The first renderings have been revealed of the Calgary Flames’ new arena, which will be known as Scotia Place.
The designs were revealed yesterday (Monday) by the City of Calgary and Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), the parent company of the Flames.
The Flames said the design has been influenced by the ancestral and historical land of Indigenous Peoples, reflecting the four elements of nature: fire, ice, land and air. The central structure of the 18,400-capacity arena will feature a textured flame motif that emulates a home fire, which will be further amplified when it is lit at night.
Scotia Place is scheduled to open in the autumn of 2027. As well as the event centre, the 10-acre complex will feature a community ice rink, outdoor and indoor plaza spaces, four restaurants, a Flames team store, and future development opportunity in the northeast corner.
The complex will also provide gathering places and amenities for the 8,000 people living in the new downtown neighbourhood. The cost of the overall project will stand at C$1.22bn (£686m/€815m/$886m), with the arena set to cost around C$800m.
The release of the designs comes after the City of Calgary, CSEC, the Province of Alberta and Calgary Stampede gave the project the green light back in October. This came after a deal had been announced in April 2023 between CESC, which owns the Flames’ current Scotiabank Saddledome arena, and the city and provincial governments.
The Flames will be committed to staying in Calgary under the terms of a 35-year lease agreement for the proposed new arena, which will be built next to the Saddledome.
A development permit application for the facility was submitted on July 19 and construction will begin this week. The project team consists of CAA Icon, HOK-Dialog, and CANA/Mortenson.
The City of Calgary and the project team worked with an Indigenous Advisory Group that included representatives from the Treaty 7 Nations, the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3, and the Urban Indigenous community throughout the design process.
Mayor of Calgary Jyoti Gondek said: “When you consider that Calgary is already the envy of other cities with a new world-class convention centre in the heart of the Culture + Entertainment District, the addition of Scotia Place is another signal to investors that our city understands how to build a future that leverages hospitality and hosting as its core strengths. We are also acknowledging and honouring the foundational role that Indigenous communities have played for generations in making Calgary, and now Scotia Place, a space where we all belong.”
Robert Hayes, CSEC president and chief executive, added: “At CSEC, a key component of our mission is to be the heartbeat of our community, create connections and bring people together. Scotia Place will become the perfect home to achieve and share this mission with all Calgarians. Seeing the design brings the vision of so many contributors to life. We are especially thankful to the City of Calgary and the Province of Alberta for their leadership and support to help bring us to this point.
“In stride with our partner Scotiabank, we are very proud to play our role in presenting Scotia Place as the culmination of diligence and passion, that is now visual in this breathtakingly beautiful and meaningful facility.”
CSEC exited a previous project to develop a new 19,000-seat arena for the Flames in December 2021. This project was first unveiled in 2019 but faced a number of contentious moments and was ultimately ended due to escalating costs.
The Flames have played at the Saddledome since it opened in 1983. Scotiabank has sponsored the arena since 2010.
