Every major arena renovation has to balance the priorities of the owner, the architect, and the construction team. Target Center added another layer of urgency: the City of Minneapolis, the Timberwolves, and the Lynx all needed the facility to meet current NBA and WNBA fan-experience standards, and what started as a planned upgrade quickly became a full remodel of the arena's architectural, MEP, and IT systems.
For Alliiance, the technology side of that remodel carried its own set of problems. The arena's IT infrastructure still ran on analog systems more than 20 years old, with little capacity to expand as the facility's needs grew. Replacing that infrastructure, along with the arena's access control, CCTV, Wi-Fi, and display systems, required the same rigorous design as the building's architectural and MEP systems, along with coordination to keep the work from disrupting the arena's event schedule.
TMC's consultants worked as an extension of the design team throughout the project, coordinating directly with Alliiance's architects and the MEP engineers so the arena's technology systems were represented in the drawing set from the start. That coordination covered the full scope of the arena's IT, security, and AV systems, including:
TMC designed the access control and CCTV systems to double in capacity from day one, enabling Target Center to continue to expand its security coverage, including into the arena's skyways and adjoining facilities, by adding IP cameras and storage rather than replacing the system again.
Because TMC joined the design process early, Alliiance didn't have to manage the arena's technology scope as a separate, disconnected workstream. TMC developed the T-layer drawings for the data center, network, access control, CCTV, Wi-Fi, and display systems alongside the architectural and MEP drawings, which meant Alliiance could work from a coordinated design package rather than reconciling conflicting requirements after the fact. TMC also handled the specifications, vendor management, and inspection work tied to that scope directly, which let Alliiance's team stay focused on the arena's architectural and structural design.
That coordination gave Target Center a security system built to double in capacity immediately, with room to expand further as the arena grows, along with a wireless network built to current NBA and WNBA standards. The renovated arena reopened in time for the 2017-18 NBA season and has continued to serve as the home venue for the Timberwolves and Lynx since, supported by the technology systems TMC helped design and coordinate alongside Alliiance.