Denmark-based architecture firm BIG has now formally broken ground on its very first-ever baseball stadium, which will be constructed for Major League Baseball club Las Vegas Athletics. The groundbreaking followed the earlier release of design plans in March 2024, marking a key turning point for the team as it transitions from Oakland, California, where BIG previously submitted a different stadium proposal in 2018
Nicknamed the « Armadillo, » the stadium features five overlapping, wedge-shaped arched volumes inspired by baseball pennants and echoing the form of the Southwestern armadillo. Located on a nine-acre site between Tropicana and Reno Avenues on the Las Vegas Strip, the stadium’s design includes a sweeping metal-clad façade and a record-setting cable-net glass wall at the main entrance.
Interior, designs show large domed stadiums with arched skylights, a central atrium, and a double-deck seating design based on classic ballparks like Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. BIG emphasizes the new ballpark will have the closest seating to home plate in the MLB and advance player-fan intimacy.
Some other facilities consist of lounges, concession areas, and a domed hospitality facility. BIG will also collaborate with engineering firms like HNTB, Thornton Tomasetti, and Henderson Engineers. Plans for surrounding development—i.e., hotel and casino—are also in the works.
« This milestone is the culmination of nearly a decade of collaboration with the A’s, » said BIG founder Bjarke Ingels. “A’s Armadillo is not only a landmark for baseball, but a bold architectural addition to the Las Vegas Strip.”
