The Oakland Athletics baseball team have hired Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), James Corner Field Operations, and Gensler to lead the design process for their new ballpark and surrounding development in California. The new stadium will replace the Oakland A’s existing 51-year-old Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which the A’s share with the Oakland Raiders football team.
It has been reported by the San Francisco Business Times that BIG will lead the masterplan for the privately-financed ballpark, either at Howard Terminal or near the existing stadium, while Gensler will collaborate on the ballpark design. Field Operations will adopt the role of landscape architect for the development.
We are honored and excited to team with the Oakland A’s to help imagine their future home where sports culture and local community culture unite as one. We envision a stadium district that will be active and inviting 365 days a year for athletes, fans and Oaklanders alike. -Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG
The news comes following a period of speculation on the design of a new stadium for the A’s, with HOK, Sasaki, Snohetta and Studio T-Square all linked to the potential development. A’s President Dave Kaval has been vocally optimistic about the new project, hinting that BIG's design could integrate the design ethos of classic ballparks such as Boston’s Fenway Park and Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Kaval also expressed an eagerness to incorporate BIG’s affordable housing expertise into the new development plans.
As we looked at the Coliseum and Howard Terminal, we wanted a design team for not just a ballpark but a ballpark district that's best for Oakland […] we wanted a team that could look at the ballpark with a fresh perspective, and this is really a game changer. -Dave Kaval, President, Oakland Athletics