TWO ARENA DESIGNERS
HOK, local company Dialog team up to work on replacement for Saddledome
Firms partnering on project
Two architecture firms will partner to design Calgary’s new $550-million arena, the Calgary Municipal Land Corp. announced Wednesday.
Global design firm HOK and local company Dialog will design the new building that city council approved last year to replace the iconic but aging Saddledome. The companies also worked together to design Edmonton’s downtown arena, Rogers Place.
CMLC says the companies were chosen “based on their combined relevant expertise for projects of this scale, thoughtful understanding of the guiding principles of the project and connection to how the event centre will contribute to, and fit within, the area supporting a vibrant culture and entertainment district.”
HOK has built major arenas in the U.S., including Atlanta’s Mercedes-benz Stadium and Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, while Dialog has contributed to projects including Calgary’s Central Library and Edmonton’s Walterdale Bridge.
There’s no set timeline for when Calgarians will get to see how the future arena will look. While the city has previously released renderings that illustrate possibilities for the building, those were just examples, and the new design team now has months of work ahead to come up with their own concept.
The new arena, officially called an event centre by the city, will be part of planned redevelopment of East Victoria Park that also includes a $500-million expansion of the BMO Centre.
The city and the Flames owners — the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp. — are contributing $275 million each to build the arena, but the city is also on the hook for additional costs to demolish the Saddledome.
CMLC president and CEO Kate Thompson said they were looking for a design team with experience building big projects like arenas, but who also understand Calgary on a local level.
Dialog principal Rob Adamson said the companies will be planning with the surrounding area in mind to create a space that invites people to gather even if they aren’t going to a concert or game.
He added that they won’t be trying to “compete” with the Saddledome in terms of an iconic image on Calgary’s skyline.
“This building has to stand on its own as a great piece of architecture,” he said.
“I think we have to stretch our minds as designers and really understand what is a Calgary solution. It might be some historical referencing — I don’t know, we don’t know that yet. Or it might be a very contemporary view of the world and a description or an expression of where Calgary is going, not where it has been.”
CMLC collected feedback from Calgarians earlier this year about what they want to see from the new arena. Event centre assessment committee chair Coun. Jeff Davison said there will be a committee meeting in July to look at the results.
And that could be the final meeting for the committee, with Calgary’s arena deal now finished — the agreements for the deal were signed last year and publicly released in January.
“Frankly, when it comes to design, everything has been turned over to CMLC to manage,” Davison said. “I’m sure council will get those updates ... as it goes public, we’ll see those pictures along with the public.”
Construction of the new home for the Calgary Flames is expected to begin next year and finish in 2024.
Building the arena will also be a joint effort, with CANA Construction teaming up with Mortenson Construction to manage the process.