Design team for Calgary's new $550M downtown arena to be announced in June

Companies bidding to work on Calgary's new downtown arena should find out soon if they will be hired for the job.

Bidders for the roles of design team, construction managers and specialized consultants for the $550-million arena are making their final pitches this month.

The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation is doing the interviews. The city-owned agency will oversee the construction of the new downtown arena.

The vice president of marketing and communications with CMLC, Clare Le Pan, said they're looking for a prime design team, a construction management firm as well as structural, mechanical and electrical consultants for the 19,000 seat arena.

"I think there's energy around the project and there's interest and excitement as people are following it," said Le Pan.

She said when CMLC held an information session in January, more than 100 firms expressed an interest in the project.

That's been winnowed down to a short list of candidates for each of the positions. They're undergoing a second round of interviews this month which will lead to the winning bidders being selected.

Anticipation for design team

The design team, which will include the architect, is a key choice that's being keenly watched.

Some construction industry publications and sports insiders are saying two firms that are working together have been chosen but Le Pan denied that's been decided.

"There has been and will continue to be lots of speculation around the firms that are working on it or that are being selected," said Le Pan.

"I think from our perspective, we want to complete the procurement process properly and make announcements once we've completed interviews."

There are local companies bidding as well as international firms with experience in designing arenas in major markets.

CMLC didn't offer any guidance on whether it preferred hearing from individual companies or firms joining forces with competitors.

"The market and the firms that are interested can decide how they choose to assemble themselves to put forward the strongest team," said Le Pan.

She said CMLC expects to make announcements on the winning bidders in early June.

Important next steps in 2021

The design work on the new arena will likely take until early 2021 when it will be unveiled to the public.

The procurement process started earlier this year with the request for proposals. The first round of interviews were conducted in March but the process was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Le Pan said a 30 day pause was put on the process but that hasn't caused a delay in the overall timeframe for the arena project.

Construction is slated to start in the summer of 2021 with the arena projected to open in 2024. The City of Calgary will own the building which will be builton its land in east Victoria Park.

The city and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation are each picking up $275 million of the arena's price tag.

It will become the home of the Calgary Flames, replacing the Scotiabank Saddledome which opened in 1983.

Once the new arena starts taking bookings, the city will pay the estimated $15 million cost of demolishing the Saddledome.