The Fiserv Forum (formerly Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center), which will open in the fall of 2018, is the first new sports and entertainment arena in Wisconsin since 2002.
The $524 million, 730,000-square-foot arena located in downtown Milwaukee will be a preeminent sports and entertainment arena that will host up to 200 events a year, including the Bucks, Marquette men’s basketball, major concerts, family shows, major college basketball, hockey, boxing, MMA and much more.
Offering incomparable sightlines, customer service and amenities, the Fiserv Forum will include 17,500 seats for basketball and up to 18,000 for concerts, and will offer 34 luxury suites and three clubs.
The arena design features an intimate bowl optimized for basketball viewing with the majority of the seats in the lower level closer to the action, while still providing the flexibility to host hockey games, end stage and center stage concerts, family shows, circuses and ice events, as well as open-floor exhibitions. Both the upper and lower levels will load from the top down, creating a more efficient seating pattern free of breaks. The design caters to the next generation of fans, featuring open and transparent concourses, additional social spaces within view of the action, and a variety of experiential and premium seating options. Additional operational efficiencies include vastly improved load-in/load-out capabilities that will allow the facility to accommodate a wider variety of concerts and shows.
The exterior design for the new arena is inspired by Milwaukee’s proud architectural heritage and bold outlook, coupled with the region’s natural environment of rivers, lakes and forests. The hand-crafted zinc patina exterior, punctuated by nodes of glass to highlight activity within, will create an iconic architectural image that will anchor the surrounding development.
Key Project Participants:
TEAM/VENUE: Milwaukee Bucks/Fiserv Forum
PROJECT MANAGER/BUCKS REPRESENTATIVES: CAA ICON
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: Mortenson
ARCHITECTS: Populous (lead), Eppstein Uhen Architects and HNTB
MECHANICAL ENGINEER: M-E Engineers
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: HNTB and Walter P. Moore
FOUNDING PARTNERS: BMO Harris Bank, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Johnson Controls and Miller Brewing Company, along with a naming rights partner
