From the desk of Maria O’Dell
It was the kind of birthday deserving of a milestone celebration. For me, I wanted to see U2 at the Sphere. If you haven’t heard of the new venue in Las Vegas, you’ve missed something – google it now! Although there have been talks about putting another Sphere in London, Las Vegas seems to be the perfect backdrop.
But what does the Sphere have to do with Kansas City?
The Sphere is just one of almost 3,000 projects designed by the Kansas City architectural firm, Populous. Populous is the world’s leading design firm dedicated exclusively to creating environments that draw people together for unforgettable experiences. I’d say they surpassed that goal with the Sphere – it was electrifying. Since 1983, the firm’s portfolio includes the State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, the Yankee Stadium, and the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games Main Stadium, just to name a few. In 2022, Populous was named the World’s #1 most innovative architecture firm by Fast Company magazine.
The Big Three…
Kansas City is known as the sports design capital of the U.S. with 40% of projects being done by 8 KC firms. Populous is a spin-off of another Kansas City division of the company, HOK. HOK started a sports division in 1983 from another KC design firm, HNTB. So don’t be surprised when someone you know says they’re heading to Kansas City to design stadiums and venues! Call us, we’d be honored to show off our town and help them find the perfect home.
