Oklahoma City Council has appointed locally-based Flintco, along with Mortenson, as the construction team to deliver a new arena for NBA franchise the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The announcement yesterday (Tuesday) comes after Manica Architecture was appointed as the design architect, and TVS the architect of record, back in October. “Hiring a construction management team is a major milestone for the new arena project and will allow the City, operators, and architects to work collaboratively with the contractors during design,” David Todd, arena program manager, said.
“The Flintco Mortenson team will be an excellent addition to this project, bringing together local and national experience building some of the most iconic venues in sports.”
The City will own and be responsible for maintaining and operating the new arena, whose budget has been set for at least $900m (£695.8m/€825.2m). Tulsa-based Flintco has been appointed after being responsible for the development of the Thunder’s current home, Paycom Center, which opened in 2002.
Dave Kollmann, Flintco central region president, said: “As a century-old company founded in Oklahoma, we are deeply honoured to build the new NBA arena with Mortenson. The Thunder is Flintco’s hometown team.
“Having built the current arena over 20 years ago, we understand the significance of this project for our city and its future, knowing hundreds of construction jobs will be created to boost our economy. Our employees live, work and play here – and we take great pride in bringing our expertise to a facility that will inspire generations of fans, athletes, and Oklahomans.”
With the first conceptual designs expected this summer, the new building is intended to be a first-class, state-of-the-art NBA arena and entertainment venue that meets and/or exceeds NBA specifications and requirements.
It will cover at least 750,000 square feet, with The Oklahoman stating Flintco-Mortenson was chosen over two other proposals by Austin Commercial and a joint-venture between Turner Construction and Lingo Construction.
Mortenson is a leader in sports and entertainment projects with other recently completed arenas including Chase Center (Golden State Warriors), Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle Kraken) and Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee Bucks).
Kevin Dalager, vice-president of operations for Mortenson’s Sports + Entertainment team, said: “This project is a tremendous opportunity to create a landmark venue that will serve as a hub for community engagement and sporting excellence for generations to come.”
The arena will be built on the City-owned site where Prairie Surf Studios, formerly the Cox Convention Center, is located. The existing building will be demolished in the spring. Design is underway and construction will start in 2026, with completion scheduled for 2028.
CAA Icon was appointed in September to provide professional consulting services for the design and construction of a new arena after the Council in May approved a development agreement. The agreement between the City and PBC Sports and Entertainment (PBCS&E), owners of the Thunder, came after voters approved funding for the new arena in December.
Paycom Center is the smallest in the NBA by square footage, has the second-smallest capital investment of all NBA arenas, and at nearly 23 years old, it is increasingly within range of the oldest arenas in the entire NBA.
The City had argued that Paycom Center is not capable of securing a long-term lease with an NBA team. Meanwhile, it pointed to the fact there are US markets larger than Oklahoma City that don’t have an NBA team, some of which already have or are planning an NBA-ready arena.
The Thunder has called Oklahoma City home since relocating from Seattle in 2008. The City signed a 15-year lease agreement with the Thunder, and in 2022 the team activated a further three-year option, ensuring its future at Paycom Center until at least 2026 and granting the City further time to develop a new arena plan.
The Thunder’s 25-year commitment to remain in Oklahoma City will begin when they move into the new facility, which will be the fourth downtown arena in city history constructed by the public.
The new arena will be funded by a 72-month, one-cent sales tax that will start when the MAPS 4 tax ends and will not increase the sales tax rate. The arena will also be paid for with $70m in MAPS 4 funding and $50m from the Thunder ownership group.
