HKS to design new Vikings stadium

The Vikings and the new stadium authority selected the designer of Lucas Oil Stadium and Cowboys Stadium to be the lead architect for Minnesota’s $975 million project.

The Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority agreed to contract with HKS Sports & Entertainment to design the team’s new stadium in Minneapolis.

HKS designed Cowboys Stadium for the Dallas Cowboys and Lucas Oil Stadium for the Indianapolis Colts, the latter being one that the Vikings have been looking at because of its retractable roof and other modern amenities.

The legislative agreement calls for a roof, which could be a fixed roof if the budget doesn't allow for a retractable roof, but the Vikings would like to have some sort of retractable feature, such as walls or windows above the top level.

“Selecting an architect is one of the most important decisions we will make during this stadium process,” Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf said in a statement. “Through extensive research and collaboration with the Stadium Authority, it became clear that HKS’ creativity and qualifications made them the best firm for this project. Having watched NFL games inside both of their most recent stadiums, we strongly believe HKS will deliver the ultimate game day experience for Vikings fans while also ensuring this facility serves all Minnesotans throughout the year.”

The Vikings just played at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 16 and several officials toured the facility again.

The Vikings’ $975 million stadium was approved for partial financing by the State of Minnesota and City of Minneapolis earlier this year after a stadium campaign from the Vikings that lasted more than a decade.

Groundbreaking is expected in 2013 on the Metrodome site. The Vikings will have to play at least one season at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium and hope to be in their new stadium by the 2016 season.

The project is expected to support 13,000 jobs and require nearly 4.3 million work hours over the three-year build.

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Tim Yotter is the publisher of Viking Update. Follow Viking Update on Twitter and discuss this topic on our message boards. To become a subscriber to the Viking Update web site or magazine, click here.

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