The Edmonton Oilers new stadium and mixed-use venue is exceeding expectations
By David Malone, Associate Editor
Since Rogers Place, the city-owned, $480-million arena and home of the Edmonton Oilers, opened on Sept. 8, the HOK-designed building has been exceeding expectations, hosting more than 500,000 guests in just two months.
The facility, which was not just designed as an NHL stadium, but as a “365-day-a-year destination,” has sold out each Edmonton Oilers game and provided the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings with their largest-ever attendance on a sold-out opening night.
HOK approached the design of Rogers Place by balancing functionality with what they hope will become an iconic design. The arena is connected via its curvilinear architecture across 104th Street with ICE District (which will span 25 acres when completed in 2019-2020) and uses Ford Hall, a 25,000-sf naturally lit grand atrium, as an entrance to the arena.
In total, the arena covers 1.1-million-sf and features the NHL’s largest high-definition scoreboard, more than 1,200 HDTVs, two club lounges, and a full-service restaurant. The arena’s capacity for hockey is 18,347 and 20,147 for concerts.
Rogers Place is also expected to become the first LEED Silver-certified NHL arena in Canada. The facility uses 37% less water and 14% less energy than traditional venues. Additionally, more than 87% of construction debris was recycled or reused and 20 percent of all construction materials were derived from recycled content.
The arena is seen as a major component of ICE District, which will become Canada’s largest mixed-use sports and entertainment district, providing space for private development, office development, residential units, and parking spaces.
