Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by thewave46

That some other city is getting down on its knees for the ownership of a fabulously rich NFL team does not mean that Calgary should emulate 'The Atlanta/State of Georgia' model.

Maybe it should do what is best for the taxpayers of the City of Calgary.

That Altanta is on its 3rd MLB stadium, 3rd NFL stadium and 2nd NBA arena in the time the Flames have played at the Saddledome, and that the Saddledome is one of the oldest rinks in the NHL kind of indicates that Calgary isn't emulating the Atlanta example at all. Or that building a new arena (and even a new football stadium) remotely indicates such a pattern.

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

That Altanta is on its 3rd MLB stadium, 3rd NFL stadium and 2nd NBA arena in the time the Flames have played at the Saddledome, and that the Saddledome is one of the oldest rinks in the NHL kind of indicates that Calgary isn't emulating the Atlanta example at all. Or that building a new arena (and even a new football stadium) remotely indicates such a pattern.

No, that was just a retort to the one argument of: 'They're doing it so we should too!'

Should Calgary go down that route? Maybe, but it should be in the best interests of Calgary and Calgarians. CSEC is a somewhat unreliable partner in this process, given their history.

As long as it works out as a fair deal, fine, go for it.

[Coldrsx]

Calgary 'event centre':

City of Calgary, Flames start negotiating again on a new arena
Negotiations will begin again for a new sports, arts and entertainment building after a deal agreed upon in 2019 collapsed late last year.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press

https://www.rmotoday.com/beyond-loca...campaign=Email

[esquire]

For all my fellow junior hockey enthusiasts, the guy who made the OHL Arena Guide has created a companion website chronicling his travels to WHL arenas... it just went online this weekend.

https://www.whlarenaguide.com/

[JHikka]

Thought this drone shot from yesterday's CPL match in Ottawa was interesting:



At this time of year the condo tower really casts a long shadow along the entire length of the stadium and I can't say i'm a fan of it



Regardless, perfect weather for a match, and Ottawa will be hosting next week's CPL final as well, so they're expecting a decent crowd out for that one.

[J.OT13]

Should have kept the tower north of the stadium. That's the thing with Lansdowne 2.0, towers will replace the Civic Centre (which will be rebuilt along the east end zone), so they won't cast shadows on the field, but they may cast a shadow over the entertainment/shopping district.

[esquire]

I find that shadows don't really make a huge difference when you're there in person, but they can make it really tough to see when you're watching on TV.

Regarding TD Place specifically, I still find it odd that they built seats so low to the field there. It used to be perfect with the relatively high first rows on both sides of the field (with the old south side stands). Then they built south side stands that went much lower, and on the north side they added some club seating in front of the main stand which, ironically, probably has some of the worst views in the entire joint because it's so low. I don't know why anyone interested in watching the events there would ever pay a premium for such lousy seats.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by esquire

Regarding TD Place specifically, I still find it odd that they built seats so low to the field there. It used to be perfect with the relatively high first rows on both sides of the field (with the old south side stands). Then they built south side stands that went much lower, and on the north side they added some club seating in front of the main stand which, ironically, probably has some of the worst views in the entire joint because it's so low. I don't know why anyone interested in watching the events there would ever pay a premium for such lousy seats.

We shall see what the future brings

[TimB09]

Is the tear down and rebuild of the older stands at TD Place going ahead?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

I find that shadows don't really make a huge difference when you're there in person, but they can make it really tough to see when you're watching on TV.

Pretty much how I felt yesterday. I've been to a lot of events there and never noticed the shadows as bad as yesterday on video.

Originally Posted by esquire

Regarding TD Place specifically, I still find it odd that they built seats so low to the field there. It used to be perfect with the relatively high first rows on both sides of the field (with the old south side stands). Then they built south side stands that went much lower, and on the north side they added some club seating in front of the main stand which, ironically, probably has some of the worst views in the entire joint because it's so low. I don't know why anyone interested in watching the events there would ever pay a premium for such lousy seats.

The further we go along the more obvious it is that not much thought was put into the stadium redesign. The new MLS stadium in St. Louis (and others elsewhere) are designed so that things like the stadium covers/rooves don't impact the field of play with shadowing whilst still protecting a good number of seats from weather. Lansdowne...doesn't have that, or really much of anything resembling higher quality, newer stadium builds elsewhere. And now they have to rebuild the other half.

[O-tacular]

Not sure if this is even still current as negotiations resume but here are some updated renderings of our bland new arena:







https://calgary.skyrisecities.com/forum/

Looking less like a printer and more like a paper shredder.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Looking less like a printer and more like a paper shredder.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by esquire

I find that shadows don't really make a huge difference when you're there in person, but they can make it really tough to see when you're watching on TV.

On a positive note, if a tower casts a shadow on the field or in the stands, less sun in players or spectator's faces.

Originally Posted by TimB09

Is the tear down and rebuild of the older stands at TD Place going ahead?

depends on the results of the election. Of the top three candidates, Chiarelli seems to want to put it on hold indefinitely, McKenney wants more consultations to see what people want and Sutcliffe says he wants more consultations, but would probably rubber stamp the project.

At this point, it's a statistical tie between McKenney and Sutcliffe.

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Not sure if this is even still current as negotiations resume but here are some updated renderings of our bland new arena:







https://calgary.skyrisecities.com/forum/

Looking less like a printer and more like a paper shredder.

Wow, that looks .

[ZeDgE]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Not sure if this is even still current as negotiations resume but here are some updated renderings of our bland new arena:

https://calgary.skyrisecities.com/forum/

Looking less like a printer and more like a paper shredder.

Hmm I like it, kind of fits with the new convention centre. It doesn't need to be flashy or weird imo.

[esquire]

That Calgary rendering is like the Great Value Rogers Place.

For a city that likes to be so flashy with everything else, it sure likes to take a totally different approach when it comes to its sports facilities.

Originally Posted by JHikka

The further we go along the more obvious it is that not much thought was put into the stadium redesign. The new MLS stadium in St. Louis (and others elsewhere) are designed so that things like the stadium covers/rooves don't impact the field of play with shadowing whilst still protecting a good number of seats from weather. Lansdowne...doesn't have that, or really much of anything resembling higher quality, newer stadium builds elsewhere. And now they have to rebuild the other half.

I guess there is a fix for the field elevation thing, but it won't be easy or cheap... they can sink the field somewhere between 4-6 feet.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

I guess there is a fix for the field elevation thing, but it won't be easy or cheap... they can sink the field somewhere between 4-6 feet.

I wonder if this is even an option given the new arena site, old arena site, underground parking garage, or proximity to the canal.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by esquire

That Calgary rendering is like the Great Value Rogers Place.

you're being generous

Dollarama Centre

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by ZeDgE

Hmm I like it, kind of fits with the new convention centre. It doesn't need to be flashy or weird imo.

The city will be stuck with it for 40+ years. It should look as good as possible
I'd take Winnipeg's MTS err Canada Life Centre over this design.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by ZeDgE

Hmm I like it, kind of fits with the new convention centre. It doesn't need to be flashy or weird imo.

The lower glassy section surrounded by a plaza isn't bad, but the rest of it... If they're going with such a plain design, might as well build mixed-use buildings around it like Detroit's Little Cesar's or BC Place. Ottawa's new arena (if built) will have towers on the corners.

Originally Posted by esquire

I guess there is a fix for the field elevation thing, but it won't be easy or cheap... they can sink the field somewhere between 4-6 feet.

Originally Posted by JHikka

I wonder if this is even an option given the new arena site, old arena site, underground parking garage, or proximity to the canal.

I think they have tunnels running under it connecting the south and north stands. Don't quote me on that though.

Parking garage is under the adjacent entertainment district, but no doubt they will build parking under the towers that will replace the Civic Centre.

I don't think the Canal is an issue for a few extra feet. Worth noting the parking garage is only one level, but that may just be about savings, not flood risks.

In any case, this will be a budget stadium, so sunken fields are probably not part of the plan. Too cheap to even put in an awning on the stands or engineering the proposed arena's green roof to handle live loads.

[esquire]

^ As far as TD Place goes, the funny thing is that this was an easily avoidable problem. All they had to do was raise the south stand up by another 5 feet or so... sure it would have cost a little more, but I would imagine it couldn't have been more than a rounding error on the entire project budget.