In a Jan. 29 Kansas City Business Journal article on world-class sports engineering and architecture, Henderson Engineers was featured prominently as a major player in venue design. The article by Leslie Collins noted that Henderson and other Kansas City-based architecture, design, and engineering firms have completed work on various professional and collegiate sports venues, including the last 10 stadiums to host the NFL championship game.

According to Kansas City Area Development Council President and CEO Tim Cowden, 75 percent of all sports stadium architecture in the world is being designed by firms headquartered in Kansas City. Other companies listed in the article were Populous, HOK, Dimensional Innovations, DLR Group, HNTB, and Black & Veatch.

“This is the center for sports architecture in the world,” Cowden said.

Henderson President and CEO Rich Smith — who is active in KC Global Design and KC Rising — noted that the midwestern city can trace its history as the epicenter of sports venue design back to the early 1970s when the Truman Sports Complex set a new standard with single-use facilities during an era dominated by multiuse football and baseball stadiums. Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium were developed at the complex as the separate home venues for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. This design created a new standard in the sports industry and led franchises to the Kansas City firms, creating a hub.

From there, the city known for its welcoming citizens, barbecue, and fountains began its rise to global recognition in sports venue design.

Learn more about Henderson’s venue expertise and why Kansas City is a destination location for a sports and recreation engineering career.