Warriors release rendering for new downtown San Francisco waterfront arena

The Warriors new downtown arena in San Francisco is set to open in 2017. (Photo courtesy of Warriors.com)

The Golden State Warriors released new renderings for their planned new waterfront arena in San Francisco that is set to be opened in 2017, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

Currently, the Warriors play in Oracle Arena, which opened in 1966, and seats 19,596 for basketball.

The new 18,000 seat arena will include a fire station with berths for two fireboats, a deep-water berth for large ships, public access space on the eastern edge of the pier, a sustainable “Gabion Wall” stormwater filtration system and public views that allow visitors to see inside the Golden State Warriors practice facility and into the arena during Warriors game.  More can be seen at Warriors.com.

More from the Chronicle:

"The new design by Snøhetta and AECOM builds on the first draft we released to create an arena experience on the waterfront that is unique, community-focused and unlike any other venue in existence around the world,” said Joe Lacob, Co-Executive Chairman and CEO of the Warriors. “The new design creates more open space and accessibility to the waterfront, new berths for fireboats and cruise ships and public views into the arena that will be one-of-a-kind for an NBA venue.”

“We are very happy with the idea that over 50 percent of the pier space is open and accessible at different times of the day for people who want to enjoy the waterfront,’’ said Craig Dykers, the lead arena designer for architectural firm Snøhetta, a Norwegian outfit with U.S. headquarters in New York.