Arts Commons | 18m | 4s | City of Calgary | KPMB

[potatopizzafan]

I think it all looks great. My main question though: will there be an ice plant? Our last few winters have barely been able to sustain outdoor rinks as it is just not cold for long enough. If this doesn't have an ice plant then the winter usage will be severely reduced, compared to the old plaza.

 

[trtcttc]

I think the Sunflake tree is an artistic take on the Calgary 88 Olympics symbol...

View attachment 642333

Yes and that's a really good central feature. I was referring to the star-shaped splash pad that is in the daytime photos.

 

[outoftheice]

 

[outoftheice]

I think it all looks great. My main question though: will there be an ice plant? Our last few winters have barely been able to sustain outdoor rinks as it is just not cold for long enough. If this doesn't have an ice plant then the winter usage will be severely reduced, compared to the old plaza.

This is my big concern as well. If they don't include an ice plant it says to me that the designers never properly understood why people came to enjoy Olympic Plaza in the winter. Yes, the rink provided nice ambiance and a picturesque setting however it was also pretty much the only outdoor rink anywhere in Calgary that had decent quality ice during Chinooks. Getting a good quality outdoor ice surface is more important than a picturesque backyard rink. The fact that none of the promotional material seems to mention an ice plant makes me think it's not a feature and once again designers have gone all in on form over function.

 

[Mountain Man]

Did the old Olympic Plaza have an ice plant? It seemed to have fairly consistent ice...

 

[whatchyyc]

Yes, and a zamboni they ran every hour so it was very hard and smooth ice

 

[CalgaryTiger]

This is my big concern as well. If they don't include an ice plant it says to me that the designers never properly understood why people came to enjoy Olympic Plaza in the winter. Yes, the rink provided nice ambiance and a picturesque setting however it was also pretty much the only outdoor rink anywhere in Calgary that had decent quality ice during Chinooks. Getting a good quality outdoor ice surface is more important than a picturesque backyard rink. The fact that none of the promotional material seems to mention an ice plant makes me think it's not a feature and once again designers have gone all in on form over function.

I mean in their defence they went big picture with the announcement. Talking about an ice plant is pretty in the weeds.

But I do agree, it needs one and a Zamboni.

 

[whatchyyc]

Maybe they could use temporary chilling equipment with a zamboni stored in a shed during the winter It wouldn't be too crazy since it's not an entire hockey rink or anything

 

[CalgaryTiger]

Maybe they could use temporary chilling equipment with a zamboni stored in a shed during the winter It wouldn't be too crazy since it's not an entire hockey rink or anything

I mean there is also a building there. I assume there will be an ice plant and zamboni. There will also need to be skate rentals. The building provides an opportunity for all of that.

 

[Colinfill]

This video has a better depiction of the birds on the fountain, which look larger and more whimsical. The owl is my favourite It definitely looks inspired by the Berczy Park fountain

 

[John Wick]

Like has been just pointed out, the big issue is whether or not there is a cooling plant & Zamboni garage/space. It is definitely needed. Without it there will be no reliably usable rink given our winters.
Curious about the size of the planned ice surface vs the previous ice surface. The renderings look a lot smaller... which would be a damned shame. The OP rink got heavy usage! Reducing the size while drawing more people to the area seems bad.

 

[Joborule]

If you look at the space immediately north of the pavilion in summer and winter shots, the latter shows a shed, containing an object that appears to be be shaped like a Zamboni machine and a ramp to the ice. So hopefully that means the ice plant is still present. The quality of the ice is a feature that cannot be missed here. If this is gonna be done, do it right.

 

[Mountain Man]

That does resemble a small zamboni for sure!

 

[AtlanticAvenue]

Holy crap that’s beautiful.

The city blew way past my expectations.

I absolutely love the fountain, what a great centre piece.

 

[haltcatchfire]

I can’t wait to be spit on by that flock of birds.