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The world's leading architecture practice, HOK Sport Venue Event, has announced its new name - Populous. The rebranding follows its successful management buyout in December 2008 and comes at a time of celebration for many of the practiceâs current projects. These include:

• The redevelopment of Populous-designed Eden Park, Auckland for the 2011 Rugby World Cup;

• The Populous-designed Taipei Baseball Dome - on which construction is due to start;

• Design of the innovative Delhi Exhibition Centre;

• The new Yankee Stadium and the new Citi Field Stadium for the New York Mets;

• The new roof above the Wimbledon Centre Court; and

• The Populous-designed London 2012 Olympic Stadium â which has reached the halfway mark in its construction.

To coincide with the unveiling of the new brand, which means 'full of people', Populous has launched a website to capture views on 'what draws people together?' People from around the world have started answering the question in a video which can be viewed on the site.

As Paul Henry, Populous' Brisbane-based Senior Principal explained "over the 25 years that Populous (formerly HOK Sport Architecture) has been designing buildings, sport has changed and become a powerful communication tool. In response, venues have changed with the growing expectations of the live audience, and dramatic increases in the remote audience as billions of fans tune in to a digital age.

"Populous is our response to that change. What we do best is design buildings that draw people together, so Populous is the perfect name to reflect our business. Whether itâs for sports and entertainment or exhibits and conferences, our aim is to create buildings that people love to be in and which can become a point of reference and rejuvenation for their communities.

"The new Yankee Stadium opening this weekend, the new roof at Wimbledon, to be showcased for the first time in May; Suncorp stadium and Skilled Park on the Gold Coast, in Australia; and the master planning of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, are great examples of the special experiences and sense of community that can be shared in our buildings. With our rebranding we are calling for people from all over the world to come to our web site and tell us what they think âdraws people together."

As one of the world's leading design practices Populous' buildings range from iconic stadia and arenas, to convention centres and amphitheatres, with recent projects including Nanjing Sports Park in China; Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and Skilled Park on the Gold Coast.

Populous' architects are some of the world's most experienced designers, drawing from the combined expertise of more than 1,000 projects with construction value exceeding $20 billion. The company's client list is diverse and comprehensive; it includes 24 Major League Baseball franchises, 30 NFL franchises, 80 professional and civic arena clients, 40 football and rugby teams, 120 colleges and universities, 40 convention and performing arts center clients, 27 Super Bowls and 30 major events. Populous employs 500 staff in Brisbane, Singapore, Hong Kong, Auckland, Kansas City, London, Denver, Nashville, Knoxville and New York.

Click here to participate in the global discussion about the Populous brand, or email: info@populous.com

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