Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is gearing up for a full-on glow-up, with a reimagined main atrium, a new American Express Card Member entrance and lounge, an upgraded broadcast control room, and a slate of public art commissions rolling out over the next year. Arena operators say the work is part of a multi-year push to rethink how fans arrive, watch, and hang out at Nets games and concerts. The third phase of the project is expected to wrap by Fall 2026, with a major plaza sculpture scheduled to follow in Spring 2027.
Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment is pitching the overhaul as a combined art-and-hospitality upgrade that threads new commissions through both the arena interior and the public plaza. The plan names Paul Pfeiffer as the building’s first artist-in-residence and taps Sarah Sze for a suspended, projection-driven centerpiece in the main atrium. New large-scale works by Mark Bradford and Rashid Johnson are slated for a reworked Flatbush Avenue entrance, while a public sculpture by Kambui Olujimi is planned for the plaza. The operator laid out the program in an announcement, according to Barclays Center.
Local coverage has been busy filling in the nuts and bolts. Brooklyn Paper reports that the overall package clocks in at roughly $150 million over five years. The new AmEx lounge is expected to seat more than 200 card members and use Evolv screening kiosks to move security lines faster, while the refreshed atrium will be wrapped in a 180-degree LED wall. The same report notes a redesigned box office with dedicated ticket-resolution and guest-services areas, plus a temporary summer box office on Ticketmaster Plaza so fans can still handle in-person needs while construction is underway.
Art, Arrival And The ‘Wave’ Experience
Sze’s atrium commission, Wave, is described as a sweeping arc of more than 250 sculptural screens carrying shifting projected imagery across the ceiling, creating a moving and immersive threshold as fans enter the building. “The artists in this program aren't simply participants, they have helped us consider and ultimately realize how we create space for art in public life,” Clara Wu Tsai said in the announcement. The project description and her remarks are included in the release from Barclays Center.
Design, Contractors And Timeline
Architectural firm Populous is leading the design work, with Shawmut Design and Construction on board as construction manager. The price tag depends on who is counting: some coverage has framed the effort as part of a $100 million-plus, five-year plan, while Sports Business Journal has cited a $140 million multiyear program, and local outlets have landed on a $150 million figure. All of it rolls into the same multi-phase renovation story. The arena’s control room is also getting its first major upgrade since Barclays Center opened in 2012, shifting to an IP-based broadcast system intended to support new cameras, instant replay, graphics, and intercom, according to local reporting.
Earlier phases have already delivered new premium and fan spaces on the building’s west end. Regulars will recognize Gallagher Terrace and Modelo Bridge, which are new hospitality and communal gathering zones. Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment says the remaining construction will be phased around scheduled games and summer concerts to keep events running, with the rollout tracked in local coverage.
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