Smith, Fause & McDonald, Inc.

HP Pavilion (San Jose Sports Arena) - San Jose, California

Architect (original project)

Sink Combs Dethlefs, Denver, Colorado

Clients (subsequent projects)

San Jose Sharks, San Jose, California and San Jose Redevelopment Agency, San Jose, California

Project Description

450,000 square feet, 117 feet high, 17,000 seat multipurpose arena to accommodate hockey and basketball games, concerts, and other entertainment events. 

The arena includes extensive patron facilities such as sports bars accommodating 3,000 people, 64 luxury private lounges and penthouse suites, 2 large sit-down restaurants for 400 guests, press facilities, and offices and lockers for the sports teams. It also includes comprehensive facilities to accommodate professional touring shows. For more information on the arena, click here.

SFMI Scope of Services

Design of state of the art integrated & centrally controlled electronic systems; and architectural acoustics including:

Multiple Video Systems: 

4 (four) 9' x 12' multi-cube video wall displays, inset on four sides of a retractable eight-sided scoreboard, designed to be functional under extremely bright hockey lighting.

Stand alone audio-video systems for the Press facilities including production lighting.

Video systems for coaching at half time.  Another set of Video systems for coaching training and chalk talk in the training rooms and lockers. These video recording and editing systems are used to record away games and competitive games off satellite. The design includes two sets of steerable antennas each with dual KU and C band receptors, making a total of four satellite receivers that interface with coaching video gear. This is supplemented by an editing system to produce coaching tapes.

Additional Video control capabilities for the Goal-Judge.

Other Video systems in patrons' facilities such as private lounges, suites, sports bars and restaurants.

Master Antenna Television System distributing images captured by cameras in the facility, cable television and other locally produced source materials.  The distribution is under the control of the central control system and supports over 280 television screens throughout the facility that enable fans to wander virtually anywhere without missing a moment of the action.

Eight-sided Retractable Scoreboard with video and electronic agile signage, motion control and rigging capabilities.

Multiple Sound Systems:  State of the art permanent house sound system with in excess of 70,000 watts of amplifier power feeding 32 clusters of full range loudspeakers, divided on two rings of 10 and 22.  

Fixtures, Furnishings and Equipment Provisions to support professional touring shows' own portable sound systems. 

High quality sound systems in the exercise, physical training areas and in the dressing rooms to boost teams spirit. The entire system runs off a common control system allowing the coaches to operate the sound and the video from a common point.

High quality Sound Systems for the restaurants and bars. A 48 x 32 routing switcher is dedicated to run just the audio in the restaurant.

Press Facilities accommodate approximately 120 reporters and the systems include master antenna television drops, audio drops, three telephone lines per position, power, etc. There are also stand alone audio and video capabilities with integrated broadcast lighting.  All systems are accessible from the main control room thus signals can be routed to these areas by remote control.

The Shark's Training area is also set to be used as a pool interview room equipped with microphones, lights and cameras. 

Through extensive switching and trunking design, a single push button operation allows the house broadcast cameras to transfer images of the scoreboard to the press facilities instantaneously.

Media Interface Systems: Packaged power camera platforms to allow broadcasters to start coverage upon arrival by simply connecting their cameras to the arena's pre-cabled facility.

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Generators Noise & Vibration Control of huge mechanical systems that support the comfort of 17,000 spectators.  Noise control of plumbing system of bathrooms and showers, to ensure quiet environment during performances.

Extensive Exterior Sound Isolation from jet overflight as the site is impacted by both take offs and landings by the nearby San Jose International Airport. Six days of field measurement and visual flight operation observation to identify peak spectral impact of FAA Stage II and Stage III commercial jets and private operators on the future sports arena. During the winter months, SJIA alternates its flights takeoffs and landings directions due to high winds. To simulate the effect of these alternate activities, SFMI's measurements were made at different sites.

To prevent aircraft noise from penetrating into the arena while simultaneously preventing emission of concert sound from the arena, SFMI developed multiple roof assembly options suitable to the necessary long span roof.  SFMI also made several presentations on behalf of the agency to the local community to describe the efficiency of the mitigation.

Room Acoustics:  Wall and ceiling treatments to make the room's reverberation time to work along with the intelligibility levels of the designed sound system.