Construction team named for Atlanta Braves ballpark

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted to approve American Builders 2017 as the construction manager at risk (construction manager) to oversee the construction of the new Atlanta Braves ballpark, which is scheduled to open in early 2017.

American Builders 2017 is a joint venture between Brasfield & Gorrie, Mortenson Construction, Barton Malow Company and New South Construction. Combined, they have more than 225 years of construction experience and have completed more than 330 sports projects, including Target Field in Minneapolis, Coors Field in Denver and Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. In addition, the building and design team will include Populous as the stadium architect, JLL as the project manager, JERDE as the master land planner and Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment as the partnership consultant.

“We are thrilled the Cobb County Commission has taken this large, and final, step that will allow this project to move forward. These agreements are the framework that will ensure a successful partnership between our organization and Cobb County,” said Braves Executive Vice President Mike Plant. “Our team has worked side-by-side with the staff in Cobb County to ensure that we have the right partner in place to deliver the world-class venue that we all expect to see here on opening day of 2017. American Builders 2017 expertise in ballpark construction, ties to the local community and assurances of delivering the ballpark within budget gave us all the confidence to entrust them with this project.”

"Building the new home of the Atlanta Braves—such an iconic project located in the heart of our hometown—is really a dream for our team," American Builders 2017 Principal-in-Charge Rob Taylor said. "We formed American Builders so we could draw on the resources, experience and expertise we have, both locally and nationally, and be able to deliver this project successfully for the Braves and Cobb County. We are confident in the ability to meet the schedule and look forward to the first pitch in the new ballpark in 2017."

Proposed renderings of the new stadium can be viewed at www.HomeoftheBraves.com. Construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2014.

Check out the ballpark renderings below.

Boyd R. Zoccola is Chair and Chief Elected Officer of BOMA International. A BOMA member since 1994, he has served on the Executive, Finance, Investment, and Medical/Healthcare Facilities Committees. An Indiana Real Estate Principal Broker and a board member of the Real Estate Round Table, he is Executive Vice President of Hokanson Companies, Inc., of Indianapolis, and has been involved in the development of $600 million worth of real estate. On a volunteer basis, Zoccola was president of Horizon House and a board member of Girls, Inc. He holds a BA in biology from Indiana University.