Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[esquire]

Maybe the rendering is just not that flattering, but "nondescript" is the first word that comes to mind...

[drew]

Replacing an iconic building with something that resembles a convention centre.

I still think pouring several hundred million into rehab'ing the interior of the Saddledome is the better way to go here.

You already have the right location, and you retain what IMO is still a great building.

[Coldrsx]

*I bet it will function far better than the awkward Rogers Place circulation.

[The Fisher Account]

As a Calgarian... well... what the actual fuck is this shit

[esquire]

Originally Posted by drew

Replacing an iconic building with something that resembles a convention centre.

I still think pouring several hundred million into rehab'ing the interior of the Saddledome is the better way to go here.

You already have the right location, and you retain what IMO is still a great building.

The exterior probably needs a fair bit of work too. I was near it recently and I was surprised at how tired it looks close up. Although I suppose we are at the point where only the bare minimum is going into upkeep and maintenance.

[drew]

^ Even if the exterior needs work, it would still cost less to rehab the Saddledome versus building new.

I get the "shiny new toy" angle, and the fact new construction has easier to access revenue - but I think this whole plan is short sighted.

[jonny24]

I don't see what's wrong with it, myself, although t I thought the more square-ish renderings from last year looked a bit better.

[Berklon]

It looks kind of bland, but it's hard to say without seeing different angles.

I like the idea of an arena that doesn't scream "this is an arena!", and would rather it look like something that meshes in a little better with the rest of the area. Even if it looks like a convention centre - as long as it looks good.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Even with this Calgary, you're ahead in the combined arena/library competition.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Even with this Calgary, you're ahead in the combined arena/library competition.

Stantec Tower in Edmonton is still taller than anything Calgary has! (by 3m)

Maybe Calgary's just making it bland so the upmanship game can continue - they'll add some sort of tacky, easily replaceable trend-setting cladding so that they can outdo Edmonton at the last moment.

Who knows what Edmonton might have up their sleeve?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by drew

Replacing an iconic building with something that resembles a convention centre.

I still think pouring several hundred million into rehab'ing the interior of the Saddledome is the better way to go here.

You already have the right location, and you retain what IMO is still a great building.

I agree. The Saddledone is iconic. It screams "Calgary". This new arena proposal is nice, but could be anywhere in North America.

A major overhaul of the Saddledome would probably be cheaper and preserve a a Calgary landmark.

[Chadillaccc]

I’m sure it’s been shown already, but the city just approved the arena and released a preliminary render. It’s brutal in every sense, but at least the street front retail isn’t being value engineered out like many other arenas see, so maybe that’s the trade off?


I present you, the Calgary Ice Cream Sandwich!

Originally Posted by thewave46

Stantec Tower in Edmonton is still taller than anything Calgary has! (by 3m)

Maybe Calgary's just making it bland so the upmanship game can continue - they'll add some sort of tacky, easily replaceable trend-setting cladding so that they can outdo Edmonton at the last moment.

Who knows what Edmonton might have up their sleeve?

Haha sweetie, one tall building doesn’t make a skyline. Calgary has 7 buildings taller than Edmonton’s 2nd tallest, and 20 taller than its 3rd tallest. There hasn’t been any competition between the two cities (especially architecture and urban design wise) in decades as it’s already been won. Other than the NHL of course.

Edit: damn I’m bitchy today

[O-tacular]

It’s even worse from other angles. There is a massive blank wall facing 12th ave on the north side.

Our new convention centre is more interesting and cost less.

[esquire]

I don't think it's necessarily the worst thing in the world if the rink is a little plain. There is enough architectural excitement in Calgary that the arena can focus on function. Most rinks in Canada tend to go in that direction anyway.

[ZeDgE]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

It’s even worse from other angles. There is a massive blank wall facing 12th ave on the north side.

Our new convention centre is more interesting and cost less.

Where are these other angles?

[ericmacm]

I don't mind the look for the new arena. It looks average, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. I'm sure it will look more cohesive once we get some additional images that put it into a better context, as well as a more refined design later down the line.

In regards to the debate about replacing or renovating the Saddledome, the biggest issue with it is the proximity to the Bow River, and consequently, the flooding that happened back in 2013. The Saddledome is in a vulnerable spot for flooding (it appears to be at a lower elevation in comparison to the new location), which will likely be more frequent in the future with climate change happening, so it just doesn't make sense as a long-term location in regard to risk of future flooding. The flood in 2013 was pretty major and would have further reduced the lifespan of the structure despite the repairs (it'll never be back at 100% unless a full gut of the affected area is undertaken). A full internal rebuild to modern state-of-the-art spec like Climate Pledge Arena would absolutely work, but the price tag would likely be double or even triple what a new arena would cost ($1.15B USD for Climate Pledge vs $608M CAD for Calgary Events Centre), which wouldn't be palatable for the public purse.

It unfortunately just makes more sense to start over and build a new arena. I know it's an iconic structure for Calgary, but it clearly won't work well for the long-term with the price tag of extensive repairs and renovations, as well as being more vulnerable to future flood events that would result in even more repairs.

[ZeDgE]

Originally Posted by ericmacm

I don't mind the look for the new arena. It looks average, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. I'm sure it will look more cohesive once we get some additional images that put it into a better context, as well as a more refined design later down the line.

In regards to the debate about replacing or renovating the Saddledome, the biggest issue with it is the proximity to the Bow River, and consequently, the flooding that happened back in 2013. The Saddledome is in a vulnerable spot for flooding (it appears to be at a lower elevation in comparison to the new location), which will likely be more frequent in the future with climate change happening, so it just doesn't make sense as a long-term location in regard to risk of future flooding. The flood in 2013 was pretty major and would have further reduced the lifespan of the structure despite the repairs (it'll never be back at 100% unless a full gut of the affected area is undertaken). A full internal rebuild to modern state-of-the-art spec like Climate Pledge Arena would absolutely work, but the price tag would likely be double or even triple what a new arena would cost ($1.15B USD for Climate Pledge vs $608M CAD for Calgary Events Centre), which wouldn't be palatable for the public purse.

It unfortunately just makes more sense to start over and build a new arena. I know it's an iconic structure for Calgary, but it clearly won't work well for the long-term with the price tag of extensive repairs and renovations, as well as being more vulnerable to future flood events that would result in even more repairs.

Flooding is still a big risk on the new site. I think they were going to go with an inverted bowl design but due to the flood risk this is not happening now. Perhaps it wont sit so low into the ground like the saddledome does.

[Djeffery]

Wasn't one of the problems of the Saddledome the inability of the roof to support modern entertainment setups? Seems to be a rather difficult thing to simply fix in a renovation. Whereas in Seattle, the roof of the Key Arena was the only thing kept the new arena was basically built under it.

[ZeDgE]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Wasn't one of the problems of the Saddledome the inability of the roof to support modern entertainment setups? Seems to be a rather difficult thing to simply fix in a renovation. Whereas in Seattle, the roof of the Key Arena was the only thing kept the new arena was basically built under it.

Yep, I doubt it would cost much less to get the saddledome up to par.

[esquire]

I noticed that York Lions stadium, home of the CanPL's York United, no longer has a track surrounding the field.

I was under the impression that this stadium was specifically built to serve as an athletics venue. I take it that's no longer the case and that it's now exclusively a soccer/football stadium? If so, what are the main athletics venues in the GTA?