The exterior of Barclays Center is essentially finished. The facade appears to be complete. The Transit Connection is complete. The entrance plaza needs work but should be done soon. Some retail outlets inside will take longer. Now the prestigious Architectural Record has taken note.

It's not a review, but a feature on where the arena stands, filled with many of stories that have circulated about how SHoP, the small but radical firm in Lower Manhattan, took on the job after the first design caused city officials and architectural critics to gag.

The author also discusses the relationship between SHoP and Jay-Z, who's reportedly had a hand in the interior spaces. Fred A. Bernstein also describes the "The Vault", Jay-Z's high-end bunker.

He writes it's "a halftime hangout for big spenders with a black epoxy floor, copper mesh panels lit from above, and dark leather banquettes that simulate 'a premium night club space'," the latter quoting SHoP principal Christopher Sharples.

• Success of Brooklyn's Barclays Center Will Be in the Eye of the Be-Hova - Fred A. Bernstein - Architectural Record