When it comes to designing stadiums and sports and entertainment architecture, HOK has long been a heavy hitter. This week the firm with global offices and a presence in over a dozen U.S. cities announced it has acquired ROSSETTI, a Detroit-based firm well-acquainted with arena projects.
Per a press release the “combined firm” said it will operate under the name HOK + ROSSETTI, “during the integration,” after which it will go by HOK. Matt Rossetti, who runs the third-generation family practice, will become a director of HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice, one of the firm’s specialty markets. Joining Rossetti on the leadership roster of the specialized practice are directors Nate Appleman, Shannon Bartch, Amy Chase, John Rhodes, and Rashed Singaby.
Details of the acquisition were not disclosed. ROSSETTI will stay put in its Detroit office, with 87 staff members continuing to work from there.
“Our clients will still work with the same people who know their projects and goals,” Rossetti said. “The difference is that now those people have the backing of a global network with extraordinary depth across disciplines and markets. This is the right partnership at the right time.”
For HOK the acquisition is an opportunity to solidify its entry into a new regional market: Detroit and the Upper Midwest, more broadly. HOK previously worked on projects in the city including, Little Caesars Arena and the forthcoming home of Detroit FC.
HOK co-CEO Eli Hoisington said, “This strengthens every dimension of our Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice while establishing a home in Detroit, a market we believe in deeply.”
In its hometown, ROSSETTI is contributing to Cosm Detroit, a sports and entertainment venue; it also previously designed locker rooms and amenity spaces for the Detroit Pistons, who play in the Little Caesars Arena. Last summer, the ROSSETTI also announced it was leading a renovation of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. The firm designed the center’s premier court, Arthur Ashe Stadium, in 1994 and has continued its relationship with the USTA over the years, one that will surely continue with HOK.