GC Selected for 360-Foot-Tall Entertainment Venue in Las Vegas

The Madison Square Garden Company has engaged AECOM to serve as general contractor for MSG Sphere at The Venetian, MSG’s state-of-the-art entertainment venue under construction in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Located on an 18-acre site, MSG Sphere at The Venetian will feature an iconic spherical shape, with a fully programmable LED exterior. This first-of-its-kind venue will be 360 feet tall and 516 feet wide, and will connect to Las Vegas Sands’ Venetian Resort via an approximately 1,000-foot-long pedestrian bridge.

With a scalable capacity of approximately 17,500 seated, MSG Sphere at The Venetian will be the first venue to deliver a fully immersive experience on such a large scale. Inside the venue, guests will be surrounded by more than 160,000 square feet of display surface (equal to three football fields) that will wrap up, over and behind the stage and audience, delivering a totally immersive visual environment better than today’s HD televisions.

Every guest will enjoy crystal-clear audio with an advanced acoustics system that features beamforming technology, enabling audio to be directed to specific locations in the bowl at a volume that remains constant – from point of origin to destination. Beamforming technology also allows multiple forms of content to be delivered simultaneously, which means two people — sitting five feet apart – could hear completely different things, adding to the possibilities for a truly customized experience.

To awaken the sense of touch, an infrasound haptic system will use deep vibrations so that guests can “feel” the experience – whether it’s a volcano erupting or a motorcycle roaring by. And MSG Sphere at The Venetian will also ignite one of the most powerful human senses – the sense of smell – through evocative scents that truly transport audiences.

Additionally, the ground-breaking venue will introduce a new architecture for connectivity that will deliver 25 megabits per second for every guest, enabling a broader range of content and greater interaction.

These technologies will come together to create a powerful platform, making MSG Sphere at The Venetian a popular venue for a wide variety of content — including attractions, concerts, residencies, family shows, corporate events, award shows, product launches and select sporting events. In addition, the venue will feature an array of first-class amenities – from luxurious seating and hospitality offerings for a wide range of audiences, to deluxe, dedicated areas designed specifically for artists.

The project team also includes design firm Populous and project manager Rider Levett Bucknall. MSG’s goal is to open MSG Sphere at The Venetian in 2021.