Name revealed, renderings unveiled for new Calgary event centre
Posted Jul 22, 2024 7:57 am.
Last Updated Jul 22, 2024 7:18 pm.
After years of negotiation, the design plans for Calgary’s new event centre — as well as its name — were revealed on Monday.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and other dignitaries were on hand near Cowboys Casino in downtown Calgary for the official groundbreaking event.
The new home for the Calgary Flames will be officially known as Scotia Place and will hold about 18,000 fans. It will eventually be a part of a much larger entertainment district.
“Tireless efforts and unwavering commitment have laid the foundation, both literally and figuratively, for what will become a hub of activity, entertainment, sport and community,” says Coun. Sonya Sharp.
The new centre will be located two blocks north of the Flames current home, the Scotiabank Saddledome. The hope is that construction will be completed in time for the team to begin to play there for the 2027-28 NHL season.
Designers say they were inspired by the concept of “fire meeting ice.” Grey steel will wrap around the exterior of the building, while an orange and red columned-style roof sits on top.
The exterior is also wrapped in a 140 metre-long digital display which will have messaging that reflects whatever event is taking place inside. Officials say it could be the largest display in Canada.
Inside, the idea was intimacy to give the NHL arena seating “very close” to the ice/floor surface. The 18,400 capacity is a few hundreds seats less than the Saddledome.
“These types of buildings can be every internally focused, this building is very extroverted,” says Bill Johnson, principal with the design firm HOK. “That means that we have restaurants, shops, bars, everything located on the outside.”
“They actually focus out to the sidewalk, as well as focusing in during events.”
WATCH: Some Calgarians excited for new event centre
The Event Centre Block is almost 40 per cent bigger than the previous deal, and will house the event centre, indoor and outdoor community plazas, and a community rink.
The project’s final agreements were signed in February, but much of that information was made public months earlier.
All in, the project costs $926.4 million. Calgary will pay the largest share, at $515.3 million, followed by Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) at $356 million, and the Province of Alberta at $55.1 million.
Listen to CityNews660 for the latest on the new event centre.
