At the Arena: Scotia Place development permit approval and new renderings

On Thursday, December 12, 2024, the Calgary Planning Commission unanimously approved the proposed development permit for Scotia Place. Although shovels have already hit the ground on site and footings have been installed, the final approval of the development permit was needed before any official construction could begin. This approval means Scotia Place construction can officially begin in January of 2025 with the same goal of completion for October 2027.

Concourse information

Along with the voting that took place on Thursday, there were also additional renderings and plans released to the public.

Most notably, Scotia Place released washroom statistics alongside their concourse floor plans that show an impressive 20% more washrooms than Rogers Place in Edmonton, 60% more than the required building code, and twice as many as the Saddledome currently holds.

Not only are there more washrooms, but they will be distributed in three categories: Men’s, Women’s, and Flex. These Flex washrooms will pivot between different classifications based on the demographic of the event being hosted. See the highlighted example below.

This is one of many differences between Scotia Place and the Saddledome that will make concerts more attractive at this venue.

Beyond the washrooms, the roof can support up to 400,000 tonnes, more than four times that of the Saddledome. This is, in part, to house the mechanics for a retracting scoreboard that could be hidden in the ceiling during certain events. The roof not only hides the scoreboard but will also house 600 solar panels on its exterior (see image below) that help make Scotia Place a LEED Silver-certified building with goals to eventually be carbon neutral.

Beyond sight lines and bathroom breaks, Scotia Place will also be much more accessible than the Saddledome currently is. The main concourse is accessible at street level in comparison to the Saddledome’s 4.5m elevation to access the concourse entrance.

The last major update revealed at the Planning Commission presentation was the details of how the Stephenson and Co building will be incorporated into the concourse as part of the food hall.

These renderings give a better idea of how the use of the historic building will help activate the street around the arena.

New renderings

For fans, one of the most exciting parts of the news from Thursday included this video rendering of the exterior of Scotia Place.

Here is a video presented to the Calgary Planning Commission showing some 3D renderings of Scotia Place as part of its development permit proposal. pic.twitter.com/JK5fEMxTEL— Adam MacVicar (@AdamMacVicar) December 12, 2024

The video gives good context to the project’s efforts to activate the street surrounding the arena. The two maps below show how the amenities within Scotia Place will extend to have street access. As well, Stampede Trail’s landscape design of the site is especially organized to accommodate festivals such as Stampede.

It’s officially official

After years of proposals, the Calgary Flames will officially have a new home. Two-year development plans are ambitious, to say the least, but it’s certain now that there really isn’t anything left to do but build it.

For fans, we can look forward to more renderings of the concourse, locker rooms, team stores, etc, as those decisions are finalized.

In the meantime, check out our other At the Arena articles released this summer that take a more in-depth approach to the landscape design and architectural design of Scotia Place.

The post At the Arena: Scotia Place development permit approval and new renderings appeared first on The Win Column.