The developers of Rogers Place, a forthcoming multi-use arena and stadium for Canadian ice hockey franchise the Edmonton Oilers, have released new images showing construction progress.
Work on the CA$600m (US$470m, €410m, £325m) venue – located in downtown Edmonton, Alberta – started in March 2014 and is scheduled to be finished in time for the start of the 2016-2017 National Hockey League (NHL) season in October.
The new images, released on the Rogers Place website, show the 18,642-capacity ground is nearly finished, with the bowls, wide concourse and foundation for the ice hockey surface all completed.
Load testing is currently underway on the hoist system that will support the arena’s scoreboard, which will weigh 90,000lbs (40,823kg) and be five times larger than any other in the NHL.
The arena has been designed by architecture practice HOK in association with partner firms Dialog, Manica and Arndt Tkalcic Benger.
As well as hosting Oilers games, Rogers Place will also be expanded to host concerts – Dolly Parton and Keith Urban are already scheduled to appear – and will feature cafes, bars, restaurants and a hotel.
Funding is coming by way of a Community Revitalization Levy and other incremental revenues, lease revenue and government funding. This is in addition to CA$125m (US$98m, €85.3m, £67.7m) from ticket surcharge on all events in the new arena and CA$23.7m (US$18.6m, €16.2m, £12.8m) from the Edmonton Arena Corporation.
The project manager is the Icon Venue Group, whose senior vice president Dan Vaillant has pledged Rogers Place will be “the best arena in the NHL”.
