Bill Hellmuth, president of global architecture practice HOK is “excited” by the firm’s re-entry into the sports sector. Speaking to Sports Management, Hellmuth said the acquisition of sports specialist 360 Architecture, which will form part of a new global practice called HOK Sports + Recreation + Entertainment, has “filled a void” in HOK’s operations.

“It’s great to be back in sports,” he said. “It’s a piece of our practice that we’ve sorely missed for the last six years.”

HOK’s previous sports arm – HOK Sport Venue Event – became Populous in 2008 following a management buy out. A non-compete agreement, which formed part of the deal, meant HOK hasn’t worked in sports for more than five years.

Founded in 2004, 360 Architecture is recognised as one of the world’s leading designers of stadia, arenas and wellness centres, employing 200 staff. The company’s previous work includes the MetLife Stadium in New York and the Basra Sports City project in Iraq. The firm has also been involved in plans for a new training facility for NBA side the Philadelphia 76ers, while its designs for the mixed-use Rogers Place in Edmonton have turned heads in the architectural industry.

Hellmuth said the integration of 360 into HOK will impact all of HOK’s future work around large projects. “We do an awful lot of work with developers and a lot of masterplanning of communities,” he added. “To be able to work hand in glove with the sports component is just an incredible benefit to working on overall masterplans – especially in Asia and the Middle East where there are very large and complex masterplans of communities.

“Having the sports component woven in from the very beginning is a real benefit. In the past, people doing these masterplans would get to the sports part and we’d have to say that ‘we don’t do that’. That is no longer the case and it makes our offering to clients so much richer and better.”

Brad Schrock, principal at 360 Architecture, will be among the staff to join the new Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice. He is poised to become its director. Speaking to Sports Management, Schrock said the new sports practice’s philosophy will mirror the scale of opportunities offered by being part of a global masterplanning giant such as HOK.

“Sports facilities are so much more than just sports facilities nowadays,” Schrock said. “The days of having a traditional sports architect execute a stadium are pretty much over.

“Our philosophy is that we’ve got an incredible group of professionals and experts around the world that practice in a number of markets that come to bear on all of our sports projects. Joining HOK enables us to take advantage of an exceptionally strong global platform and to expand our sports facility design practice, while offering our clients additional expertise in other markets.”

Along with Schrock, 360 Architecture’s senior principals set to join HOK include Tom Waggoner, George Heinlein, William Johnson, Tracy Stearns and Chris Trainer.

Meanwhile, John Rhodes has been appointed the new director at the London, UK office of Sports + Recreation + Entertainment. Rhodes said the company has already lined up an impressive project portfolio.

“From our point of view the most exciting thing we’re looking at is the Dubai World Expo,” Rhodes told Sports Management. “It’s an enormous event in 2020 and we’re currently working with the master planning team here in London, looking at the venues and how they work and inform that masterplan.

“The prospect of getting 25-30 million people through the site within six months is incredibly exciting – and a challenge in terms of experiential architecture.

“We’ve also got a few arena projects that we’ve been looking at and stadium projects around the world – in the Middle East in particularly.”

HOK’s re-entry into the sports market in 2015 coincides with the celebration of the company’s 60th anniversary.