Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/331457
Agrium Western Event Centre by Robin Brunet T he Agrium Western Event Centre for Calgary's Stampede Park may have taken shape rela- tively quickly – Ledcor Construction Limited broke ground on July 18, 2012 – but the Park's construction manager for capital projects, Jim Bellingham, points out that the facility was almost 20 years in development. "We went through many configurations and possible sites during that time," he says. The 150,000-square-foot facilit y includes a 250- by 150-foot show floor and 31,250 square feet of clear-span space. It also features a 20,000-square- foot multipurpose hall designed for competition, warm-up, trade shows, or exhibitions, as well as an 8,000-square- foot rotunda and entranceway. Stephen Mahler, a partner of Gibbs Gage Architects, says the rotunda is a good example of the design approach taken for the project overall. "It echoes silo structures without being too obvi- ous and exemplifies the Agrium Centre's blend of traditional and 21st century design elements." The Agrium Centre joins the BMO Centre expansions and other upgrades in helping to fulfill Calgary Stampede's aim to make its property a year-round destination. The facility was tailored to connect urban and rural: a goal sup- ported by $25 million each from the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta, plus support from building title sponsor Agrium. The funding con- tributed to infrastructure enhancement to the Stampede's entire Agricultural Discovery Zone. Initially the building was to be located in the Infield rather than its current location. "That's because our lands are very limited. Plus, we got out of horse racing in 2005, and the Infield would have made the Agrium Centre closer to our stabling facilities and the rodeo area," says Bellingham. The decision to move the building to a more central location in Stampede Park was a strategic insight to put agriculture at the heart of the park. Building on that intent, Mahler says the entry rotunda is a symbolic meeting place for agricul- ture and urban culture: "It will be a place for people to meet and learn about the influence of agriculture on our western values. The circular form is welcoming and inspired by agrarian buildings while utilizing a 21st century expression." Much of the Agrium Western Event Cent re's design was inf luenced by insights gained during visits by Mahler and Calgary Stampede stakeholders to numerous facilities in Texas and Okla- homa. "The functional requirements of a building to host western event competitions are critical success fac- tors," says Mahler. " Wash bays for livestock and a dirt arena f loor have significantly different requirements than locker rooms and ice surfaces in a hockey arena." The building image and how it embodies the Calgary Stampede brand was another major consideration. "We were challenged to respect traditional values in a contemporary expression," says Mahler. "The building massing is composed of additive forms starting with the barrel vaulted main arena; support spaces, the multi-purpose hall and the entry rotunda are added on like saddlebags." Mahler adds that "selection of exte- rior building materials had to consider image, cost and life cycle. Multiple metal cladding profiles are used in combina- tion to articulate various components of the building and provide visual inter- est." The architects also worked closely with Lafarge to develop a contemporary expression of barn boards cast into the highly-durable precast panels at the base of the building and that also feature the Calgary Stampede's C lazy S brand. Because the Agrium Centre elimi- nated a lot of space that was used for parking and midway festivals, Park management was obliged to shorten its racetrack from five eighths of a mile to half a mile. "Plus we moved our Kid's Day site to be closer to the centre of activi- ties," says Bellingham. He believes that the biggest design challenge was "to provide a perfor- mance arena that gives the audience unobstructed clear views." Mahler remarks, "The program dictated there be 2,500 seats in the arena with clear view lines. We placed the structural columns at the top of the seating bowl and buttressed the concourse space in order to optimize the structural depth to span ratio. Clear spanning the entire area was a consideration, but that would have meant more steel, more weight and more money." Chris Davis, an associate of Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd., notes that the clear span space "was achieved using structural steel because of its light weight. Precast concrete proved to be more suitable for the lower parts of the building for durability and for the fire rating. The columns and beams were precast off site while the foundations of the facility were built." Davis adds that not only did precast- ing off-site save time, "it made for better finishes and complemented the finish of the concrete walls." Meanwhile, strate- gic load points in the roof were chosen to suspend lighting and sound systems. The rotunda was a challenge "in that it is a circular structure, so we came up with an interesting curved steel frame that spans between the columns," says Davis. "We also had to create a bridge in the foundations to accommodate existing electrical components that run underneath the columns." During construction, co-ordination between the steel and concrete trades was critical in order to ensure precise connections between the two materials. From a construction point of view, the Agrium Centre couldn't have come at a worse time: smack in the best sum- mer working months. Nor was there much spare space to work in. "We have to treat every construction or upgrade project as though it were happen- ing downtown," says Bellingham. "As much as possible, we pre-assembled components off site because the only "The program dictated there be 2,500 seats in the arena with clear view lines. We placed the structural columns at the top of the seating bowl and buttressed the concourse space in order to optimize the structural depth to span ratio. Clear spanning the entire area was a consideration, but that would have meant more steel, more weight and more money." – Stephen Mahler, partner, Gibbs Gage Architects photos: chris bolin / courtesy calgary exhibition & stampede june 2014 /53 Agrium Western event Centre p.52-57Agrium Western.indd 53 14-06-03 9:52 AM