BC Place: Stadium Refurbishment | Completed

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Hed Kandi

$50 Million is really just a drop in the bucket.

This stadium is really going to be an embarrassment on the world stage especially after being compared Beijing's venues, which have set a new standard of architectural excellence.

I'm not sure where twg3 got the $50-million figure.....but $50-million is actually quite substantial, considering it goes towards cosmetic expenses on an existing concrete structure for the concourses.

I don't think we can compare with Beijing's venues, especially since these are the summer games. You have to consider that their main stadium, which is quite a bit bigger with a lot more seats and concourse space than BC Place, cost ~$1.2-billion to build - and that's with cheap labour and expropriating land without compensation. Build the bird nest in Vancouver, and it'll probably end up being the most expensive stadium ever built with a cost of $2+ billion.


This is just what I think could happen, posted at Canucks forums......The roof will cost around $150-million (assuming the papers are correct), and I highly doubt that includes the cost of the glass facade around the stadium. Just an example of some potential costs, what it could look like:

Roof replacement and exterior renovations: $150-million + exterior?
Concourse and gathering area renovations: $60-millions
Restroom renovations: $7-million
Lighting, acoustics: $7-million
New seats: $11-million
Accessibility improvements: $5-million
Videoboards and ring board: $10-million (based on GM Place cost)
Concession/bar renovations: $20-million
Other: $10-million

TOTAL: $280-million
+ Project contingency: $20-million

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by tintinium

I can't remember what Torino's stadium looked like... or Salt Lake's or Athens, and although Beijing's structures are stunning, most people don't know what they look like today.

Just for comparison's sake, Torino's Stade Olympique was a structure built at the time of Mussolini's regime. It has 27,000 seats....8,000 temporary seats, including on the field, were added for the Olympics for a capacity of 35,000. Renovations on the stadium including a new roof over the stands cost 20 million pounds, or CAN$40-million.


BEFORE - Torino '06



AFTER








With that said, the stadium helps built the atmosphere of the ceremonies. Just look at Sydney's ceremonies, the venue helps a lot. Same goes with Athens, which spent around $400-million on stadium renovations and a new roof - which does not include the $90-million they spent on the hole for the lake during the opening.

If Vancouver went ahead with both phases of the BC Place reno plan for 2010, it would be by far the most substantial Olympic Stadium renovation for the Winter Games - ever. B.C. Place, I believe, is also the largest Winter Games Olympic Stadium ever.





With Salt Lake, Rice Eccles went through a US$50-million renovation in time for the Games (46,000 seats).



(from left to right: 2008 Republican Crazy Presidential Candidate Romney, President Bush, Rogge)

[twoNeurons]

Yeah, about 1,321,851,888 reasons.

[towerguy3]

BREAKING NEWS FROM NW: MORE TROUBLE WITH DOME ROOF

I keep telling you guys, there is serious problems with that roof and we are going to have a major incident and people are goint to get hurt.

If they don't get a Retractable Roof on before 2010, there is going to be another incident. I could bet a steak on that. Read this:

More trouble with the roof at BC Place stadium.
Vancouver/CKNW(AM980)

5/23/2008


Sounds like there could be more trouble with the roof at BC Place stadium.

It was a big topic in the legislature today.

The NDP repeatedly went after minister responsible Stan Hagen over an alert that was issued......two days before the premier went public with word we'd be getting a retractable roof.

".........Mr. Speaker there was a deflation alert two days before the announcement. Was the minister aware of that or not???"

Minister Hagen went to great lengths to avoid actually answering the question, and instead went time-travelling through various moments in provincial history.

"...............I was here when the NDP opposed building the original BC Place stadium! I was here, Mr. Speaker, when the NDP opposed Expo 86!"

In January of 2006 part of the dome roof came flapping loose during a strong windstorm.
The provincial Liberals say the roof at BC Place is safe.

[towerguy3]

A deflation alert? This is huge news. That means there could be something structurally wrong with the roof as is.

[mr.x]

^ it was human error again:


Stadium roof collapse averted

By BOB MACKIN

B.C. Place Stadium's air-supported fabric roof was in danger of falling down, just two days before Premier Gordon Campbell went there to announce it would get a retractable roof by 2011.

A source told 24 hours that air pressure fell dramatically and the roof was deflating at 11:55 a.m. on May 14. The incident was safely resolved, but the source said the automated system of fans and dampers needs an overhaul to prevent trouble when the 2010 Winter Olympics open at B.C. Place on Feb. 12, 2010.

Warren Buckley, CEO for taxpayer-owned stadium landlord B.C. Pavilion Corporation, claimed a control room operator noticed a slight decrease in air pressure and dispatched a security guard who found workers using a diesel generator near an open door. The door allowed air to escape rapidly, but was closed and the air pressure returned to normal, he said.

WorkSafe BC, the provincial workplace health and safety regulator, has noted numerous complaints about the use of diesel equipment inside the stadium.

Buckley said the air-support system that keeps the Teflon-coated fibreglass roof aloft is not earmarked for replacement before the 2010 Games. He said the dampers are brand new and the fan system is constantly monitored.

Several NDP MLAs grilled Stan Hagen, the Liberal minister responsible for B.C. Place, during Question Period in the B.C. Legislature on Friday afternoon. At first he rattled off a list of projects opposed by the NDP since the 1980s. He did not answer whether he was aware of the May 14 incident, but eventually said the stadium roof is inspected daily and is safe. He did not comment on the air-support system.

"Given that it's going to be the venue for such an important event, they should really turn their mind to it," said NDP critic Norm Macdonald after Question Period. "We should never be in a place to be worrying about the reliablility of the roof."

The 25-year-old stadium's roof ripped and collapsed under the weight of snow, ice and slush after a Jan. 5, 2007 storm because the roof was not heated. Management branded it a "controlled deflation."

[mooks28]

Originally Posted by towerguy3

If they don't get a Retractable Roof on before 2010, there is going to be another incident. I could bet a steak on that. Read this:

Why on earth would you bet money on people getting hurt?

[Cypherus]

Originally Posted by mooks28

Why on earth would you bet money on people getting hurt?

That's not his point. Anyways, it's a shame something wasn't done about this roof a few years ago. Vancouver's Olympics would be tainted across the centuries if the roof deflated on 60,000 spectators during the opening or closing ceremonies.

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by Cypherus

That's not his point. Anyways, it's a shame something wasn't done about this roof a few years ago. Vancouver's Olympics would be tainted across the centuries if the roof deflated on 60,000 spectators during the opening or closing ceremonies.

Bad publicity is still publicity and sometimes bad publicity is better then good publicity. I really believe that if the roof deflated during the ceremonies then the net benefit would be positive for our city though thats something that would be hard to calculate. Its all about ramming the name Vancouver in to peoples heads, spending millions on a perfect and stunning ceremony is pretty hard and not guaranteed to work, a embarrassing accident works much better. I can tell you that the only Olympic city other than Montreal that I can name between the 60's and 80's is Munich. Believe me when I say that this is not a bad thing for Munich.

Just my two cents.

[Rusty Gull]

Unfortunately, if the roof collapsed during the Olympic Games -- or worse, during the opening or closing ceremonies -- it would be an event that would certainly make Vancouver a household name around the world. And not in a positive way.

[crazyjoeda]

Originally Posted by cornholio

Bad publicity is still publicity and sometimes bad publicity is better then good publicity. I really believe that if the roof deflated during the ceremonies then the net benefit would be positive for our city though thats something that would be hard to calculate. Its all about ramming the name Vancouver in to peoples heads, spending millions on a perfect and stunning ceremony is pretty hard and not guaranteed to work, a embarrassing accident works much better. I can tell you that the only Olympic city other than Montreal that I can name between the 60's and 80's is Munich. Believe me when I say that this is not a bad thing for Munich.

Just my two cents.

That is twisted, but you have a point. Still it takes a long time for people to forget something, like why Munich is on the map. It's a beautiful city but its far from Germanys largest city, but for me it comes to mind as easily as Berlin and Frankfurt.

But it would be better if people take away only good memories from Vancouver's Games rather than have Vancouver become a household name for a disaster.

Luckily, I think it is extremely unlikely that the roof will deflate during the games. BC Place stood for over 20 years before deflating in a snow storm after months of extreme weather.

[eduardo88]

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda

That is twisted, but you have a point. Still it takes a long time for people to forget something, like why Munich is on the map. It's a beautiful city but its far from Germanys largest city, but for me it comes to mind as easily as Berlin and Frankfurt.

Munich only comes to mind for you cause of the olympics? what about the fact that it's germany's 3rd largest city, argueable it's most affluent, the capital of bayern...and must i mention: Oktoberfest...

[cornholio]

Munich is a important city but the fact is that because of the tragedy that happened during their Olympics the city is much more well known. Anyways its all marketing, you know it doesnt really matter how you ram a name in to someones head the only thing that matters is that you actually ram it in there. Im sure most people know Munich held the summer games in the 70's, im also sure that most people cant name the other cities that held the summer games in the 70's or 80's or 60's.
Here i named three completely insignificant towns of the top of my head.
Maythorpe
Walkerton
Lockerbie
I bet that most of you know of most of them, and many of you can probably find them on a map fairly easily. I can also bet that if you were driving by chances are pretty decent that you might just stop on your way, maybe to just check it out or to just fill up your car because to you (subconsciously) it is a known town, you know of it so it feels more comfortable to stop in it, even if you know of it because of some very negative event.
Anyways im getting way of topic again.

My whole point was that a embarrassing accident such as a deflated bc place roof during the opening ceremonies in reality is not really a bad thing, infact Vancouver would likely benefit in almost impossible to calculate ways.
Maythorpe
Walkerton
Lockerbie

[twoNeurons]

I never really thought of Munich as the Olympics until the movie came out. However, I did know it as the home of Oktoberfest and famous for pretzels and Beer Steins.

You could be right, but I think it only goes so far and for so long.

Lillehammer I could see, because I was alive at the time of the games. Other small cities (or smaller areas of cities) that have exposure from negative publicity that I can think of are "nagasaki, hiroshima, nanking, Jakarta, Kobe, Compton (part of LA), Dresden (Fire bombed WWII) and maybe a few others if I think hard.

[eduardo88]

Originally Posted by tintinium

I never really thought of Munich as the Olympics until the movie came out. However, I did know it as the home of Oktoberfest and famous for pretzels and Beer Steins.

Actually Bretzl (pretzel) is swabian

[johnjimbc]

that having the roof deflate during opening ceremonies (or at any time during the Olympics) would have ANY even REMOTE positive aspect for Vancouver.

That is, unless you believe people will think warmly and rally to visit the city deemed responsible for what would be universally considered the most embarrassing international public spectacle in history.

I can't believe this discussion has continued beyond the initial post. I suggest ideas for how the city and the Olympics will work to make absolutely sure that does NOT happen.

[cornholio]

Ok i promise this is my last post on the topic. Marketing is not about conjuring up warm and fuzzy feelings about something, otherwise a guy kicking another guy in the nuts wouldent be such a great way to market Burritos. Marketing is all about getting a name in the head and thats it, it can then also go further and try to link that name to certain feelings or other memories to attempt to increase the chances of stirring it up at opportune times. So you can use, comedy, tragedy, drama, sad commercials, evil commercials, bad commercials, annoying commercials, it really doesnt matter so long as it stands out a rams a name or idea in to someones head...Its one reason I hate commercials and think they should be illegal, because its not advertisement but rather forced brain washing. So back to BC place, im sure no one really wants the roof to deflate, including me but really the facts say that it doesnt seem to be able to have a negative impact on the city and marketing of the Vancouver name brand(which is really the whole point of the games). Anyways all I was trying to do is play devils advocate here, everyone said it would be horrible, I tried to look at the facts and take a different approach and say wait a minuit it wouldn't be bad for the city and it would help accomplish exactly what we are trying to do, that is market the Vancouver name brand. Also its important to mention that there are obvious negatives with such a incident, but their significantly outweighed every time by the positives.
Now that I was thinking about the Olympics I remembered that horrid London logo, and now im going to be checking to see the flight specials to London to see if I can take a trip since I havent been there in a while and enjoy the city...all thanks to the worst Olympic logo ever, or maybe its not so bad after all.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by cornholio

the facts say that it doesnt seem to be able to have a negative impact on the city and marketing of the Vancouver name brand(which is really the whole point of the games).

So true it's laughable. The Olympics ceased becoming a venue to promote harmony through sports a LONG time ago. If anything it polarizes national sentiment, pitting one country against another.

Ask not what you can do in the Olympics, but what the Olympics brand can do for you!

[jlousa]

Forgetting about marketing for now.
The roof will not deflate. Heck when the panel burst in the snow storm (due to human error) the roof did not deflate, if you remember they had to make the desicion to deflate the roof to prevent more damage. Should a panel somehow burst the remaining fans will automatically power up and keep the roof up. Even in the case of a complete power outage, it would take 2-3 hours for the roof to deflate (with no tears).
Seems odd that in 25yrs we've only had 1 deflation which was caused due to human error yet people are convinced there could be one during the olympics. Pretty sure staff are going to be on their toes during the games.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by towerguy3

If they don't get a Retractable Roof on before 2010, there is going to be another incident. I could bet a steak on that.

Really? Well I'm hungry...