New Halawa stadium to resemble CSU’s Canvas Stadium

AIEA, Hawaii — University of Hawaii football fans curious about the future of the program would do well to study up on Saturday.

That’s because when UH takes on Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo., the Rainbow Warriors will take the field in a venue that could very well resemble their home slated to open in 2029.

The developer team responsible for constructing and operating Hawaii’s new stadium, Aloha Halawa District Partners, includes the same architect team, Populous, that designed the 36,500-seat Canvas Stadium, which opened in 2017.

The state’s New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District officials toured San Diego State’s then-new SnapDragon Stadium soon after its opening in 2022. But more recently, Canvas Stadium emerged as the model.

Stanford Carr, president of AHDP project leader Stanford Carr Development, and his team visited Canvas Stadium in recent weeks, according to Brennon Morioka, special project advisor and former Stadium Authority chair. Morioka visited Canvas himself over the summer and UH Athletic Director Matt Elliott is to get a tour of the facility this weekend, Morioka said.

Of what stood out at Canvas, Morioka told Spectrum News, “First was all the amenities both for game day but also the ability to host events on any day. But inside the stadium, it was simple but still had a big-time stadium feel. I thought it would restore that Division I football feel while also giving our high school games that little extra where the high schoolers will remember those games throughout their lifetime.”

It would not be a one-to-one rebuild in Halawa. The state’s venue will open at 22,500 capacity, with the potential for future expansion.

“It’s not (an) exact replica,” Stadium Authority chair Eric Fujimoto said after the board’s Thursday meeting in old Aloha Stadium. “We’re publicly trying to bring a visual as best we can. That’s the pattern as of now that (AHDP) is trying to find the best practices on.”

NASED officials have said the new stadium will be majority bleacher-style seats with some areas of full seatbacks, following the modern trend of college stadiums. Canvas Stadium is in that mold, with bleacher seats wrapping around about three-quarters of the stadium and full seats underneath the press box along one sideline.

Canvas Stadium’s premium seating includes 23 private suites, 884 club seats and 224 loge box seats, according to CSU’s website.

Hawaii’s new stadium will have 10 luxury boxes, per previous NASED disclosures.

Canvas Stadium was constructed for $220 million, with most of its construction materials brought in from within a 500-mile radius. The Halawa stadium is expected to approach $500 million, with a $350 million direct contribution from the state and the rest to be covered by AHDP. The state has earmarked an additional $49.5 million to cover operations costs.

NASED project director David Harris said at Thursday’s monthly Stadium Authority meeting that AHDP is “deep into the planning process for demolition activities for the existing stadium as well as kicking of the schematic design work, which is the next design phase for the stadium.”

Harris said utility work and abatement (hazardous material removal) is starting within Aloha Stadium and “we are committed to making sure we keep good photographic record of that and those will be published on the NASED website, so the public can keep an eye on what’s happening within the stadium.”

Physical dismantling of the stadium is on pace to begin in January, he said.

Harris said the state is in “the final stages” of the last two contracts it must execute with AHDP, the master development agreement for the whole 98-acre site and a reciprocal easement agreement that cover the real estate portion of the mixed-use project.

“There’s but a very small handful of issues remaining to solve for that,” Harris said, adding that it will not affect the stadium construction timeline.

Meanwhile, Aloha Stadium executed its first swap meet at its new site for about 400 vendors at the Upper Halawa Lot, a move from around the immediate exterior of the stadium as AHDP proceeds with advance work for stadium demolition.

It was described as smooth with the occasional hiccup.

“It was the first time we did it, so we’re going to get better,” said interim stadium manager Chris Sadayasu. There will be another test for them this weekend with larger crowds expected for the Saturday and Sunday swap meets.

The stadium is also preparing to host the Aloha to Aloha Stadium concert from 4 to 10 p.m. in its Lower Halawa Lot on Oct. 25. A lineup of prominent local artists, including Ekolu, Ho‘onua, Henry Kapono and The Makaha Sons are set to perform.

Historical moments at Aloha Stadium will be displayed on a big screen in the lot.

A crowd of upward of 10,000 is expected. It will be the last non-swap meet event at the stadium grounds prior to demolition and construction.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.