“Sprawling in size, the 500,000 square foot Athletic and Ice Complex (AIC) will be the future home of Hockey Canada, Skate Canada, WinSport Canada and the head offices of close to 20 national and provincial winter sport organizations.  As one of the most unique athletic environments in the world, the AIC will provide the competitive advantage for our athletes along with recreational opportunities for youth pursuing an active lifestyle and to be inspired by high performance athletes.” www.winsportcanada.ca

Harris & Harris was commissioned to create a landscape design with high quality architectural elements to complement the sporting facility. The site plan included a design for an Outdoor Victory Plaza a plaza consisting of approximately one acre of open space for celebrations and gatherings. The program for the plaza was challenging. Our design was required to facilitate regular daily operations as a drop off and handicapped parking area as well as to accommodate special events. The plaza had to be able to accommodate a temporary ice rink, entertainment stage and podium, and media vehicle parking. All of these events had to be programmed while still allowing for fire truck access to the main front doors.

The site is located within an ecologically sensitive ecotone of aspen parklands. As part of the project Harris & Harris worked with the engineers to mitigate ecological impacts by creating a biofiltration pond to retain and filter storm water. In addition, Harris & Harris sought to revitalize the area’s vegetation with native plantings in order to complement and enhance the ecologically sensitive site.