The Sacramento Kings wanted a new arena that would energize their fan base and team, invigorate the city, and achieve new levels of sustainability performance.
The design for Golden 1 Center emerged through collaboration among AECOM’s urban planners, civic architects, sports architects, high-performance engineers and landscape architects.
Rooftop PV panels and an offsite source power the arena entirely with solar energy. Five-story aircraft-hangar doors create a grand front entrance, let the Delta Breeze naturally cool the building, and offer views from inside and out. Cool air is delivered directly to the seats from the floor, rather than the ceiling, saving energy and making fans more comfortable. The building is also engineered to use far less energy and water than average.
The façade evokes the Sierra Nevada—a regional attraction—with irregular metal panels that catch the sunlight. A plaza featuring trees, benches, green walls, and rain gardens keeps the area active year-round, reconnects the city grid, and helps the arena anchor Downtown Commons, a dining and retail district. Food and beverages from the nearby Central Valley provide most of the building’s concessions and add a local flavor. Fans enjoy a lower concourse that is completely open, offering 360-degree views of the court.
A tight seating bowl brings fans as close to the action as possible. Bars, clubs, lounges, boxes and suites provide a range of places to enjoy the game from. Players appreciate a state-of-the-art locker room, along with practice, training and wellness facilities. With its downtown location, fans can get to the arena by light rail, Amtrak, bus, foot, and bike in addition to car, helping dramatically reduce the building’s carbon footprint.
Golden 1 Center is the world’s first LEED Platinum certified arena, a new landmark for the city and region, and one of the most exciting places for a basketball game or concert in the world.
Explore the Center here