Populous to design Philadelphia’s first Campus dedicated to Esports

Global design firm Populous has been tapped by Nerd Street Gamers, an esports infrastructure company, to lead its national rollout of Localhost gaming centres, starting with its flagship “The Block”, a multiple-floor, 40,000SF campus in Philadelphia, PA.

The concept is the first of its kind – localised gaming centres open to the public and brought to life all across the United States. It will feature 20,000SF of gaming space with dynamic amenities such as high-speed computer systems for gaming and streaming, localised competitions for esports, lounge areas for console gaming, a full-scale broadcast centre to stream games on Twitch, YouTube, etc., and areas for F&B, retail and esports merchandise.

The Block will also serve as Nerd Street Gamers’ corporate headquarters, for which it will carve out 10,000SF, and the Fusion Overwatch League will use 10,000SF for a training centre and office space.

Brian Mirakian, Esports Director for the Americas and Senior Principal at Populous, said:

This is a really exciting project for the world of gaming and esports. Localhost brings access to communities in a way that has not been done before, and The Block will serve as a beacon for this new type of facility coming to market. As the worldwide esports landscape grows and evolves, we have the opportunity to bring people together in venues, across all scales, built for the purpose of gaming. Partnering with Nerd Street Gamers, one of the industry’s most innovative companies, has allowed us to explore the future and reach new heights in developing a top-quality experience for today’s gamers.

New kid on The Block

The Block has a very robust technology backbone that supports the facility. When talking about competitive gaming, you must have the right equipment, and many people across the country don’t have access to this high level of computer speed. The Block’s LAN Center allows residents of the community to come in and take advantage of its multiple long-haul and metro fibre routes, which support a near-zero lag time for players.

A large flexible event space at The Block has been designed to support a variety of programs, such as esports events, corporate events, team meet-and-greets, or product demonstrations.

Nerd Street Gamers plans to build 100 Localhosts over the next five years. Populous will serve as the lead designer on all of these, including the one underway in Hawthorne, California. Populous has already brought its innovative vision to esports facilities such as the Esports Stadium Arlington and Fortress Melbourne.

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Populous will be participating both as a sponsor and speaker at the next edition of ALSD International.

Images, courtesy: Populous

The upcoming ‘hybrid’ edition of ALSD International – Europe’s leading event for the Premium Seat & Sports Hospitality sector – will focus on increasing revenue via new builds, renovations, service expansions & technology, and reopening with confidence.

The event will feature a high-level conference, exhibition hall, networking events and tours of Anfield, Goodison Park and M&S Bank Arena, all of which will be available to in-person and virtual attendees ensuring optimised opportunities for knowledge-sharing, networking and doing business.

#ALSDInternational – Europe’s leading event for the Premium Seat & Sports Hospitality sector

#ALSD – Leading the Premium Seat sector for the last 30 years

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