The Oak View Group has today announced that Mortenson will replace Skanska and AECOM Hunt as general contractor for the Seattle Center Arena. Additionally, world-class architecture firm Rockwell Group has joined to design the arena’s suite and club levels.

“Mortenson’s local Seattle office spent five months leading pre-construction efforts on the arena project and is very familiar with our approach and goals,” said senior construction executive Ken Johnsen. “Skanska-Hunt helped launch us, but I felt this project needed a dedicated single source team and we have mutually agreed upon a change. Mortenson is the nation’s pre-eminent arena builder and they are poised to complete this project in time for the Seattle Storm’s 2021 season. This decision is based on Skanska-Hunt’s construction priorities as well as the busy Seattle construction market.”

Mortenson has completed more than 170 projects throughout the world and continuously finds itself as one of the top three sports facility builders in the world. They have a long history of pushing the boundaries with world-class facilities and developing the ultimate arena experience.

The group was previously involved with the arena’s pre-construction efforts.

“Our Skanska Hunt joint venture is proud to have provided valuable pre-construction services for the new Seattle Center Arena,” said Kevin McCain, executive vice president and general manager of Skanska’s building operations in Seattle. “Given the market challenges and shift in timing, it did not make sense for our joint venture to move forward to the next phase of the project, so we recently came to a mutually agreed upon decision to end our joint venture’s involvement with the arena project. We are excited about the NHL coming to Seattle and we will provide full support to Oak View Group during this transition.”

Joining Mortenson is the Rockwell Group who will work alongside Populous to design the facilities state-of-the-art interior - specifically the four club areas and suites.

“Rockwell Group is the gold standard for designers. We are thrilled to make them a key part of our design team while they work towards a first-class experience for our guests,” said Johnsen. “Their engagement is a symbol of the high standards we have set to create the world’s next great arena.”

When all is said and done, the new Seattle Center Arena will top out as the largest private investment in Pacific Northwest sports and entertainment history. The 17,400-person capacity (hockey) and 18,600-person capacity (basketball) arena will open in 2021 and host the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, Seattle University, and Seattle’s NHL expansion team.