Our Stories

The NFL season culminated in the recent Super Bowl, Winter Olympics just wrapped up and March Madness is coming soon. Stadiums and arenas are once again drawing crowds, and the Linetec brand is proud to contribute to the team effort of creating the venues where we gather to watch, play and celebrate together.

For sports and entertainment destinations, exceptionally durable finishes are a must. As energetic crowds return to cheer, building owners and property managers are reassuring their guests to expect good clean fun. Delivering on this expectation, maintenance staff appreciate materials that withstand high traffic with minimal wear and surfaces that are easy to wash.

Architectural aluminum product manufacturers know these facilities benefit from low-maintenance, high-performance finishes. Class I Anodize and 70% PVDF resin-based painted coatings are the MVPs of finishes for aluminum doors and entrance systems, window framing, wall cladding and more. Linetec’s custom color matching and in-house blending laboratory ensure that the finished material upholds the team’s brand, a school’s identity or a corporate sponsor’s image.

The LEED Silver-certified Little Caesars Arena in Detroit blends historic and modern aesthetics with massively scaled, fan-friendly interiors and modestly scaled, pedestrian-friendly exteriors. Tubelite’s curtainwall, storefront and entrance systems were finished by Linetec in four painted colors and Clear Anodize to support the project’s aesthetic.

Linetec applied high-performance 70% PVDF architectural coatings in Medium Gray, Black, Traffic Gray and a custom-blended Detroit Red Wings color. Class I Clear Anodize was selected on the exterior curtainwall and doors, and Class II Clear Anodize as the interior finish. The wide variety of finishes along with many configurations of brick, glass and metal that comprise the complex’s façade convey a sense of both contemporary and permanent placement that give the impression of different buildings on a downtown street.

When used on building exteriors or on interiors that are open to the elements, the finished aluminum components must be a worthy opponent to the changing seasons and variable weather. These finishes need to retain their appearance and perform as specified, while subjected to direct sunlight, heat, humidity, rain and even snow. For high-touch and high-visibility surfaces, such as in dining and amenities plazas, painted finishes also can be specified with antimicrobial protection.

Many sports and entertainment venues also have long-storied histories and brands. The correct color and finish are important details to properly situate these constructions within an already established aesthetic.

Carson Field at Nippert Stadium has been the venerable home of the University of Cincinnati (UC) football team since 1901 and provides the Bearcats with one of the best home-field environments in college football,” according to UC. Updated in 2015, “UC went from having nearly no premium seating options to the addition of 1,100 scholarship club seats and 53 indoor and outdoor suites of varying sizes.”

Sheltering these premium seats and suites, the five-story West Pavilion spans 105,000 square feet and 130 yards long. Designed by FRCH Design Worldwide, the pavilion overlooks the field and features curtainwall, storefront and horizontal ribbon window systems finished by Linetec in Silver Smith Duranar.

With skylights, bringing daylight inside takes priority over the view outside. Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, showcases a skylight capping the entire main corridor. Linetec finished the skylight’s aluminum framing members in 70% PVDF Silver Mica. The 51,000-square-foot student athletic facility designed by ALSC Architects is considered among the finest in the nation and is certified LEED Gold.

Also certified LEED Gold, Southern Methodist University (SMU) Robson and Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium exemplifies SMU’s commitment to sustainability and to its legacy of Olympians and world record-holders. The Aquatics Center features Tubelite’s high-performance curtainwall, storefront and entrance systems. All of the aluminum framing members contain up to 70% recycled content and were finished by Linetec in Class I Clear Anodize.

Whether you’re supporting a team with custom colors, fitting an historical aesthetic, or enhancing a campus with environmentally responsible choices, our finishing services can add lasting value to sports and leisure-time destinations.

_{Little Caesars Arena Exterior (left) and Little Caesars Arena Budweiser Lounge (right) | Photo Credit: Red Archie Southern Methodist University Aquatics Center © Joe Hernandez}