The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC), in partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies, will debut the spring training facility in 2011. The 11,000-seat capacity ball park will be built on 140 acres west of the Pima-101 Freeway and north of Indian Bend Road.
The new roof design to be incorporated into the structure is intended to give prime importance to viewers’ comfort by providing shade from the scorching sun. About 85% of fans in attendance will be covered under the roof. The shaded seats are determined based on solar path studies that predict where the sun’s rays will shine in the stadium during the March spring training games. An additional 4,000 lawn seats will be available where the sun will shine.
The main objective behind the roof design is to maximize shade, along with maintaining views of the surrounding mountains. This is expected to give an open feel to the facility while architecturally reflecting the heritage of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and baseball. The design also takes into consideration the surrounding area and will allow for views of Camelback Mountain, the McDowell Mountains, Four Peaks, Red Mountain and the Superstition Mountains.
The facility will include a total of 12 practice fields and office buildings with major and minor league clubhouses, training facilities, and offices for each team. It is considered as the first such Major League Baseball (MLB) professional facility to be built on a Native American community within the US.
