A new $30 million, 4,700-seat sports arena will house several of the University of Idaho’s sports programs, including men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball, when it completes in 2020. Designed by Hastings + Chivetta Architects, with Opsis Architecture as the Architect of Record, University of Idaho Arena will also serve as a gathering space for academic events, special concerts, and meetings.
Timber and mass timber construction will become a focal point for the project, which has received a Wood Innovation Grant to help with construction costs. The arena will become the first wood facility of its size in Idaho. “Partnering with our strong natural resource industries to build an innovative building using new mass timber construction technology is exciting and demonstrates the innovation and engagement UI does so well,” says University of Idaho President Chuck Staben in a release.
The new arena is slated for construction on the north side of Kibbie Dome and will become a showpiece for student athletes. Through its use of timber and mass timber construction, the arena will also serve as a learning laboratory for students in forestry and engineering.
The structural engineer for the project is KPFF Structural Engineers and the general contractor is Hoffman Construction.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Oct 7, 2015
BIG designs lush, terraced mixed-use building in Sweden
Cascading glass and wooden cubes create a form similar to Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway rock formation.
Sponsored | Wood | Sep 17, 2015
Compelling conversations about wood: coastal environments
Architect Greg Mella and APA’s Karyn Beebe have a frank and far-reaching discussion about the tangibles and intangibles of using wood in corrosive environments—and beyond.
Sponsored | Multifamily Housing | Aug 25, 2015
Engineered wood helps meet booming demand for multifamily projects
Multifamily housing starts reached 358,000 in 2014, a 16 percent increase over 2013 and the highest total since 2007
Codes and Standards | Jun 18, 2015
Guides to wood construction in high wind areas updated
The guides establish prescriptive, wind-resistive structural requirements for wood-frame buildings of different sizes and shapes.
Sponsored | Airports | Jun 5, 2015
Exposed glulam framework offers quiet complement to Jackson Hole airport’s mountain backdrop
A three-phase expansion and renovation, which began in 2009, nearly doubled the size of the aviation hub; the only one located in a national park
Wood | Jun 2, 2015
Michael Green Architecture designs world's tallest wood building for Paris competition
“Just as Gustave Eiffel shattered our conception of what was possible a century and a half ago, this project can push the envelope of wood innovation with France in the forefront," said architect Michael Green of the project.
Wood | May 21, 2015
How CLT wood construction affects project cost
SRG Partnership's Emily Dawson shares insights on the installation, availablilty, and cost of cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction, based on the firm's recent project at the Oregon Zoo.
Wood | Apr 26, 2015
Building wood towers: How high is up for timber structures?
The recent push for larger and taller wood structures may seem like an architectural fad. But Building Teams around the world are starting to use more large-scale structural wood systems.
Museums | Apr 10, 2015
Henning Larsen Architects designs timber museum extension in Sweden
The new extension will complement Österund’s wooded surroundings
High-rise Construction | Mar 24, 2015
Timber high-rise residential complex will tower over Stockholm waterfront
The four towers, 20 stories each, will be made entirely out of Swedish pine, from frame to façade.
