POPULOUS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate, Architect / Madrid
Adrian, a Senior Associate at Populous Espana, hails from Madrid. He earned his architecture degree from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM) in 2012. Joining Populous in 2013, Adrian made significant contributions to the post-Games redevelopment of the London Olympic Stadium, transforming it into the home of West Ham United F.C. He played a key role in the design and construction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as a member of the seating bowl design and delivery team. Most recently, Adrian led the design of the seating bowl for the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, which will become the UK's largest indoor arena when it opens in April 2024.
Job Titles:
- Architecture Designer II / Denver
Qualifications
Bachelor of Architecture, California Polytechnic State University
Job Titles:
- Senior Principal, Senior Architect / Kansas City
Brad has over 30 years of focused arena design experience spanning a broad array of professional, civic and collegiate projects. As a senior principal and arenas market leader, Brad sits on Populous' Americas Regional Board. Brad has played an integral part in the creation of arenas that provide extraordinary experiences, including Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena and Fiserv Forum, the new home to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brad's arena design philosophy centers on experiential design with arenas as anchors for further civic development, as evidenced most recently in Milwaukee where the new Fiserv Forum is the lynchpin for 30 acres of surrounding mixed-use development in downtown Milwaukee. He takes pride in working closely with the client and design team in all aspects of design, from concept to completion, in order to create design solutions that are responsive to the unique goals and vision for each project. His aspiration is for arena design go beyond the table stakes of sightlines, concourses and seats to create places where people come together for unforgettable experiences, while optimizing operations and revenue generation for his clients.
A 1984 graduate of Kansas State University, Brad remains active with the college as an invited professional on the Dean's Advisory Council. His work has been featured in major design and industry publications while also garnering numerous local and regional design awards, including the AIA KC Honor Award for his work on T-Mobile Center.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Architecture, Kansas State University
Registered Architect: Missouri, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Wisconsin; Alberta, CA
American Institute of Architects
NCARB
Brett Wightman is a Senior Principal and Director of Populous with extensive experience in designing large-scale sports, entertainment and aviation facilities that draw people together.
Based in Singapore, Brett possesses strong Asian-based experience working across complex construction programs with multiple stakeholders. He has a solid understanding of the construction process and an ability to deliver world-class design projects. He has played instrumental leadership roles on recent COEX, Transit-Oriented Development and Aviation projects across Macau, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand. Brett also leads Populous' Asia Pacific Aviation division.
Travel and exploration are at the heart of Brett's design philosophy. By engaging, living and adapting to local cultures and traditions, he is able to design spaces that are regionally authentic whilst fulfilling the financial aspirations of international stakeholders.
Qualifications
B Arch (Hons)
Job Titles:
- Building Design & Construction
- Senior Principal, Director of Esports / Kansas City
Brian Mirakian is focused on future-forward innovation, next generation consumerism and connective strategy in the world of esports, gaming, entertainment and hospitality. Brian works to create transformative design solutions for his clients, having collaborated with the Olympic Games; nearly every professional team; including the NFL, NBA, MLB; and elite brands such as Adidas, Activision Blizzard and Tencent.
Brian's leadership guided the design of the radical new home for the G4 TV and digital network headquarters in Los Angeles and the NBA2K League's Competition Arena for its fifth season. He also served as project lead for Esports Stadium Arlington, the largest esports specific venue in North America.
Brian is dedicated to broadening and challenging the esports industry, notably speaking at industry conferences, such as SXSW, to provoke engaging and thoughtful conversations to advance the esports industry. His award-winning work has garnered international acclaim in publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Fast Company.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Architecture, Kansas State University
Society of Environmental Graphic Designers
2015 Building Design & Construction's 40 under 40
2002 KC AIA Allied Arts & Craftsmanship Awards
2002 I.D. Magazine Annual Design Revie-Merit Award
Job Titles:
- Global Director
- Senior Principal, Managing Director - Americas / Kansas City
In a quarter century of design work, Bruce has earned the trust and respect of countless clients, colleagues and industry peers. Along the way, he's amassed a portfolio of high-impact sports projects across the United States including the likes of Twin City icons Target Field and Allianz Field. He's a sought-after source on stadium design, having guest lectured at New York University and been interviewed by national and industry media alike.
Recruited to Populous upon his graduation from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in architecture, Bruce's dedication to the firm has spanned the entirety of his career to date. Early in that journey, Sports Business Journal named him among the best young talent in sports business. His ability to manage complex projects showed in endeavors like Target Field, a beloved ballpark sitting on one of the smallest and most complex urban sites in baseball. More recently, he led the design of Minnesota United FC's Allianz Field, a stunning soccer-specific stadium that raised the bar of the Major League Soccer match day experience.
Throughout his work as an architect, Bruce has shown a keen ability to motivate staff to excellence, both as a mentor to others and as a member of Populous' regional and global leadership teams. He's an active member of the American Institute of Architects and is a LEED Accredited Professional.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Cincinnati
Registered Architect: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia; Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan
NCARB Certified
LEED Accredited Professional BD+C
American Institute of Architects
Kansas City Chapter of the AIA
Missouri Council of Architects
2020 Sports Business Journal Power Player
Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation, Executive Committee and Chairman Elect
Job Titles:
- Senior Principal, Design Director / Dallas
Byron Chambers brings over two decades of sports design leadership and experience delivering spaces dedicated to enhancing athlete performance and the game day experiences. Byron's designs create one-of-a-kind, contextually relevant, curated experiences that are tailored to the distinct brand, culture, history and identity of the space. Byron has a keen understanding of market-driven and trend-setting ideas and leads all projects with creative and strategic thinking as a foundation.
Byron's portfolio spans the globe and showcases a wide range of projects, including professional major and minor league ballparks, NFL stadiums and collegiate facilities. With project experience designing and delivering AT&T Stadium, Salt River Fields and numerous projects at Texas A&M University and Tech Tech University, Byron excels at providing premier experiences for fans and athletes on every project he leads.
Byron's authentic and creative design approach couples with his experience to result in the highest quality of venues that strengthen the cultural and social impacts sports have on the community.
A native Texan, Byron leads the Populous Dallas office with an emphasis on collaborating with and exceeding client expectations.
Qualifications
Master of Architecture, Texas A&M University
Bachelor of Environmental Design, Texas A&M University
LEED AP
Qualifications
Master of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Registered Architect: Illinois