Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[Berklon]

Unless they intend to piss off some fans, I have to believe the renders are less than accurate. Because the people sitting in the bottom corners of the endzone won't be able to see shit with the main grandstands in the way.

[Djeffery]

Yeah, I'd say they aren't meant to be taken as architectural drawings.

[Coldrsx]

Ice District/Rogers Place








https://twitter.com/IanOyeg/status/1133188680678404096
@ianoyeg

[JHikka]

Tim Hortons Field will be hosting Men's rugby in August:


via Twitter.

[JHikka]

https://montrealgazette.com/news/que...overnment-says

Montreal's Olympic Stadium will get new roof, CAQ government says

And as the stadium closes in on its 50th birthday, Proulx said the future will be even brighter because a new roof — promised by the previous Liberal regime and the Parti Québécois before it — is on the drawing table.

The objective is the same: to have the old roof replaced by 2024, in time for the World Cup of 2026. The CAQ government has one key advantage over the others who made such promises: it is swimming in surplus funds.

“We will be working on replacing the roof, it is mandatory to change the roof,” Proulx said. “We will change the roof. The business plan will be tabled in the next few months.”

Proulx would not respond to questions about costs or whether the new roof would be retractable. The Couillard government had pegged the cost of the roof at somewhere between $200 million and $300 million.

...

In fact, the legislation Proulx tabled, Bill 15, is designed to give the stadium more latitude to operate as a business to chase more and bigger events. The new name will be Societé de développement et de la mise en valeur du Parc Olympique or Olympic Park for short.

It replaces the old Olympic Installations Board and will have the power to sign its own business contracts with other organizations and governments, plus long-term leases with suppliers and corporate banners, said Olympic Park president Michel Labrecque, who was on hand for the news conference.

Labrecque said the sky is the limit. The stadium is currently in use 200 days of the year. The new brand will market the entire site, including the popular tower plus attractions like the Biodôme and Saputo Stadium.

With the Olympic tower 85 per cent rented, Olympic Park generates revenues of between $20 million and $25 million a year. Quebec’s subsidy in 2017-2018 was $17.2 million.

[Djeffery]

200 days a year? With what?

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Tim Hortons Field will be hosting Men's rugby in August:


via Twitter.

Damn I wish I could be there for that. I saw Canada vs Russia at the Calgary Rugby Union a couple years back. Was an awesome match.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

200 days a year? With what?

Inevitably those event day counts include filler events that could easily be hosted elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised to see something like the provincial high school field hockey championships or some such on that list.

A more interesting projection would be the number of events expected to draw 5,000 or more spectators.

[DavefromSt.Vital]

Apart from sports they also use Olympic Stadium as straight convention/trade space. e.g. The HomeExpo, etc.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Montreal's Olympic Stadium will get new roof, CAQ government says

How many times have I seen this headline and hoped it would happen (along with a BC Place level inside refurb)

[elly63]

Originally Posted by DavefromSt.Vital

Apart from sports they also use Olympic Stadium as straight convention/trade space. e.g. The HomeExpo, etc.

With 1000 Desjardins employees coming in, taking 80% of the rental space, this might be on its way to becoming a place to be.

Renovations to Montreal's Olympic Stadium tower are now complete
Tyler Jadah dailyhive.com Nov 16, 2018

Montreal’s iconic Olympic Stadium is sporting a new look.

Thirty years after its initial construction, the stadium’s 541 foot tower has been revamped, both inside and out, as it hosts new offices for Desjardins’ AccèsD.

Amidst the announcement of a new roof, the tower’s renovation included the removal of concrete panels that covered a large section of the tower’s outer walls that were replaced with 580 self-cleaning floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Designed by architect Roger Taillibert, the original tower employed prefab concrete panels pierced with vertical strips of windows to provide zenithal lighting,” reads architectural firm Provencher Roy’s website. ‘To convert the premises into office space, it was necessary to allow more natural light in. The architectural solution retained—the curtain wall—helps achieve a transparency that reveals the activities and the life that inhabit the Olympic Stadium.”

The project includes the restoration of the concrete, steel, and envelope membranes as well as the construction of a private entrance for access to the tower and the addition of four elevators.

Provencher Roy posted before and after pictures of the world’s tallest inclined tower onto social media:



Here are previously published renderings of what the Desjardins offices look like:

[elly63]

Mods, am I no longer allowed to post photos or is it something else?

[elly63]

Desjardins is taking over the tower at the Olympic Stadium: here’s a sneak peak
Quinn Mason montrealintechnology.com March 20, 2018

The Montreal Tower—the 165 metre tall, 45-degree angled, 12 story pinnacle of the Olympic Stadium—is the tallest inclined tower in the world. Built for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the tower and stadium have become an integral part of the Montreal architectural skyline.

But the Montreal Tower has also gone largely unused since the games that gilded Bruce Jenner. The Tower has remained a tourist attraction over the years, with the stadium sometimes hosting concerts, block parties, or more recently refugees. But Desjardins has rented seven of the twelve floors and transformed it into its latest head office space in Montreal.

Set to open this fall, Desjardins released photos today teasing the space—designed by Provencher Roy—and it’s bright, sunny, and modern.

“It’s a huge privilege to work on such a unique site. Our concept was inspired by the symbol that the tower represents for the city, but also by the Olympic spirit and by Desjardins’s own values. We designed the workspace to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing in a healthy environment,” said Julien-Pierre Laurendeau, interior designer at Provencher Roy.

More than 1,000 employees, mainly from the AccèsD individual and business services and Online Business Centre teams, will be moved in gradually. As the first tenant since its completion in 1987, Desjardins will occupy seven stories, or 80% of the rental space available.

It will be especially interesting to see how the influx of 1,000 white-collar finance workers affects the eastern Hochelaga neighborhood. In the past few years Rue Ontario has seen a number of new restaurants, bars, and artisan breweries open. It seems safe to assume that more up-market cafes and business-lunch options will continue to multiply in the gentrifying area to serve the Desjardins employees.

With its still-low rent, could Desjardins’ move signal the start of Hochelaga as a burgeoning tech and business hub?

You can see all of the released photos here.

[DavefromSt.Vital]

Not sure how many employees will make the hike from the base of the tower down to Rue Ontario in the middle of winter. Hopefully some closer dining options develop and help the area.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by DavefromSt.Vital

Apart from sports they also use Olympic Stadium as straight convention/trade space. e.g. The HomeExpo, etc.

I would slot that into a similar category as my field hockey example since an event like a boat show, home show or what have you could probably be accommodated with ease in several other venues in Montreal, many of which are probably also publicly funded.

Realistically, I'd be impressed if a renovated Big O did 20 days worth big events a year (i.e. with 5,000 or more in the stands)... a few Impact/Alouettes games? The baseball exhibition games, if they continue beyond this year? A couple of big concerts? A couple of one-off sports events like boxing/wrestling/UFC/random exhibition matches from other sports/Heritage Classic, etc.?

I'd be interested in knowing what stadium management's vision is with respect to booking events given that MLB is gone and never coming back to that building (except maybe for one or two seasons on an interim basis if Montreal gets a team back), and the CFL/MLS teams don't seem interested in playing there on anything other than a sporadic basis.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by esquire

I'd be interested in knowing what stadium management's vision is

It will be maintained forever as a perpetual monument to the wastrel ways of former Mayor Jean Drapeau. To complete the effect, plans will soon be announced to erect a 100m tall statue of Drapeau on the plaza in front of the "Big Owe" holding a cheque book.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

It will be maintained forever as a perpetual monument to the wastrel ways of former Mayor Jean Drapeau. To complete the effect, plans will soon be announced to erect a 100m tall statue of Drapeau on the plaza in front of the "Big Owe" holding a cheque book.

I thought you were going to say a statue of a pregnant Drapeau...wait for it

Actually surveys have shown that people regard it as a symbol of the Montreal skyline. I think it is now thought of for the most part as positive and only negative by those who have a axe to grind.

A roof will help greatly allowing for year round events, as does the positive aspect of having a large enterprise in the structure. The pool has been refurbished and holds events so I'd say things are looking up. If they could somehow scale it down to half the capacity things would be even better.

So the tower part of the structure looks good, the aquatic centre looks good, just the main stadium itself needs an upgrade.

[MonctonRad]

I was joking of course.

It would be hard to imaging the skyline of Montreal (at least the east end) without the Stade Olympique. It is one of the most iconic stadia in the world. Of this there is no doubt.

Will the stadium ever live up to its potential? Unfortunately not, but it is an icon of Montreal, like the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. Its potential will have to be maximized in some way. This will probably be by using it to host the odd international sporting event, and using it as a trade show facility. The area around the stadium should be refreshed to maximize its tourism potential. Aside from this, I have no ideas..........

[Acajack]

I don't want to minimize the white elephant status of the Big O (which it clearly was for us) but there are lots of huge stadiums out there that probably aren't used much more even if they have a primary tenant - usually either an NFL team with 8-9 home dates or an NCAA team with 7-8 home dates.

Throw in the odd concert and a monster truck and tractor pull and that's about it for how much use the facility gets in a given year.

Especially if they're open air and in colder climates those stadiums might even get less use than the Big O, and their revenue from events might be comparable or even less.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

The area around the stadium should be refreshed to maximize its tourism potential. Aside from this, I have no ideas.

I was under the understanding that they were going to be putting some money into making the outside more people friendly (getting rid of the concrete and creating green areas).