Calgary Event Centre | 36.85m | 11s | CSEC | HOK

Do you support the proposal for the new arena?

  • Yes

    Votes: 91 65.5%

  • No

    Votes: 39 28.1%

  • Maybe

    Votes: 9 6.5%
  • Total voters
    139
Apparently the 2026-27 season completion date isn't quite as firm as was suggested at the press conference. Also this tidbit...

"HOK and Dialog, meanwhile, were both involved in Calgary’s previous arena deal. A stipulation of the previous contract, Thompson said, was the two architectural firms could be retained in the event a new agreement materialized."

calgaryherald.com

Timeline uncertain for completing Calgary event centre despite goal to move Flames by 2026-27 season

While 2026-27 was mentioned as the hopeful completion date for Calgary's future event centre and hockey arena, a City of Calgary official says it is still too soon to commit to any firm timelines.
calgaryherald.com calgaryherald.com
 
IceCreamMan said:
HOK, as subject-matter expert, will likely be responsible for all sports-related design, and DIALOG likely for urban design and integration, possibly assistance with some of the surrounding architecture, interiors, and of course, stamping the drawings. This is typically the case with large projects like these where a non-local 'starchitect' is involved. This is just my estimated guess; perhaps DIALOG gets more in this updated deal, who knows. I've seen/been part of enough of these types of partnerships to know that this is how it works. Definitely doesn't hurt that HOK has a Calgary studio as well.

Was really hoping we'd go back to the RFP stage, but oh well. Let's just say the interest in this one from the heavyweight design world was high. :)
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thank you, makes sense! Would imagine event/upper/press levels stay 90% as-is with tweaks. It's that $^*# lower bowl stack, entry plaza/lobby, and endzone luxury levels that were ungodly cramped. More space should do wonders. Genuinely curious about the NE corner, if that is an office annex for CSEC, that opens the door for multilevel retail/commercial on stampede trail/north side
 
The new rendering is out!

IMG_4021.jpeg
 
After measuring I have found that It might actually be better to have the new arena situated north-south again with the parkade and community arena on the east side (in the process using up that land labelled as mixed use on the NE corner) and the indoor plaza to the south of the arena slightly under the overhang of the upper bowl.
 
Duck Lightning said:
After measuring I have found that It might actually be better to have the new arena situated north-south again with the parkade and community arena on the east side (in the process using up that land labelled as mixed use on the NE corner) and the indoor plaza to the south of the arena slightly under the overhang of the upper bowl.
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I believe, based on the last drawings anyway, the parkade HAS to be at the end of the ice rink, less so for the parking, but for shipping and load in/out for concerts?? With east side being easily the least "important" for street vibe and activation, probably best keeping it there
 
Duck Lightning said:
From measuring the arena will have a flat wall along Stampede Trail if the arena is expanded to not have a cut off upper bowl and dual level lower bowl
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from a measuring perspective, how do the total land dimensions compare to rogers? That space is VERY tight N/S, so you have goofy things like an entry plaza over the street, and a parkade underneath the whole facility, which means the event level is at grade (thus no street/retail presence). But that is a rectangular plot, am curious how ours compares
 
Tothewest said:
from a measuring perspective, how do the total land dimensions compare to rogers? That space is VERY tight N/S, so you have goofy things like an entry plaza over the street, and a parkade underneath the whole facility, which means the event level is at grade (thus no street/retail presence). But that is a rectangular plot, am curious how ours compares
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Easy to see why Edmonton's flowed over the road. And Why Calgary's first one failed, trying to squeeze everything in in a site of a similar size but with more constraints about building underground.
1697565367919.png
 
Never mind I was counting the parkade measurements twice for some reason 🤪 The total length east-west should be around 223m (with an 11m 5a Ave) and north-south 189m (including the 12th Ave greenway) so there should be 34 meters to work with for retail, arena expansions, and sidewalks.
 
Tothewest said:
I believe, based on the last drawings anyway, the parkade HAS to be at the end of the ice rink, less so for the parking, but for shipping and load in/out for concerts?? With east side being easily the least "important" for street vibe and activation, probably best keeping it there
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The needed vehicle access for event centre loading and the optional vehicle access for the parkade so the 100 richest guys in the city don't have to walk across the street are completely separate. They were completely separate in the previous design, with different entrances (although the two entrances were near to each other).
 
ByeByeBaby said:
The needed vehicle access for event centre loading and the optional vehicle access for the parkade so the 100 richest guys in the city don't have to walk across the street are completely separate. They were completely separate in the previous design, with different entrances (although the two entrances were near to each other).
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well, they arent "completely separate", every downtown arena i've been to (nashville, st louis, van, TD, rogers, montreal, seattle, LA), including the previous design, has the loading ramp incorporated into some kind of parkade, because there's nothing else functional to surround a ramp with in a confined space. Walk across the street to where? the current parkade that's orientated the wrong way and probably being demolished? You need parking, why wouldn't you put it around a ramp?
 
Tothewest said:
well, they arent "completely separate", every downtown arena i've been to (nashville, st louis, van, TD, rogers, montreal, seattle, LA), including the previous design, has the loading ramp incorporated into some kind of parkade, because there's nothing else functional to surround a ramp with in a confined space. Walk across the street to where? the current parkade that's orientated the wrong way and probably being demolished? You need parking, why wouldn't you put it around a ramp?
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Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm just saying what the last design had. Two separate ramps, with two street interfaces, going in two different directions to physically separate facilities. Yes, they were near each other, and they probably will be near each other, but they do not have to be.
1697578034565.png

And further, I don't think that 100 rich assholes need in-building parking. They can park where the plebes park. And you can't swing a dead cat in the area without hitting parking. When the surface lots get developed, they can incorporate structured parking. I can't imagine a place within 5 km of downtown Calgary with as little need for new parking construction as the arena.
 
The Saddledome parkade is being retained in this most recent arena deal. I would much prefer they demolished and built a larger parkade in the same spot instead of having to include a new parkade in the event centre block. If you have land being used for a parkade already across the street from the event centre then why are we building a brand new parkade in land that can be better developed??
 
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