The proposed SoDo Arena is designed with improved seating and sight lines, enhanced audio and video elements, and innovative environmental features.
The arena has a capacity of 19,000 seats, an ideal size for NBA and NHL events, but much smaller than Safeco Field at 47,000 seats, and CenturyLink at 72,000 seats.
Energy and water-saving features are incorporated throughout the arena design.
Location
The arena will be located at the southern end of Seattle’s Stadium District, near the region’s most robust transportation hub.
The arena on the proposed site south of the Safeco Field parking garage along First Avenue South.
The arena's state-of-the-art design was approved by the Downtown Design Review Board as well as the Seattle Design Commission.
Exterior Space
The design includes significant amount of open space, comparable in size and scale to Occidental and Westlake Parks.
With public art, water features, seasonal gardens and abundant seating it will provide an attractive and beautiful urban setting for public use.
The open space will be located in the northwest corner of the arena site, framed by First Avenue South and South Massachusetts Street.
A cornerstone of the open space is the Living Machine — an ecological treatment facility that will biologically treat more than four million gallons of wastewater for reuse in the arena. This will mean a 99% reduction in wastewater from the arena — a first in the United States for a large scale facility like the arena.
Interior Space
The arena will create a unique game-watching experience that combines a fun, social environment with stellar viewing angles for all seating levels.
SoDo Arena will have superb viewing angles, with markedly improved sight lines for all seating categories. The upper seating bowl is dramatically shortened and the top rows are replaced with three stacked balconies (“Sonics Rings”) that slant inward toward center court as they stack.
The Rainier Bar with mountain views.
Premium seating includes both lower and upper level suites with varying suite layouts. Suite layouts provide a much more social, inclusive and fun atmosphere around shared bars and amenities with a balcony that overlooks the main club.
Sonics Rings
The innovative Sonics Rings provide significant flex capacity to flex up or down as needed for event size, as well as providing superior viewing angles for lower priced tickets.
No ring reduction displayed above (full capacity seating).
One ring reduction.
Two ring reduction.
Three ring reduction.
Pushing the entirety of the seating bowl closer to the court will create the most intimate venue in the NBA, while also providing the opportunity to create the loudest, most energetic atmosphere possible.
View from Sonics Ring level.