3,666
feet tall
17,500
seat auditorium
$2.3 Billion
project cost
How Sphere Started
James Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden Company, had a vision to build a one-of-a-kind entertainment venue. After several years of planning, Sphere was announced in February 2018 as a partnership between Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) and Las Vegas Sands Corporation. The global architectural and design firm, Populous, was chosen to design the one-of-a-kind entertainment facility, which would feature a number of “world’s-first” technology applications, including a 580,000 sq ft LED “exosphere” display and a wraparound interior LED screen unparalleled in size and resolution. Groundbreaking for Sphere took place in September 2018, with a planned opening in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of construction, and Sphere ultimately opened to the public on September 29, 2023. The project is estimated to have cost $2.3 billion, and is regarded as the most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world.
Alpha’s Solution
A key component of the Sphere audience experience is its Alpha-integrated, IP-based control room and core systems, which enable operators to interface with a vast LED processing network and allow them to mix live and pre-recorded production elements, inside and outside Sphere. This gives engineers total control over what’s being played on the “exosphere” so that its content integrates with the production itself. To connect all the production teams during on-site events, Alpha also deployed a wireless intercom system of unprecedented size. Essential elements of the control room were pre-built and tested at Alpha’s facility, speeding and simplifying deployment of the solution’s highly complex technology infrastructure.
Alpha’s team of designers and engineers were able to create a network infrastructure that incorporates a LAWO IP routing system, Cisco switchers, and a natively UHD SMPTE 2110 system with support for additional resolutions and formats. The Alpha team also integrated a Sony XPS IP-Native production switcher, Riedel wired and wireless intercoms, Sony POV cameras with Telemetric robotics, and a UHD, 4K, 12 gigahertz system throughout the venue.
Why Alpha
A key factor that influenced the choice was Alpha’s track record in design and integration for large-scale entertainment venues such as Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. The comprehensiveness and detail of Alpha’s proposal also won decision makers’ confidence. Moreover, Alpha stood apart in its demonstrated ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders – in this case facility owner MSG Ventures, which led project development, MSG Design & Construction, which built Sphere, and MSG Entertainment (now rebranded as Sphere Entertainment), which runs the facility, as well as a myriad of contractors and sub-contractors.
Alpha’s reputation for exemplary integration service was realized throughout this project as well. Alpha had team members on-site for months ensuring that the project was on schedule and each entity was working as a cohesive unit.
The ultimate example of “Experience Possible.”
Clients come to Alpha to transform their vision into reality – to “Experience Possible.” MSG began with a grandly audacious vision for what it wanted to achieve: a multisensory audience experience that was unique in its features, scale and power. Inside Sphere, wind blows, steam rises, temperatures shift, scents waft and seats shake. Creating a control facility capable of powering such an experience required multi-industry mastery, end-to-end capabilities, rock-solid project management skills, the nimbleness to accommodate ownership’s evolving ideas, and – most of all – a mentality that does not shy away from challenges but embraces them with the spirit of a technology pioneer.
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