center arena, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh's Heinz Field, Houston's Reliant Stadium, Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, Philippine Arena in Manila, the renovation of Chicago's Wrigley Field, University of Phoenix Stadium, the renovation of Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg for the 2010 World Cup, London's 2012 Olympic Stadium, Miami's Sun Life Stadium, Ascot Racecourse, New York's Citi Field, Benfica's Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff,the O2 Arenas in London, Berlin, and Dublin, the renovation of Kyle Field on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas and Orioles Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Populous formerly operated as HOK Sport Venue Event, which was part of the HOK Group. In January 2009, Populous was created through a management buyout, becoming independently owned and operated. It is reported to be one of the largest architecture firms in the world.

History
HOK under Jerry Sincoff created its sports group in 1983 (initially called the Sports Facilities Group and later changed to HOK Sport Venue Event). The firm initially consisted of eight architects in Kansas City, and grew to employ 185 people by 1996.

On several projects, HOK Sport had teamed with international design practice LOBB Partnership, which maintained offices in London, England, and Brisbane, Australia. On HOK Sport's 15th anniversary in November 1998, the firm merged with LOBB. The new practice retained headquarters in all three cities.

The Kansas City, Missouri, office was first based in the city's Garment District in the Lucas Place office building. In 2005, it moved into its current headquarters at 300 Wyandotte in the River Market neighborhood in a new building it designed, on land developed as an urban renewal project through tax incentives from the city's Planned Industrial Expansion Authority. It was the first major company to relocate to the neighborhood in several decades.

The company is one of several Kansas City-based sports design firms that trace their roots to Kivett and Myers which designed the Truman Sports Complex which was one of the first modern large single purpose sports stadiums (previously, stadiums were designed for multipurpose use). Other firms with sports design presence in Kansas City that trace their roots to Kivett include Ellerbe Becket Inc. and HNTB Corp.. 360 Architecture is also based in Kansas City.

"Retro" era of baseball parks
Populous is credited for spearheading a new era of baseball park design in the 1990s, beginning with Oriole Park at Camden Yards. At Camden Yards, and in other stadiums built by Populous soon thereafter like Coors Field and Progressive Field, the ballpark was designed to incorporate aesthetic elements of the city's history and older "classic ballparks." Camden Yards's red brick facade emulates the massive B&O Warehouse that dominates the right field view behind Eutaw Street, whereas Progressive Field's glass and steel exterior "call to mind the drawbridges and train trestles that crisscross the nearby Cuyahoga River." Starting with the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati in 2003, a number of Populous Sport's stadiums featured more contemporary and even futuristic designs. Subsequent stadium exteriors featuring this motif opened in Washington and Minnesota.

In addition to moving away from the concrete exteriors of the "cookie-cutter" multi-purpose stadiums that preceded the new parks, Populous incorporated other innovative touches: natural grass playing surfaces (instead of artificial turf), asymmetrical field dimensions, various park-specific idiosyncrasies (like Tal's Hill), and less foul territory that would keep fans farther from the diamond. And because the stadiums were designed for baseball instead of several sports, the sightlines were "uniformly excellent."

Camden Yards was not only hugely popular with baseball fans. The success of a new ballpark in downtown Baltimore convinced many cities to invest public funds in their own new ballparks to help revitalize struggling urban neighborhoods. From 1992 to 2012, HOK Sport/Populous were the lead architects on 14 Major League Baseball stadiums and helped renovate four existing stadiums.

Criticisms
Populous's designs across Major League Baseball have become so prevalent that some critics have asserted that the distinctiveness that was originally found in early "retro" ballparks is impossible to maintain: "There are nearly 20 [new ballparks] around the league, [so] their heterogeneity has come to seem altogether homogenous." Whereas "classic" ballparks like Fenway Park were given strange dimensions simply because of the limitations provided by the plots of land on which the parks were built, new stadiums do not feature such restrictions. One sportswriter said the attempt emulate the old parks in this way is "contrived."

In addition, a number of commentators have criticized what they see as a tendency to cater new ballparks toward wealthier ticket buyers, such as with expanded use of luxury suites instead of cheaper, conventional seating. Several writers have noted that upper deck seating at new ballparks may actually be farther away from the field than in the older parks, partly as a result of these new upper decks being pushed higher by rows of luxury suites.

One writer in The New Yorker said it is "not quite right to credit or blame Populous" for trends in their new stadiums—as it is ultimately team owners that plan what they want in future stadiums—but they "certainly enabled" such changes.

Offices

 * Kansas City, Missouri, USA
 * London, England, UK
 * Boston, Massachusetts, USA
 * Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
 * San Francisco, California, USA
 * Denver, Colorado, USA
 * Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
 * Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 * Auckland, New Zealand
 * New Delhi, India
 * Bhubaneswar, India
 * Hong Kong, China

Association football

 * Reebok Stadium – Bolton, England, UK – Bolton Wanderers F.C. (1997)
 * Sir Bobby Robson Stand at Portman Road – Ipswich, England, UK – Ipswich Town Football Club (2002)
 * Estádio da Luz – Lisbon, Portugal – S.L. Benfica (2003)
 * Estádio Algarve – Loulé, Portugal – S.C. Farense, Louletano D.C. (2004)
 * Emirates Stadium – London, UK – Arsenal Football Club (2006)
 * Sahlen's Stadium – Rochester, New York – Rochester Rhinos (2006)
 * Stadium:mk – Milton Keynes, UK – Milton Keynes Dons F.C. (2007)
 * Wembley Stadium – London, UK – England (joint project with Foster and Partners) (2007)
 * Dick's Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, CO – Colorado Rapids (2007)
 * FNB Stadium (formerly Soccer City) – Johannesburg, South Africa – South Africa (2009)
 * Estadio Omnilife – Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico – C.D. Guadalajara (2010)
 * Fossetts Farm Stadium – Southend, UK – Southend United (2011)
 * Sporting Park – Kansas City, KS – Sporting Kansas City (2011)
 * Arena das Dunas – Natal, Brazil – América de Natal (2013)


 * Friends Arena – Stockholm, Sweden – Sweden (2012)
 * BBVA Compass Stadium – Houston, Texas – Houston Dynamo (2012)
 * Stade des Lumières – Lyon, France – Olympique Lyonnais (2013)
 * Kazan-arena – Kazan, Russia – FC Rubin Kazan (2013)
 * Estadio de Fútbol Monterrey – Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico – C.F. Monterrey (2014)
 * Stade des Lumières – Décines, France – Olympique Lyonnais (2014)
 * Orlando City Stadium – Orlando, Florida – Orlando City Soccer Club (2015)
 * City of Manchester Stadium expansion - Manchester, UK (2015)

Australian football

 * Docklands Stadium, Melbourne, Victoria – Carlton Blues; Essendon Bombers; North Melbourne Kangaroos; St Kilda Saints; Western Bulldogs (2000)
 * Kardinia Park, Geelong, Victoria – Geelong Cats (2010)
 * Carrara Stadium, Gold Coast, Queensland – Gold Coast Suns (2011)
 * Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales – Greater Western Sydney Giants (2012)
 * Perth Stadium, Perth, Western Australia – Fremantle Dockers; West Coast Eagles (2018)

NFL and College football

 * Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida – Miami Dolphins; University of Miami football; Orange Bowl; Super Bowl XXIII, XXIX, XXXVI, XLI and XLIV (1987)
 * EverBank Field – Jacksonville Jaguars; Gator Bowl; Georgia vs. Florida football game; Super Bowl XXXIX (1995)
 * Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina – Carolina Panthers; Meineke Car Care Bowl (1996)
 * Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida – Tampa Bay Buccaneers; University of South Florida football; Outback Bowl; Super Bowl XXXV and XLIII (1996)
 * FedExField, Landover, Maryland – Washington Redskins (1997)
 * M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland – Baltimore Ravens (1998)
 * LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee – Tennessee Titans; Music City Bowl (1999)
 * Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland Browns (1999)
 * Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Steelers; University of Pittsburgh football (2001)
 * Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts – New England Patriots (2002)
 * Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas – Houston Texans; Texas Bowl; Super Bowl XXXVIII (2002)
 * University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona – Arizona Cardinals; Fiesta Bowl; Super Bowl XLII (2006)
 * TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota – University of Minnesota Football (2009)
 * McLane Stadium, Waco, Texas – Baylor University Football (2012)
 * Kyle Field (redevelopment plan), College Station, Texas – Texas A&M Aggies football (2012)
 * Ralph Wilson Stadium (renovation), Orchard Park, New York - Buffalo Bills (2014)

Arena Football League

 * Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Milwaukee Iron (1988)
 * Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado – Colorado Crush
 * Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City Brigade

Major League Baseball

 * Sun Life Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida – NFL Miami Dolphins, MLB Florida Marlins (1987)
 * U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois – Chicago White Sox (1991)
 * Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland – Baltimore Orioles (1992)
 * Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland Indians (1994)
 * Coors Field, Denver, Colorado – Colorado Rockies (1995)
 * Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, California (Renovation of Anaheim Stadium, joint project with Walt Disney Imagineering) – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1998)
 * Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan – Detroit Tigers (2000)
 * Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas – Houston Astros (2000)
 * AT&T Park, San Francisco, California – San Francisco Giants (2000)
 * PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Pirates (2001)
 * Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio – Cincinnati Reds (2003)
 * Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (joint project with Ewing Cole Cherry Brott of Philadelphia) – Philadelphia Phillies (2004)
 * Petco Park, San Diego, California – San Diego Padres (2004)
 * Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri – St. Louis Cardinals (2006)
 * Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. – Washington Nationals (2008)
 * Citi Field, Willets Point-Flushing, Queens, New York – New York Mets (2009)
 * Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York – New York Yankees (2009)
 * Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota – Minnesota Twins (2010)
 * Marlins Park, Miami, Florida – Miami Marlins (2012)
 * SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Georgia – Atlanta Braves (2017)

Minor league baseball

 * Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium, South Bend, Indiana – A South Bend Silver Hawks (1987)
 * Metro Bank Park, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – AA Harrisburg Senators (1987)
 * Coca-Cola Field, Buffalo, New York – AAA Buffalo Bisons (1988)
 * Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, Geneva, Illinois – A Kane County Cougars (1991)
 * Harbor Park, Norfolk, Virginia – AAA Norfolk Tides (1993)
 * Smith's Ballpark, Salt Lake City, Utah – AAA Salt Lake Bees (1994)
 * Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham, North Carolina – AAA Durham Bulls (1995)
 * Victory Field, Indianapolis, Indiana – AAA Indianapolis Indians (1996)
 * Clear Channel Stadium, Lancaster, California – A Lancaster JetHawks (1996)
 * Arrowhead Credit Union Park, San Bernardino, California – A Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino (1997)
 * Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park, Charleston, South Carolina – A Charleston RiverDogs (1997)
 * LeLacheur Park, Lowell, Massachusetts – A Lowell Spinners (1998)
 * Chukchansi Park, Fresno, California – AAA Fresno Grizzlies (2002)
 * Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida – AA Jacksonville Suns (2003)
 * Bright House Field, Clearwater, Florida – A Clearwater Threshers (2004)
 * Trustmark Park, Pearl, Mississippi – AA Mississippi Braves (2005)
 * Dow Diamond, Midland, Michigan – A Great Lakes Loons (2007)
 * Arvest Ballpark, Springdale, Arkansas – AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals (2008)
 * Coca-Cola Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania – AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs (2008)
 * Parkview Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana – A Fort Wayne TinCaps (2009)
 * ONEOK Field, Tulsa, Oklahoma – AA Tulsa Drillers (2010)
 * Alliance Bank Stadium, Syracuse, NY – AAA Syracuse Chiefs (1997)
 * Community Maritime Park, Pensacola, FL – AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos (2012)

College baseball

 * Baum Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas – Arkansas Razorbacks (1996)
 * Ray Fisher Stadium Renovation – Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex, Ann Arbor, Michigan – Michigan Wolverines (2008)
 * Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina – North Carolina Tar Heels (2009)
 * Carolina Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina – University of South Carolina Gamecocks (2009)

NBA

 * BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Milwaukee Bucks (1988)
 * United Center, Chicago, Illinois – Chicago Bulls (1995)
 * Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado – Denver Nuggets (1999)
 * Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia – Atlanta Hawks (1999)
 * Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Toronto Raptors (1999)
 * Toyota Center, Houston, Texas – Houston Rockets (2003)
 * Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey – New Jersey Nets (2007)
 * Amway Center, Orlando, Florida – Orlando Magic (2010)

WNBA

 * Toyota Center, Houston, Texas – Houston Comets (2003)

College Basketball

 * BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Marquette Golden Eagles (1988)
 * Kohl Center, Madison, Wisconsin – Wisconsin Badgers (1998)
 * UCF Arena – Orlando, Florida – UCF Knights (2007)
 * KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, Kentucky – Louisville Cardinals (2010)

NHL

 * Honda Center – Anaheim, California – Anaheim Ducks (1993)
 * United Center – Chicago, Illinois – Chicago Blackhawks (1995)
 * Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, Tennessee – Nashville Predators (1996)
 * Air Canada Centre – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Toronto Maple Leafs (1999)
 * Pepsi Center – Denver, Colorado – Colorado Avalanche (1999)
 * Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, Minnesota – Minnesota Wild (2000)
 * Jobing.com Arena – Glendale, Arizona – Phoenix Coyotes (2003)
 * Prudential Center – Newark, New Jersey – New Jersey Devils (2007)
 * Consol Energy Center – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Penguins (2010)

AHL

 * BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Milwaukee Admirals (1988)
 * GIANT Center – Hershey, Pennsylvania – Hershey Bears (2002)
 * Toyota Center – Houston, Texas – Houston Aeros (2003–2013)
 * Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire – Manchester Monarchs (2001)
 * Wells Fargo Arena at the Iowa Events Center, Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa Wild (2013–14 season)

ECHL

 * The E Center – West Valley City, Utah – Utah Grizzlies, 2002 Winter Olympics (1997)

CHL

 * Ford Center – Evansville, Indiana – Evansville IceMen (2011)

Rugby League

 * Suncorp Stadium – Brisbane, Queensland, Australia – NRL Brisbane Broncos (2003)
 * Skilled Park – Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia – NRL Gold Coast Titans (2008)

Lacrosse

 * Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, Minnesota – NLL Minnesota Swarm (2000)
 * Jobing.com Arena – Glendale, Arizona – NLL Arizona Sting (2003)

Multipurpose

 * Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, Florida (joint project with Lescher & Mahoney Sports(Tampa) & Criswell, Blizzard & Blouin Architects (St. Pete) (1990)
 * Ervin J. Nutter Center – Fairborn, Ohio – NCAA Wright State Raiders (1990)
 * Alamodome – San Antonio, Texas (1993)
 * Hong Kong Stadium – So Kon Po, Hong Kong (1994)
 * Manchester Velodrome – Manchester, England, UK (1994)
 * University of Houston Athletics and Alumni Center – Houston, Texas (1995)
 * The O2, London, UK (Formerly the Millennium Dome)
 * ANZ Stadium – Sydney, New South Wales, Australia – 2000 Summer Olympics (1999)
 * Millennium Stadium – Cardiff, UK – Wales football team and Wales rugby union team (1999)
 * Pennsylvania State University Training Facility – University Park, Pennsylvania (1999)
 * Westpac Stadium Wellington, New Zealand (2000)
 * Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH (2001)
 * Croke Park – Dublin, Ireland – Gaelic Athletic Association (2004)
 * Nanjing Olympic Sports Center – Nanjing, China (2004)
 * Mizzou Arena – Columbia, Missouri – NCAA Missouri Tigers (2005)
 * UCF Arena – Orlando, Florida (2007)
 * Queensland Tennis Centre – Tennyson, Queensland, Australia (2009)
 * Aviva Stadium – Dublin, Ireland – Ireland rugby union team and Ireland football team (joint project with Scott Tallon Walker) (2010)
 * Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Multi-purpose facility (Convention space/Stadium) – Birmingham, Alabama {In design stages} (Ground-breaking held 9/21/2009)
 * Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility – Motherwell, Scotland, UK (2010)
 * Forsyth Barr Stadium – Dunedin, New Zealand (2011)
 * Ford Center – Evansville, Indiana – Used for Professional Ice Hockey, College Basketball, and Music Concerts. Completed: 2011.
 * First Direct Arena – Leeds, United Kingdom – multi-purpose arena (2013)
 * Philippine Arena – Bulacan, North of Metro Manila, Philippines – multi-purpose arena, plenary hall for Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) Centennial Project – a 50,000 seating capacity (proposed completion 2014; and when completed, this will be the biggest theater, dome arena and indoor stadium in the world.)
 * HARBORcenter – Buffalo, New York – hockey-themed mixed-use development under construction (est. completion May, 2015)
 * Perth Stadium – Perth, Western Australia (architectural consultants – proposed completion 2018)

Convention and Civic centers

 * Phoenix Convention Center – Phoenix, Arizona, USA (2008)
 * Grand River Event Center – Dubuque, Iowa, USA (2003)
 * Iowa Events Center – Des Moines, Iowa, USA (2005)
 * Peoria Civic Center Expansion – Peoria, Illinois, USA (2007)

Olympics

 * 1996 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
 * 2000 Sydney, NSW, Australia
 * 2002 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
 * 2004 Athens, Greece
 * 2006 Torino, Italy
 * 2008 Beijing, China
 * 2010 Vancouver, BC, Canada
 * 2012 London, England, UK
 * 2014 Sochi, Russia
 * 2016 Chicago, Illinois, USA (Bid; lost to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

National Football League
(selected events)
 * 1983 – Super Bowl XVII – Pasadena, California
 * 1986 – Super Bowl XX – New Orleans, Louisiana
 * 1990–1992 – NFL American Bowl – Berlin, Germany
 * 1994 – Super Bowl XXVIII – Atlanta, Georgia
 * 2002–2007 – NFL Pro Bowl – Honolulu, Hawaii
 * 2004 – Super Bowl XXXVIII Houston, Texas
 * 2005 – Super Bowl XXXIX – Jacksonville, Florida
 * 2006 – Super Bowl XL – Detroit, Michigan
 * 2007 – Super Bowl XLI – Miami Gardens, Florida
 * 2008 – Super Bowl XLII – Glendale, Arizona
 * 2009 – Super Bowl XLIII – Tampa, Florida
 * 2010 – Super Bowl XLIV – Miami Florida

Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
 * 1993 – Baltimore, Maryland
 * 1997 – Cleveland, Ohio
 * 1999 – Boston, Massachusetts
 * 2000 – Atlanta, Georgia
 * 2001 – Seattle, Washington
 * 2002 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 * 2003 – Chicago, Illinois
 * 2004 – Houston, Texas
 * 2005 – Detroit, Michigan
 * 2006 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 * 2007 – San Francisco, California
 * 2009 – St. Louis, Missouri
 * 2013 – Queens, New York City, New York
 * 2014 – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Football events
(Selected Events)
 * 1986 – FIFA/UNICEF World All Star Game – Los Angeles, California, USA
 * 1994 – FIFA World Cup – 9 US cities
 * 1996 – Major League Soccer Inaugural Game – San Jose, California, USA
 * 1998 – FIFA World Cup – Toulouse, France
 * 2002 – FIFA World Cup – Korea/Japan

Other events
(Selected Events)
 * 1986 – NBA All Star Game – Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
 * 1996 – Democratic National Convention – Chicago, Illinois, USA
 * 1998 – NCAA Basketball Women's Final Four – Kansas City, Missouri, USA
 * 1999 – Rugby World Cup – Cardiff, Wales, UK
 * 2002 – Modern Pentathlon World Championships – Stanford, California, USA
 * 2004 – The Main Street Event – Houston, Texas, USA
 * 2005 – US Women's Open Golf – Denver, Colorado, USA
 * 2005 – Daytona 500, Master Plan – Daytona, Florida, USA
 * 2007 – Breeders' Cup, Oceanport, New Jersey, USA