Populous, formerly known as HOK Sport, is an 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 stadia and arenas, and particularly Major League Baseball facilities. Since its groundbreaking and widely praised design for Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992, the firm has served as architect for 16 out of 19 new ballparks that have opened in the majors, including those for the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. The firm has also been responsible for some of the world's largest and most prestigious venues, such as Wembley Stadium in London, Ascot Racecourse, Wimbledon Centre Court, ANZ Stadium in Sydney, and most recently, London's Olympic Stadium for the 2012 Games. The firm's indoor arena work has included major arenas around the world, including the O2 Arenas in London, Dublin and Berlin.

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). It consisted of eight architects. They were based in Kansas City, Missouri 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 by 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..

Offices

United States

• Kansas City, Missouri (Home Office)
• New York City
• Denver, Colorado
• Nashville, Tennessee
• Knoxville, Tennessee

International

• London, England
• Brisbane, Australia
• Auckland, New Zealand
• Singapore
• Hong Kong

Sports projects

American football

NFL and College football

• LandShark Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida - Miami Dolphins; University of Miami football; Orange Bowl; Super Bowl XXIII, XXIX, XXXVI, XLI and XLIV (1987)
• Jacksonville Municipal Stadium - 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 Pitttsburgh 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)

Arena Football League

• Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado - Colorado Crush
• Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri - Kansas City Brigade

Baseball

MLB

• LandShark 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 opening)
• Marlins Ballpark, Miami, Fl - Miami Marlins (2012 estimated opening)
• New Rays Ballpark, St. Petersburg, Florida - Tampa Bay Rays (proposed)

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)
• Harbor Park, Norfolk, Virginia - AAA Norfolk Tides (1993)
• Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham, North Carolina - AAA Durham Bulls (1995)
• Victory Field, Indianapolis, Indiana - AAA Indianapolis Indians (1996)
• 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 estimated opening)

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)

Basketball

NBA

• Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Milwaukee Bucks (1988)
• Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado - Denver Nuggets
• Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia - Atlanta Hawks
• Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Toronto Raptors (1999)
• Toyota Center, Houston, Texas - Houston Rockets (2003)
• Amway Center, Orlando, Florida - Orlando Magic (2010 estimated opening)

WNBA

• Toyota Center, Houston, Texas - Houston Comets (2003)

Ice hockey

NHL

• Honda Center - Anaheim, California - Anaheim Ducks (1993)
• Sommet Center - Nashville, Tennessee - Nashville Predators (1996)
• Air Canada Centre - Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Toronto Maple Leafs (1999)
• Pepsi Center - Denver, Colorado - Colorado Avalanche (1999)
• Philips Arena - Atlanta, Georgia - Atlanta Thrashers (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 estimated opening)

AHL

• GIANT Center - Hershey, Pennsylvania - Hershey Bears (2002)
• Toyota Center - Houston, Texas - Houston Aeros (2003)

ECHL

• The E Center - West Valley City, Utah - Utah Grizzlies, 2002 Winter Olympics (1997)

Football

• Ipswich Town Football Club, North Stand at Portman Road - Ipswich, England, UK - Ipswich Town Football Club (2002)
• Estádio da Luz - Lisbon, Portugal - S.L. Benfica (2004)
• Emirates Stadium - London, UK - Arsenal Football Club (2006)
• Rochester Rhinos Stadium - Rochester, New York - United Soccer Leagues 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 - Denver, CO - Colorado Rapids (2007)
• Fossetts Farm Stadium - Southend, UK - Southend United (2010)
• Estadio Internacional Monterrey - Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico (2011)
• Arena das Dunas - Natal, Brazil - América de Natal (2013)

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, Wales, UK (1999)
• Pennsylvania State University Training Facility - University Park, Pennsylvania (1999)
• Westpac Stadium Wellington, New Zealand (2000)
• Croke Park - Dublin, Ireland (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)
• Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza - Dunedin, New Zealand {Construction to start 2009}
• Evansville Events Center - Evansville, Indiana - (Construction Underway). To be used for Semi-Pro Ice Hockey, College Basketball, and Music Concerts. Planned Completion: 2011.
• Leeds Arena- Leeds United Kingdom New multipurpose arena, {plans yet to be submitted}

Venue projects

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)

Event projects

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 (Bid; lost to Rio de Janiero, 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

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball All-Star Game

• 1993 - Baltimore, Maryland
• 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
• 2008 - New York, New York
• 2009 — St. Louis, Missouri

Football (Soccer) 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

References

1. Kevin Collison, "HOK Sport Venue now stands alone", Kansas City Star, January 5, 2009.
2. Populous official website
3. Kevin Collison, "Sports architecture firm changes name", Kansas City Star, March 31, 2009 (access date March 31, 2009).
4. International Directory of Company Histories, Vol.59. St. James Press, 2004
5. HOK Sport Venue Event changes name to Populous - Kansas City Business Journal - March 31, 2009
6. Thanks. Now Scram - The Pitch - Kansas City - February 1, 2007
7. New Game Plan - Kansas City Business Journal - June 20, 2003
8. [http://www.thebostonglobe.com/dailyglobe2/228/sports/Finding_a_comfort_zone+.shtml Comfort Zone - Boston Globe - November 19, 2001

External links

• Populous official website