Edmonton’s new NHL arena under way

Construction began in early March on the new NHL arena in downtown Edmonton. Rogers Place arena is located just north of 104 Avenue, between 104 Street and 102 Street.

The new home for the Edmonton Oilers is designed to be a landmark building clad in stainless steel with architecture that is inspired by the province’s energy, oil and steel industries. Edmonton mayor Don Iveson said: “The look of Rogers Place is bold and forward-looking, just like Edmonton.”

The arena will hold more than 18,500 seats for hockey games and is 43 metres tall from the ice surface to the roof at centre ice. It is predicted to be “the most technologically enabled sports facility in all of North America” when it opens in time for the 2016 hockey season.

The city is developing the project in partnership with the Katz Group. The city owns the arena and land, and the Katz Group is to pay operating costs and receive all revenues. The fixed cost for constructing the arena is tagged at $480 million, but with other elements included, such as a Wintergarden, a community rink, LRT transit connection and a pedestrian pedway, the total cost is $606.5 million.

Design is led by a U.S. company — 360 Architecture — with several local subconsultant firms: Stantec, Hemisphere Engineering, DIALOG, Architecture ATB, AMEC, BTY Group, CDML and Bunt & Associates. PCL is the construction manager and ICON Venue Group is the project manager.

Edmonton’s downtown arena, view from the main plaza in the Arena District