Concept Designs for New Warriors Arena Give New Meaning to “Splash Brothers” Moniker

Concept designs for the new Golden State Warriors arena were released Monday, and I must say I’m pretty flushed with excitement.

Yes, roughly five weeks after the Warriors released some initial sketches of what their vision — and that of the primary architectural designer, Snohetta — would look like sitting near the waterfront of San Francisco’s Mission Bay, team ownership is still seemingly satisfied with their plans to build a new arena that oddly resembles a toilet bowl.

via SocketSite.com:

Photo Credit: SocketSite.com

When I first caught a glimpse of the sketches, I admit I took it to be slightly…toilet-y.

Now with these detailed concepts, we can all confirm it definitely looks like a toilet. There’s no way of denying it now.

It even has what sfist.com writer Jay Barmann describes as looking “a lot like the water tank on the back of a toilet”, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if the top was made to open like the lid of a toilet.

If Joe Lacob and co. were looking to make a splash, they apparently took the phrase a bit too literally. If Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the Splash Brothers, then this new “Splash Zone” arena puts an unintended nasty twist on one of the most popular NBA nicknames.

All jokes aside, let’s be fair:

When passing through the “Gatehouse” — which will likely serve to discourage inappropriate behavior being brought into the area — and across the “Main Plaza” — which has been compared to being about the size of SF’s Union Square — a fan won’t look up at the arena and think, “Man, this looks like a toilet bowl”.

What fans will see is a 135-foot tall state-of-the-art multi-use arena able to seat 18,000 of the best fans in the NBA.

Separated by the Main Plaza will be two office buildings built to rise 160-feet above ground, with the ground floors of each of those buildings currently set to house a part of the 90,000 total square feet of intended retail space. The Market Hall located at the corner of Terry Francois Boulevard and South Street is also expected to be used for retail purposes.

via SocketSite.com:

Photo Credit: SocketSite.com

The Southeast Plaza and Bayfront Terrace would overlook not just the Central Basin of the San Francisco Bay, but also the new 5.5-acre Bayfront Park that will separate the arena from the Bay. The park will reportedly be similar to Marina Green Park, which is located between SF’s Fort Mason and the Presidio.

In addition, the plan includes a 700-car lot, likely in the form of a parking structure. The entire project will be privately funded, meaning no taxpayer money will be used in its construction.

Unfortunate as it may be that the team was forced to dump the original plans to break ground at Piers 30-32, many are hopeful this new 12-acre project will not meet the same fate and go down the drain.

The estimated date in which the Warriors will be set to defend their new throne is set around the 2018-2019 NBA season.