Thunder Thursday: Lead Architect Discusses Vision For New Downtown OKC Arena

David Manica, the lead architect for the new downtown arena in Oklahoma City, shared his vision and approach to the highly anticipated project with News 9 Thursday.

Manica, whose firm, Manica Architecture, has worked on prominent projects like the Chase Center in San Francisco, emphasized his commitment to creating a world-class, one-of-a-kind arena that reflects Oklahoma City's unique character.

"My vision right now is just based on excellence," Manica said. "I did not come to this project with preconceptions."

Manica highlighted that each of his projects is tailored specifically to its location.

"What's perfect here won't be perfect somewhere else," he explained, reinforcing his intention to make the Oklahoma City arena a unique fit for the community.

With the project budget set at around $1 billion, Manica expressed confidence in the resources available.

"This budget is the right amount of money for this project," he said. "Any less, and we might be having to cut corners; might find ourselves in a position where we're being indulgent or in some way wasteful with the dollars.

The current Paycom Center seats 18,200 people, but Manica suggested the new arena may have a smaller capacity, in line with industry trends.

"There's been a shift towards focusing on quality of experience rather than quantity of seats," he said. "The goal is to ensure every seat offers something exceptional."

Design work for the arena is set to begin in the coming weeks, with the first public reveal expected by next summer. "We're starting with visioning sessions now," Manica said. "The public will likely see something in the summertime, after we've refined the design to meet all the project's needs."

The new arena, which will serve as the home for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is expected to be a centerpiece of the city’s downtown development.