Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/137453
courtesy Architecture | Arndt Tkalcic Bengert West Central Events Centre by Bill Armstrong n a bitterly cold morning in January 2010 a major fire destroyed Exhibition Stadium, an ice-skating and hockey arena in Kindersley, Saskatchewan. Quick-thinking volunteer firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to the other components of the West Central Events Centre – a newer arena and a six-sheet curling rink – by demolishing a lobby area that linked the stadium to the other structures. Still, the fire was a blow to the recreational and economic life of the town. Barely a month later and the town began planning to rebuild the arena and the lobby area. Reconstruction began almost a year to the day after the disastrous fire. "I remember it was cold and there was snow as we began putting pilings into the ground," says Chris Lanting, project manager for Clark Builders, the general contractor for the project. Architect Brian Bengert of Architecture Arndt Tkalcic Bengert describes the reconstruction as a tough project, but a good one. "A community is never prepared when a fire destroys an important community building, and it usually means budgets for rebuilding are very tight," Bengert observes. "Clark Builders was instrumental in keeping the budget under control in what was a complicated project," says Bengert. Rather than replicate the previous arena and lobby, Bengert and his design team set to work within on-site space limitations to create a gathering O West Central Events Centre p82-83West Central Events.indd 83 space for the community. This included creating a two-storey gathering area that would replace the original singlestorey lobby and link the newly named Co-op Arena with the existing 2,000seat arena, called the Events Centre Arena. That was not as simple as it sounds. "We were restricted by the floor-tofloor heights of the existing building in trying to connect the two arenas," Bengert explains. "That constricted the spaces, and then we didn't want to be over the height of the existing arena, which would cause a snow load on the existing building and that would have required a lot of structural reinforcing to the existing building. The lobby was stretched along the length of the arena so that it can connect to the town's planned indoor Aquatics Centre, which may be located beside the existing outdoor aquatics facility." Even working with a restricted clean slate, Bengert and his design team were able to add a walking track on the mezzanine level circling the ice surface in the Co-op Arena. Bengert describes the track design as a "tricky piece of work" with the track hung off the roof in some locations, and supported from below in other areas. The radius of the corners and the track surface were designed to allow for wheelchair accessibility. The project also afforded the opportunity for the firm to put its commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency to good use. Waste heat from the ice-making plant is captured for use in other areas of the 450-seat multipurpose arena, and other energyefficiency measures were incorporated into the design where they were appropriate. The firm of Architecture Arndt Tkalcic Bengert also handled the interior design, choosing durable finishes that will stand up to the traffic in a very busy building and lower the cost of operating the building over the long term. "These facilities are well used," Bengert says. "We employed any opportunity to reduce operational expenses within the budget that was available, because the community will be using the facility for 50 years or more." On the topic of normal wear-andtear, Bengert and his team noted that in most arenas children who tire of following the action on the ice often create their own mini-hockey games in little-used public areas of arenas. Adopting a "kids will be kids" approach, the new arena includes a separate play space where children can stage their own pick-up mini-hockey games. The Kindersley Athletic Club is currently using this space as a workout room, adding to the facility's multi-use capabilities. If there are upsides to a catastrophic event such as the fire that destroyed the old stadium, one is that it accelerated the town's plans to complete some upgrades to the existing arena, where the junior league Kindersley Klippers play, including renovated dressing rooms, a weight room, new arena boards and a complete new ventilation system. The town's director of community services, Kim Vogel, adds that the situation also gave planners the opportunity to focus on providing other amenities that the community had expressed a need for, such as a reconstructed arena and lobby. "The second level of the new lobby has a heated, glassed-in area where people can look into the existing arena in comfort," Vogel notes. "There is also a lounge, multi-purpose meeting rooms for use by community groups and businesses and a gym." Kindersley's communications coordinator, Wayne Gibson, notes that the two-storey all-glass entryway into the lobby creates a welcoming experience for people coming into the building. Thanks to the energy-efficiency features in the design, the experience is also warm and inviting. "The open concept makes it feel airy," Gibson explains. "It allowed space for installing a front desk where people can get tickets, and where community groups can display their marketing materials. Beyond that, because of the energy-efficiency measures, it's no longer a cold rink. You can now watch a hockey game with just a sweater, instead of having to wear a jacket." Vogel and Gibson agree that many people in town who may have only occasionally visited the facility – such as to watch the Kindersley Klippers hockey team – now have many more reasons to visit, and they are. The walking track for example, is open from early mornings to late in the evening, and is used by seniors, moms with strollers and students from a nearby high school, among others. The meeting rooms and lounge are also very busy, demonstrating how important such facilities are to the life of a vibrant prairie community. n Location 500 Second Street East, Kindersley, Saskatchewan Owner/Developer Town of Kindersley Project Manager Walker Projects Inc. Architect Architecture Arndt Tkalcic Bengert General Contractor Clark Builders Structural Consultant Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. Mechanical/ Electrical Consultant Hemisphere Engineering Inc. Total area 42,333 square feet Construction cost $11.4 million june 2013 /83 13-05-30 2:37 PM