Minnesota Wild Team Space Renovation

Minneapolis, Minnesota

The NHL’s Minnesota Wild enjoy one of the best playing environments in the league. However, the team and locker spaces nestled at the ice level of the beloved Xcel Energy Center needed a facelift and expansion to handle the ever-changing requirements of a professional hockey team. A radical plan essentially strips the existing space down to bare walls and expands up into unused space under the main seating owl of the arena.

A common player entrance offers the team and select visitors the choice of accessing the main locker and change rooms on the main level, or going up a gently curving open stair to the upper mezzanine.

This vestibule shows off Wild memorabilia, history, and sets up the aesthetic theme found throughout the new suite. The upper level is offices for coaching staff and interns, a media space for player fan mail and computer use, a video review room, and a large common space which contains a richly-appointed theater/lecture room and a comfortable lounge for the team.

The lounge and theater are separated by a large glass wall which can be made opaque for separation when necessary. The theater, with its comfortable lounge style seating and large screen, can be used for recruiting, video review, team movies, or even catching the Top 10 Goals of the Week on satellite.

The décor takes cues from the Minnesota outdoors – simply detailed wood, natural colors, limestone and even alludes to the open sky and abundant waters, as well as featuring the rich colors of the Wild graphics.