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SALT LAKE CITY — While the Utah Jazz's loss to the Golden State Warriors on May 8 marked the end of a playoff run for the team, it marked the beginning of a big undertaking for Okland Construction.

That's because massive work on the renovation of Vivint Smart Home Arena began the next day. Entrances were closed, bowl seats were removed and major demolition occurred.

"Sticks and bricks" — the core building materials added to the arena — represent $75 million of the $125 million renovation cost, according to Okland. They run two shifts of workers a day, one from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., and then another evening shift from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. The nearly round-the-clock efforts by about 400 workers per day are necessary to get the project done by the deadline: Sept. 15.

Why then? The arena's first event is a Tim McGraw and Faith Hill concert on Sept. 27, and arena management needs time to set up that event as well as make everything ready to go for the Jazz season, which will begin in October. Okland reports that the construction is on schedule.

Okland and Vivint Arena management gave reporters a tour of the construction Tuesday, six weeks into the process. And while the arena looks nothing like the finished product in the renderings, the progress already completed is impressive.

The main entrance for the arena is clearly the main focal point of the renovation. With 12,000 square feet added via a new enclosed space on the northeast corner, fans will be able to enter more quickly and easily. And once they enter, walls have been removed so they'll immediately see the court and action below. It's a cool effect, one currently on display at brand-new arenas like Brooklyn's Barclays Center or Sacramento's Golden 1 Center.

And we learned some specifics about the arena's renovation that weren't revealed during the initial renovation announcement:

We knew that the arena seating would be reduced, but we now have an approximate idea of the new likely capacity of the arena. A source tells KSL.com to expect a seating capacity in the low 18,000s, about a 7-9 percent reduction below the 19,911 capacity for the last 25 years. Why? A few major factors: top rows of the upper bowl are being removed for the social corners and club seating, ADA seating is being increased, media is being moved to the bowl itself (rather than in temporary platforms above the tunnels), some seats are being removed to accommodate new entrances from clubs and suites in the lower bowl, and some clubs on the arena's sixth level are being removed to make way for the social corners. The final capacity has yet to be finalized.

The renovation will add some new stairways throughout the building, allowing guests to move more easily between levels two (the new club level), three (the lower bowl concourse), four (the suite level), five (the upper bowl concourse) and six (the new "social corners" containing concourses and restrooms for upper bowl Jazz fans). The stairwells will also be fancied up a bit, with architectural changes to the look to reflect increased public usage.

In the concourses themselves, many of the masonry walls will be covered with drywall and painted, to reduce the industrial look of the old arena. New concourse lighting will be added throughout.

The restrooms are being refurbished in the public concourses, featuring new stone sinks, with new lighting and new fixtures. Individual restrooms have been removed from the level four suites, in favor of four restrooms meant for all suite customers. That will give more space in each individual suite.

Rather than an entire concourse ring circling the top of the lower bowl, only two corners of the upper bowl (the two on the north side of the arena) will be available for fans with standard upper bowl seats. The two remaining corners and sidelines will remain reserved for VIP seating for now, though future renovations may convert more space on level six to public access.

Four restaurants, one in each corner, will be the main attraction in the lower bowl concourse: R&R barbecue, Maxwell's pizza, El Chubasco's Mexican offerings, and Cubby's burgers and sandwiches. Those restaurants will feature a lot of high-table, stand-up seating to invite a more social feel. Elsewhere in the arena, Cupbop Korean, Zao Asian, Chick-Fil-A, Papa John's pizza, Iceberg shakes, Farr's Fresh ice cream and Dippin' Dots will have concession stands.

The northwest, northeast and southwest main entries will have outdoor canopies to protect the public from weather as tickets are scanned.

There will be a new escalator added to the east side that can take arena visitors all the way to level six.

In March, KSL.com reported on the blue, cushioned seats that will be added throughout the arena. Those seats will be added starting next week at a rate of 300 to 400 seats per day. The old green seats went on sale to the public through Fanzz last month, though have been sold out.

In all, 400 to 600 new TVs will be added throughout the arena, especially in the concourses.

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