[News] "Scotia Place" ground breaking and design release on July 22 1pm MT

[genetic_phreek]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Development permit approved

https://twitter.com/user/status/1867351797788291413

Looks vibrant and the outdoor rooftop concourse seems like a fun hangout place but let's be realistic, ain't nobody hanging outdoors between November and March.

[sarge]

Originally Posted by genetic_phreek

Looks vibrant and the outdoor rooftop concourse seems like a fun hangout place but let's be realistic, ain't nobody hanging outdoors between November and March.

Except when a chinook rolls in…

[getbak]

If they make that a smoking/vaping zone, people will be out there in all types of weather.

[Tacoman]

Originally Posted by genetic_phreek

Looks vibrant and the outdoor rooftop concourse seems like a fun hangout place but let's be realistic, ain't nobody hanging outdoors between November and March.

Spoken like a typical Vancity’er. Hasn’t been a day yet that you couldn’t have been out there.

[3thirty]

Originally Posted by genetic_phreek

Looks vibrant and the outdoor rooftop concourse seems like a fun hangout place but let's be realistic, ain't nobody hanging outdoors between November and March.

It's as if an arena shuts down after the hockey season...

[TheRealPepman]

Do any of you know if the community arena (mainly for local hockey and Flames practices obviously) can be used for small concerts and such? 'Coz I feel that arena replaces the legendary Stampede Corral.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by TheRealPepman

Do any of you know if the community arena (mainly for local hockey and Flames practices obviously) can be used for small concerts and such? 'Coz I feel that arena replaces the legendary Stampede Corral.

The Corral was 7700 capacity for hockey, what is the capacity for this arena? I mean before they value engineer the capacity down to a couple hundred like most arena projects do once they have taxpayer money in their pocket.

I'd be extremely skeptical that it would be a concert option in Calgary. We're sorely lacking a 4-8k concert venue, but have a bunch of 800 - 3000 venues (Bella, arts common, jack singer, jubilee, grey eagle) A community hockey rink isn't replacing any of those venues unless it's capacity is 3000+.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by 3thirty

It's as if an arena shuts down after the hockey season...

Not sure if this is sarcasm or not, but yes in Calgary the Saddledome is virtually shut down outside of hockey/lacrosse seasons. In the 5 months without those sports each season there is like maybe 8-12 nights of concerts and that's it.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by TheRealPepman

Do any of you know if the community arena (mainly for local hockey and Flames practices obviously) can be used for small concerts and such? 'Coz I feel that arena replaces the legendary Stampede Corral.

No. It's only going to have a capacity around 1,500. Less than the main arena at Winsport.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

At 1:03

Why aren't these gentlemen wearing pants?

Those African-American men are clearly washing their legs too often.

[Freeway]

Originally Posted by getbak

No. It's only going to have a capacity around 1,500. Less than the main arena at Winsport.

Official seat count is 1,000.

[Freeway]

Long-term the Stampede is looking at doing something with the Big Four building. If I'm them, perhaps you build that in as your smaller concert venue?

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I don’t think it’s anything incredible but it seems to slot into the upper end of the “safe” type of arena design, of which 90+% arena designs are. I’m not sure there’s much to complain about here.

Personally I would have liked it to really feel like a sister building to the BMO centre which the original was better at, but I think this is a more interesting design that the original in every fashion.

Hopefully, they'll have a grand opening similar to the BMO Centre which was open to the public for viewing.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by woob

This all I wanted all along. An arena that wasn't an absolute dead zone outside of scheduled event times. It's my hope that they run the 3 restaurants year round, and create a place where people want to hang out, even when it's not in event mode. I'm sure they'll close down the food hall, but if they can keep the restaurants open and have outdoor patio/space in the warmer months, then it'll help to bring activity to the area.

This cannot be overstated enough. The complete lack of street engagement of CalgaryNEXT was the primary failure of its design.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Hopefully, they'll have a grand opening similar to the BMO Centre which was open to the public for viewing.

I remember going to the Saddledome open house the day after it opened.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Freeway

Long-term the Stampede is looking at doing something with the Big Four building. If I'm them, perhaps you build that in as your smaller concert venue?

I would use that space for a Corral replacement.

[jayswin]

Is there going to be appetite for a Corral replacement, though? From a citizen perspective there is, but once the Stampede board sees the cost to build a 7k hockey arena/concert venue, they're not going to go down that road.

The Flames also have no incentive to build another arena and in fact would do everything in their power to not have a competing arena for concerts and smaller events. They'd rather have an embarrassingly empty show at the new arena than have the revenue go to a proper arena that they don't own/control.

[jayswin]

Which is too bad because a 7k arena would be perfect for concerts in this city and the Wranglers and Hitmen. I don't go to Wranglers or Hitmen games simply because the atmosphere just absolutely sucks the life out of you when you get 2-4k fans in the Dome.

We also have a lot of concerts that are too small for the Dome, but too big for Grey Eagle, so they end up with 5k-8k band/artist either playing an embarrassingly small show at Grey Eagle (2700) or playing to a half empty Saddledome.

[getbak]

I wonder if they plan for the new arena to be able to be configured into smaller seating layouts? A lot of newer arenas were built to have multiple concert configurations, so they can put up curtains to block off half the arena and turn it into a smaller theatre or concert bowl set-up.

I know when the new arena in Winnipeg opened, it was one of the most-profitable arenas in North America for non-sports events because it could handle concerts of any size.

It shows 10 different concert configurations from a small theatre setting with the stage at centre ice and only the lower bowl open, up to a full arena in-the-round setup: https://www.canadalifecentre.ca/seating/


A half-house set up with the upper deck curtained off would probably be a decent venue for those sorts of shows that are too big for the Jubilee or Grey Eagle, but too small for the full NHL arena.

[TheRealPepman]

Originally Posted by getbak

I wonder if they plan for the new arena to be able to be configured into smaller seating layouts? A lot of newer arenas were built to have multiple concert configurations, so they can put up curtains to block off half the arena and turn it into a smaller theatre or concert bowl set-up.

I know when the new arena in Winnipeg opened, it was one of the most-profitable arenas in North America for non-sports events because it could handle concerts of any size.

It shows 10 different concert configurations from a small theatre setting with the stage at centre ice and only the lower bowl open, up to a full arena in-the-round setup: https://www.canadalifecentre.ca/seating/


A half-house set up with the upper deck curtained off would probably be a decent venue for those sorts of shows that are too big for the Jubilee or Grey Eagle, but too small for the full NHL arena.

I hope this is the approach that the new Scotia Place will use. Just disappoints me that this city can't have a modern small arena and also a modern stadium, but that rant's for another time.