Calgary Planning Commission Approves Development Permit for Scotia Place

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  • December 12, 2024

Calgary - Scotia Place passed the next major milestone - approval of the development permit - toward opening an industry-leading venue for hosting sports, arts, cultural, and entertainment events in Calgary. It is designed to be a place for celebration, community, and connection, where all are welcome.

“This milestone demonstrates how a venue like Scotia Place can be designed with the Calgary community in mind, first and foremost,” says Project Committee Member for The City of Calgary, Bob Hunter. “It’s a unique amenity, unlike anything that’s been built in this city. Crews are already digging, and we’re excited to see the venue take shape over the next few years of construction.” 

"Scotia Place is truly a community-focused project with deliberate consideration to be a gathering place appropriate for all Calgarians,” said Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, President and CEO Robert Hayes. “We are extremely proud of the thoughtful process demonstrated by the project team to create a uniquely accessible events centre, both on the inside and the outdoor public spaces, that will be inviting, diverse and comfortable for all guests.”

The design of Scotia Place focuses on:

  • Indigenous influences
  • Public plazas and gathering spaces
  • Universal accessibility
  • Climate-ready design

Indigenous influences

The site's design incorporates Indigenous people's cultural views and their unique lived experiences. These cultural perspectives are represented by incorporating the four sacred elements: fire, water/ice, land, and air. This area of Calgary is a culturally significant location representing our shared purpose - to gather. As a city and region, we are excited to welcome all to this space, where we will play, laugh, and celebrate as one community.

Public plazas and gathering spaces

The area surrounding the building is designed with public plazas and comfortable spaces for people to gather and move, on all four sides. Wider, tree-lined sidewalks surround the building and allow for vibrant and engaging public outdoor spaces, which can also be programmed for outdoor events like markets, concerts, festivals, and outdoor viewing parties.

Universal accessibility

Scotia Place offers a barrier-free experience so people of all abilities can enjoy an inviting, diverse, and comfortable experience. Guests will enter the building from the outdoor plazas at ground level - stairs not required. Visitors will also have access to restaurants and shops at the street level from the outdoor plaza spaces, year-round.

Climate-ready design

Scotia Place aims for LEED Silver certification and will be 40% more energy efficient and 35% more water efficient than national building codes from opening day. It is also designed so it can transition to full electrification at any point in time during its operational life.

Design highlights

  • Building capacity of 18,400 people for sporting events and up to 20,000 people for concerts.
  • The Calgary Flames Team store, three restaurants, the Food Hall and a cafe in the integrated 124-year old Stephenson & Co. building will all be accessible at ground level.
  • A 1,000 seat community rink at the southeast corner of the site, where the community will have access to booking times on weeknights and on weekends.
  • Custom digital LED ribbon display screen that will span from the exterior southwest corner, through to the interior public concourse space, and outside at the outdoor south event plaza.
  • Indoor and outdoor public gathering spaces.
  • Designing the facility with the event/ice surface at 35 feet below ground provides more public space at ground level and improved accessibility.
  • Two neighbouring streets, Stampede Tr S.E. and 14 Ave S.E., can be converted into festival and event spaces.
  • Six hundred solar panels will generate on-site power and the venue will connect into Calgary’s District Energy System. Scotia Place is designed to be fully electrified and net-zero by 2050.

Construction on the Scotia Place building, community rink and surrounding plazas will begin in 2025. Additional information about Scotia Place including updated design renderings and frequently asked questions are available at calgary.ca/ScotiaPlace.  

Categories: Agreements, Announcements

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