HKS Architects is a Dallas, Texas-based architecture firm founded in 1939 by Harwood K. Smith that grew from a small local office into one of the most prolific sports venue designers in the world. Over more than eight decades, the firm expanded into a global practice with offices across North America, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, while building a portfolio that spans healthcare, hospitality, and commercial architecture alongside its marquee sports work.
HKS is best known in the stadium world for a run of NFL venues that redefined what a modern football stadium could be, including AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Two of those venues, U.S. Bank Stadium and SoFi Stadium, have each hosted a Super Bowl within the last 12 years, while AT&T Stadium and Lucas Oil Stadium hosted the game in the years before that stretch, giving HKS one of the deepest Super Bowl design resumes of any architecture firm.
Stats at a Glance
- Founded: 1939
- Founder: Harwood K. Smith
- Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
- Employees: over 1,000
- Notable Stadiums: AT&T Stadium, SoFi Stadium, U.S. Bank Stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium
- Famous for: designing 4 NFL stadiums that have hosted a combined 4 Super Bowls
A Stadium Design Legacy
HKS’s rise as a stadium powerhouse accelerated in the 2000s and 2010s, when the firm was repeatedly chosen by NFL franchises to design record-setting venues. AT&T Stadium, opened in 2009 for the Dallas Cowboys, became known for its massive retractable roof and enormous center-hung video board, and hosted Super Bowl XLV in 2011. SoFi Stadium, opened in 2020 for the Rams and Chargers, took the firm’s ambitions further with a translucent canopy roof and a sunken bowl design built into the Los Angeles landscape, and hosted Super Bowl LVI in 2022.
U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, opened in 2016, hosted Super Bowl LII in 2018, while Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis hosted Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. Together those four venues make HKS the architecture firm most closely associated with the Super Bowl, even as newer stadiums from other firms have hosted the game in more recent years.
Beyond the Gridiron
While football stadiums built its sports reputation, HKS’s practice spans far beyond the NFL, with major work in healthcare facilities, hospitality, mixed-use development, and urban planning across dozens of countries. The firm’s international footprint grew through acquisitions in the 2000s, including offices added in Phoenix, Detroit, and Palo Alto, alongside new outposts opened in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia that broadened its design reach well beyond its Dallas roots.
Explore more: Explore more Stadium Design profiles.
HKS Architects Venues on ThrillZing
Explore more venues in our stadium guides.
HKS Architects FAQs
What stadiums has HKS Architects designed?
HKS has designed numerous NFL stadiums, including AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys), SoFi Stadium (Rams/Chargers), U.S. Bank Stadium (Vikings), and Lucas Oil Stadium (Colts).
When was HKS Architects founded?
HKS was founded in 1939 in Dallas, Texas, by Harwood K. Smith.
Have HKS-designed stadiums hosted the Super Bowl recently?
Yes. U.S. Bank Stadium hosted Super Bowl LII in 2018 and SoFi Stadium hosted Super Bowl LVI in 2022, both within the last 12 Super Bowls. AT&T Stadium and Lucas Oil Stadium hosted the game earlier, in 2011 and 2012.
Get More from HKS Architects
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate HKS Architects, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: Troutfarm27 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.