The Cincinnati Open, one of the longest-running tennis tournaments in the U.S., is undergoing a campus-wide renovation of the sports complex. The Cincinnati Open Campus Transformation aims to improve both fan and player experiences ahead of the event’s expanded 2025 tournament.
The work represents the next stage of tournament owner Beemok Capital’s $260 million investment in upgrades to help keep Cincinnati Open in its hometown for the next 25 years. This year marks the Cincinnati Open’s 125th anniversary.
The reimagined campus will feature modern stadium façades and extensive landscaping to create a park-like atmosphere. At the heart of the campus, both Center Court and Grandstand Court will get a sleek, continuous façade. A canopy-shaded fan plaza will provide more greenspace.
“When complete, the grounds will feature an increase in green space and trees. This will be paired with an updated campus aesthetic showcasing clean lines, simple, elegant forms and a fresh, neutral color palette that will beautifully complement the park-like setting,” Kristin Byrd, design director and architect, Gensler, said in a statement.
Byrd added that the design team aimed to create “an authentic sense of place by incorporating regional building materials, engaging with local artisans, and honoring the tournament’s history through layering of art and historical iconography—all with a modern twist.”
To increase capacity for the expanded tournament, the project will add fan amenities, courts, and player facilities. The campus will get a new 2,000-seat sunken stadium, which will be the fourth largest of the venue’s five permanent stadiums. The stadium is one of 10 new courts, bringing the campus court total to 31.
Another addition is a 56,000-sf, two-story player center. The facility will include lounge and restaurant space for the tournament’s players and their support teams, wellness and recovery rooms for the players, and locker rooms for coaches.
Existing player facilities in the Paul Flory Player Center will be renovated to provide more locker room space and an expanded fitness center. Other planned additions include a six-court indoor facility, six pickleball courts, and two padel courts.
The 2025 Cincinnati Open Campus Transformation projects are in addition to previously announced work currently underway to upgrade the seating experience in Center Court and Grandstand Court, add four practice courts, renovate the Crosscourt Suites and Top Deck lounge areas, and create a new hospitality suite overlooking Grandstand Court.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Beemok Capital
Design architect: Gensler
MEP engineer: Smith Seckman Reid, Inc.
Structural engineer: Walter P Moore
General contractor: Barton Malow
Related Stories
| Aug 26, 2013
Chicago Bears kick off season at renovated Halas Hall
An upgraded locker room, expanded weight room, and updated dining room with an outdoor patio greeted the Chicago Bears when they arrived at Halas Hall for practice this month. The improvements are part of a major expansion and renovation of the Bears’ headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill., completed by Mortenson Construction in less than seven months.
| Aug 22, 2013
Sports Facility Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest sports facility design and construction firms, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 22, 2013
Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]
This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.
| Aug 20, 2013
First look: $550 million Billie Jean King National Tennis Center renovation
The United States Tennis Association has announced its plans for a sweeping transformation of the USTABillie Jean King National Tennis Center that will include the construction of two new stadiums, as well as a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium. The transformation will be implemented in three phases to begin at the conclusion of the 2013 US Open, with the goal of overall completion by the 2018 US Open.
| Aug 14, 2013
Green Building Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Aug 13, 2013
USGBC joins forces with Green Sports Alliance to promote sustainable venues
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced a collaboration with the Green Sports Alliance, a prominent nonprofit organization supporting the development and promotion of green building initiatives in professional and collegiate sports.
| Jul 29, 2013
2013 Giants 300 Report
The editors of Building Design+Construction magazine present the findings of the annual Giants 300 Report, which ranks the leading firms in the AEC industry.
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 3, 2013
World's biggest freestanding building opens in China
Measuring a stout 100 meters high, 500 meters long, and 400 meters wide, the New Century Global Centre in the Tianfu New District of Chengdu, China, is officially the world's largest freestanding building.
| Jul 3, 2013
Mall of America will double in size after $2.5 billion expansion
The nation's largest indoor mall will undergo a $2.5 billion, 10-year expansion project that will add attractions like an NHL-sized skating rink and an indoor water park.