Los Angeles Sparks WNBA Training Facility

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Beyond the Court: The Los Angeles Sparks’ training facility redefines the athlete experience, blending elite training spaces with wellness amenities.

Location

El Segundo, California

Client

Los Angeles Sparks

Expertise

Sports Brand Design

Opportunity

After 28 years without a true home of their own, the Los Angeles Sparks set out to build a facility that finally matched their ambition and put players at the center of every decision.

Professional women's basketball has long operated without facilities designed to its specific demands. As the WNBA enters a new era of growth marked by record viewership, rising sponsorships, and a landmark media rights deal, teams across the league, including the Los Angeles Sparks, are investing in facilities specifically designed to attract and retain elite female athletes. For the three-time WNBA champions, the moment called for more than a practice gym: it was a chance to give players a true home away from home, one built around performance, recovery, and community, while reflecting the vibrancy and culture of Los Angeles.

Why This Matters

01
Elevating Women’s Athletics
Women’s professional sports have historically lacked facilities designed around the full arc of athlete life. This project sets a new standard for what player-first design can look like at the professional level.
02
Anchoring a Franchise’s Future
A permanent, purpose-built home gives the Sparks organizational stability and a platform for recruitment, retention, and long-term competitive investment in one of the WNBA’s founding markets.
03
Investing in a Growing League
The WNBA is experiencing unprecedented growth. A facility in Los Angeles positions the Sparks to lead that moment rather than follow it.

FPO Quote

Solution

Gensler designed a facility where the curves, light and landscape work together to support athletes at every level of their day.

The 55,000-square-foot Sparks Performance Center is organized around a player-first philosophy that treats recovery and rest as essential to performance, not secondary to it. Sweeping curves drawn from the movement and grace of basketball shape the building’s form, while full-height glazing and fully retractable doors dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior. Two regulation courts anchor the training core, supported by a state-of-the-art weight room, hydrotherapy and spa suites, an outdoor recovery pool with rehabilitation jets, dedicated nap rooms, and spaces for yoga, meditation, and quiet reflection. A circular locker room reinforces team cohesion by design. Views toward the Pacific Ocean and nearby mountains bring the landscape into daily life at the facility.

From brief to build: designing for women athletes at the highest level demands a facility conceived from the inside out.

The design process begins with the player journey. For the Sparks, that means first understanding team culture, priorities, and how players move through their day. Those conversations established a clear north star: the "player sanctuary," a practice facility designed to support performance, recovery, wellness, and everyday life, one that players never want to leave. That principle guided every decision. Through regular working sessions with the Sparks, the team developed key program elements including sports performance, equipment planning, locker design, wellness, and the overall interior experience.

Design For the Whole Athlete

Each locker is tailored to the demands of a professional player’s day with zones for performance gear, street wear, beauty items, and personal storage.

Impact

More than a practice facility, it stands as an investment in the history of women's sports, setting a new standard for what a professional sports organization can provide its athletes.

Located in a thriving sports hub alongside teams like the Lakers and Chargers, the facility reinforces the Sparks' identity as a pillar of LA's sports landscape, while its family and community spaces extend that impact beyond the team, becoming a gathering point for fans and a symbol of where women's sports are headed next.

What Changed Because of This

01
A New Standard for Athlete Wellbeing
Integrating physical recovery, mental restoration, and social connection into a single daily environment, the facility is designed to support athletes both on and off the court.
02
A Facility Built to Perform
The training infrastructure now matches the demands of elite professional basketball where the quality of the space actively supports the quality of the work.
03
A Landmark for the Franchise
Signaling institutional commitment to women’s professional sports, the community and family-oriented spaces position the facility as a gathering point for the broader Sparks community in the South Bay.

This training facility exemplifies athlete-centered design at the highest standard, where every detail has been thoughtfully crafted to support the WNBA athletes. It represents the next generation of holistic support, designed to elevate each athlete’s journey towards being their very best.

Recognition

01

LA Business First

Interviewed Architect Susan Han about the Los Angeles Sparks facility serving as a ‘home away from home’ for athletes to recharge year-round.

02

Sports Business journal

The Los Angeles Sparks’ plan to build a $150 Million training facility in El Segundo, calif. Built in partnership with Gnesler, the 55,000-square-foot facility will feature the WNBA’s first ever indoor-outdoor player sanctuary.

03

Urbanize LA

Covered the $150M Los Angeles Sparks training facility, which exemplifies athlete-centered design a the highest standard and the next generation of holistic support.

Team

Project Leadership

Steve Chung

Steve Chung is a Design Director and Sports Leader for Gensler’s Southwest region, where he leads sports, training, and recreation projects with a focus on access, performance, and community impact.

[FPO] Marine Maroukian

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[FPO] Susan Han

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[FPO] Diana Nelson

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FAQ

01

Where is the Sparks training facility located?

The Sparks training facility is located in El Segundo, California, near the Los Angeles International Airport. The site offers views toward the Pacific Ocean and nearby mountains.

02

Who designed the Los Angeles Sparks training facility?

Gensler served as the architect of record for the Sparks training facility. Studio Blitz led interior design, RIOS handled landscape architecture, and Transwestern Sports & Entertainment Group served as development manager. The project represents a full-team collaboration built around a shared player-first philosophy.

03

What makes the Sparks training facility unique among WNBA facilities?

The Sparks training facility is designed to be the most comprehensive training environment ever built for a WNBA franchise. It includes the WNBA's first indoor-outdoor player sanctuary, a circular locker room designed to reinforce team cohesion, dedicated nap rooms, hydrotherapy and spa suites, an outdoor recovery pool with rehabilitation jets, and spaces for yoga, meditation and quiet reflection, all integrated with two regulation courts and a state-of-the-art weight room.

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Related Expertise

Sports Brand Design

Beyond the Court: The Los Angeles Sparks’ training facility redefines the athlete experience, blending elite training spaces with wellness amenities.

After 28 years without a true home of their own, the Los Angeles Sparks set out to build a facility that finally matched their ambition and put players at the center of every decision.

Why This Matters

Gensler designed a facility where the curves, light and landscape work together to support athletes at every level of their day.

From brief to build: designing for women athletes at the highest level demands a facility conceived from the inside out.

More than a practice facility, it stands as an investment in the history of women's sports, setting a new standard for what a professional sports organization can provide its athletes.

What Changed Because of This