Oakland A's release renderings for proposed $1.5 billion Las Vegas stadium with non-retractable roof

The Oakland Athletics have released four new renderings of the Major League Baseball club’s planned $1.5 billion Las Vegas stadium Tuesday, with designs that bring to mind those of Australia’s Sydney Opera House. The architectural firms who designed the 33,000-seat ballpark, Big Architects and HNTB, described its planned non-retractable roof as a “spherical armadillo.” The designers, in a statement, said that the stadium provides an outdoor feel with views of the Strip.

The latest renderings were released ahead of this weekend’s training games with the Milwaukee Brewers at the Triple-A Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin. The team had earlier noted that the drawings that were made public last year were no longer valid, as “they were just used to give lawmakers and the media an idea of what the stadium’s design might entail.” The team is slated to start the construction of the stadium next year and will officially relocate to Las Vegas for the start of the 2028 season.

The team’s initial plan was to install a retractable roof stadium on the site, but in an interview with The Nevada Independent, A’s owner John Fisher said that the decision to create a non-retractable roof would allow the stadium to be used year-round for other events. 

“We want a building that is alive and active,” Fisher said. “That’s our goal. We have an incredible location and given that there are so many people on the Strip every day of the year, we want to be able to provide an attraction for them. It’s very much a creative force.”

Modified design does not change anticipated stadium cost

Fisher noted that the modified design has not changed the anticipated stadium cost. He further informed that the naming rights to the stadium would be sold at some point ahead of its opening. 

The ballpark is projected to take up nine acres of the Tropicana's 35-acre property. Bally's, which operates the 67-year-old Rat Pack-era casino, intends to close the site on April 2nd and demolish it later this year. The renderings depict a 2- to 3-acre plaza that runs from the Strip to the ballpark's main concourse. The ballpark plan includes nearly 2,500 on-site parking spaces.

The latest set of renderings is the second set of designs for the stadium by the Oakland A’s. The renderings that were released last May showed the stadium with a retractable roof. At the time, the team was trying to lobby state lawmakers to provide $380 million in public financing to help pay for the ballpark.

Shortly after the financing package was approved, the A’s said the original renderings were provided to the lawmakers and the media to give an idea of what the stadium’s design might entail. The stadium experts later said the 9-acre site was too small for a retractable roof. 

Bjarke Ingels, the Creative Director of Bjarke Ingels Group, the Danish architectural firm that created the design in partnership with contracting firm HNTB, described the roof as “five pennant arches” that will enclose the ballpark, shading the stadium from any direct sunlight.

“A giant window frames a majestic view of the life of the Strip,” he said. “All direct sunlight is blocked, while all the soft daylight is allowed to wash the field in natural light.”

The above-mentioned publication cited developers who said that the outfield features the “world’s largest cable-net glass window (a structural system using pre-tensioned cable) facing the corner of Tropicana Boulevard and the Strip.”

Fisher stated that the decision to go with a closed roof was taken keeping the aspect of comfort in mind. He said that in looking at retractable roof ballparks, most remain closed the majority of the time, adding that the large outfield window and other window openings would let large amounts of indirect sunlight into the ballpark.

“The most important thing here was fan comfort,” Fisher said. “But we also wanted to create a stadium that felt like you were outdoors to the best extent possible.” 

He asserted that Major League Baseball officials have seen the designs and were assured direct sunlight would not affect the home plate area, which was a concern raised by the initial renderings. The ballpark is also designed to house an 18,000-square-foot jumbotron, which would make it the largest screen in Major League Baseball.

Earlier in January, Fisher said that he wanted Bally’s to provide conceptual designs of what the casino operator would build to replace the Tropicana. However, the renderings do not include any additional buildings, such as a hotel-casino or restaurant and retail concepts.

He said the development is being viewed as a “collaborative space” with Bally’s given that it would attract both baseball fans and casino goers. Fisher said whatever Bally’s decides to build will not be in front of the large window, blocking views of the Strip.

“The A's have created a remarkable design that adds to the rich fabric of must-see attractions in Las Vegas,” Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim said in a statement. “This is a once-in-a-generation project, and we are thrilled for the opportunity to develop a comprehensive site plan at this iconic location. We look forward to sharing more on our plan in due course.”