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The Washington Commanders have appointed HKS, the global architectural and design firm, as the lead architect of their $3.8 billion roofed stadium on the site of the former RFK Stadium.
Dallas-based HKS has created some of the most iconic venues in the NFL, including the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; the Rams’ and Chargers’ SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., and the Minnesota Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
“Selecting HKS as the lead architect marks a major step forward in our journey to bring the Washington Commanders home to the District,” Commanders president Mark Clouse said in a statement. “HKS has a proven track record of delivering world-class stadiums that balance design, functionality and community impact.”
Commanders owners and executives toured numerous stadiums in the U.S. and abroad in recent years to learn what could work for them, what won’t and which elements they’d like to build on as they envision the new venue.
The Commanders’ 65,000-seat stadium is slated to open in 2030 and will anchor a sprawling mixed-use development with retail, office space and affordable housing. The team is the master developer of the project and is responsible for all costs of the stadium design and construction, including any overruns. The District will own the stadium and lease it to the team for $1 a year for its initial 30-year term.
The Commanders interviewed a handful of architectural and design firms before narrowing their list to a final two, according to league sources: HKS and HNTB, the designer of the team’s renovated locker room at its Ashburn, Va., training facility.
HKS sports stadiums are noted for, among other things, elements that connect them to their team’s history and local communities, a theme the Commanders have emphasized since Harris purchased the team for $6.05 billion in 2023.
The next phase of the Commanders’ stadium design is to map out the concept and design principles with HKS and to host community engagement meetings to gather feedback from local leaders and community members. Meetings are currently scheduled for November and December.
According to an email received by a Commanders season-ticket holder and shared with The Athletic, the team is working with the Minneapolis-based consulting firm CSL International to host focus groups and gather feedback on potential features and amenities for the new stadium.
Construction of the stadium’s vertical structure is expected to begin in the spring of 2027.
The Athletic (paywall)
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