The Los Angeles Lakers have recently closed a deal to buy five acres in El Segundo and plan to build a fancy new headquarters (just a few steps from their current HQ at the Toyota Sports Center, which they share with the LA Kings and some ice rinks)—and these are the first renderings. The space is designed to be highly visible, and even the view of the building from the air has been taken into account: there will be a giant Lakers logo on the roof. Rossetti, an architecture firm known for work in sports venues (they designed the training facility for the Clippers) and Perkins+Will are working together on the building, which will have space for players to practice, as well as office space for the business end of the team, says a joint release from both firms.
The first floor exterior of the new HQ will recall "the pavement basketball courts of [players'] youths," while the second floor is "inspired by the NBA's Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy." Inside, besides offices, there will also be locker rooms, a lounge, treatment rooms, and a central basketball courtyard, as well as a 750-seat "exhibition court" for the D-Fenders, the Lakers' development league team (like the minor league, but in basketball).
The 120,000-square-foot, LEED-Gold-certified facility is scheduled to finish in the late spring of 2017