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J U N E 2 0 2 4 | 81 SILENT ICE CENTER by ROBIN BRUNET Silent Ice Center D an and Lindsey Leckelt, broth- ers and developers of the Nisku Twin Rink Recreational Facility (aka the Silent Ice Center) are hockey guys at heart: they played for the Senior A A A Stony Plain Eagles and wound up owning the Eagles, plus the Spruce Grove Junior "A" Saints and the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds. Their passion for the sport was crucial to the creation of the Silent Ice Center: the brothers regarded it as their dream proj- ect, as well as the solution to the lack of ice time for athletes of all ages and skill levels in Alberta. "Physical and mental health well- being has become more important in our society, and the intent of the project was to provide a legacy oppor- tunity for the community to exercise and socialize," says Dan Leckelt. The facility consists of two NHL- sized ice rinks, box office, fitness area with change rooms, a pro room with sauna and steam room, player's lounge, and coach's room. A second level consists of media spaces, offices, concession, and box suites. The third level contains a 7,500-square-foot res- taurant and serving bar plus balcony seating that overlooks both rinks. While these components may seem standard, the way they were designed and delivered makes the Silent Ice Center a unique sport facil- ity that could influence how such centres are designed in the future. Todd Voshell, partner at Voshell Architecture + Design (VOSH), cred- its the Leckelts for a collaboration that would be the envy of other architects. "Basically, I dreamed, within rea- son, and they turned it into reality," he says, adding that their inclusion of Eagle Builders in the design build project resulted in a high-quality facility that met timeline and budget requirements, resulting in a facility with a much lower budget than a con- ventional taxpayer funded project. According to Voshell, who is also a hockey enthusiast and who had worked with the Leckelts in the past, Dan approached him in 2020 to design the twin rinks: "I said, 'But I've never done a rink before,' and he replied, 'You're doing it any- way,' and by partnering with Eagle Builders, who had expertise in this realm, the Leckelt family allowed me incredible creative freedom." Together and through a process consisting of numerous checkpoint presentations, the team developed a facility that advanced ice arena design substantially. "In addition to eliminating no direct lighting on the rink, we were able to double the number of washroom fixtures required by code – no waiting lines in here – by utilizing what would normally be the under-utilized cor- ners of the rink areas," Voshell says. To avoid creating a larger concourse surrounding the rinks, the angle of the seating was slightly steeper as it tiered up, which also contributed to the goal of providing optimal view- ing. "Additionally, the owners wanted a space for spectators to watch games while eating, and this led to adding a restaurant as a third level between both rinks utilizing base building col- umns to help reduce costs," Voshell says. "Plus, their desire for a balcony led us to create three tiers of seating cantilevered out from the restaurant on both sides, 55 feet in the air, for a truly spectacular viewing experience." Voshell adds, "At one point I remarked tongue-in-cheek that it would be interesting to provide a pizza oven so the players could make their own meals after a game, and the response was 'Done!' So, the Silent Ice Center has only one of three imported electric wood- fired ovens in North America." P H OTO G R A P H Y BY L A DY B L AC K P H OTO G R A P H Y/CO U RT E S Y VOS H EL L A RC H I T EC T U R E + D E S I G N (VOS H)

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