Cosm venues are sending immersive live sports and entertainment engagements to unprecedented heights.
They bring people into events through advanced technology and innovative architecture.
Cosm’s first two venues in Los Angeles and Dallas/The Colony — both designed by HKS — are captivating audiences through vantage points that put them inside the action.
We are known for creating innovative environments for people to experience sports and entertainment. With Cosm, we’ve elevated the convergence of the physical and virtual world to unprecedented levels.
Mark A. Williams, HKS Global Director, Venues
The design of Cosm venues seamlessly blends the physical and digital worlds.
Audiences feel like they are on the field, in the ring, on the court and on the stage.
Designing a Social Experience
HKS centered the design of Cosm on creating a social atmosphere that unites the best aspects of a live event, virtual technology and hospitality-grade amenities.
Cosm offers a variety of environments audiences can flow between. An 87-foot LED dome brings entertainment to life through an immersive customer experience.
“From Cosm’s entry, you’re always oriented to the screen and have that feeling of connection to the event at a deep level,” said Los Angeles-based HKS Senior Designer Josh Tooill about the visitor experience. “It builds up the emotion you would get if you were at a traditional event — coming through groups of fans cheering, the smells, the emotions and the sounds.”
A hall featuring sophisticated concessions, lounge areas and wall-to-wall LED screens and an outdoor deck with landscaping and breathtaking views also offer visitors a chance to expand their experience.
Every aspect of Cosm’s venue design supports social engagement. The buildings promote circulation and interaction, grounding virtual experiences in physical space and encouraging people to develop meaningful connections.
“You can be super immersive, or you can be a little bit more detached. There are different parts of the building where the technology is more or less prevalent, and you always get the socializing aspect of the experience,” said London-based Alex Thomas HKS Design Director, Sports & Entertainment.
The design team developed vantage points so no matter where you are in the dome, you feel connected and have a great view. Differing from traditional theater or stadium environments, the dome includes flexible seating that supports the ever-changing perspectives of the audience.
By taking in an event happening somewhere else in the world surrounded by others and moving fluidly between the different spaces throughout the venue, Cosm ticket holders participate in a shared reality experience.
Cosm has pioneered the concept of shared reality, and we’re bringing their vision to life with the convergence of physical and virtual space.
Andrew Schluterman, HKS Project Architect
Global Events, Local Venue
A major design driver behind Cosm’s development was to extend the live experience beyond just a single venue or event. Cosm is envisioned to provide continuous access to pre- and post-event festivities, and the locations are intended to support broader goals of mixed-use developments that feature entertainment venues.
We’re finding touch points to engage fans, to extend the experience, and activate people in smaller scale venues to keep entertainment districts active and alive.
Josh Tooill, HKS Senior Designer
Cosm venues are designed to provide global experiences while being rooted in their community. HKS team members from the U.K. and the U.S. leveraged their experience designing award-winning destinations such as SoFi Stadium, Globe Life Field, the Arena at Dirayah, Es Con Field Hokkaido, Chengdu Phoenix Hill Sports Park, and more to create world-class venues that speak to the qualities of the local culture.
Situated in Hollywood Park next to SoFi Stadium, Cosm LA features a distinctly Southern Californian white plaster exterior and a deck that maximizes the indoor/outdoor lifestyle of Angelinos. Cosm Dallas, located in The Colony, has a façade crafted with local Texas limestone and is seamlessly woven into the existing Grandscape development.
“With any type of venue we create, it has to feel of the place and of the people for it to be a success, and for people to fully embrace it,” said Dallas-based HKS Project Architect Andrew Schluterman. “This is a venue that can take you anywhere in the world, but we want to venue and the overall experience to feel familiar.”
Cosm’s programming is intended to bring global, premium events to people’s backyard and provide access to enriching entertainment.
For HKS designers, seeing Cosm venues they designed come to life is a signal that the future of immersive experiences has arrived.
At HKS, we pride ourselves on our ability to innovate, and this is the most incredible example of innovation. With our partners at Cosm, we’ve created a new venue typology.
Alex Thomas, HKS Design Director, Sports & Entertainment