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B. C. Place Stadium Olympic Renovations


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PREMIER UNVEILS NEW VISION FOR BC PLACE & ART GALLERY

VANCOUVER – A major renovation of BC Place Stadium – including a retractable roof after 2010 –

will expand the city’s sport, culture and entertainment district; feature a new home for the Vancouver

Whitecaps; and provide a waterfront site for a new Vancouver Art Gallery, Premier Gordon Campbell

announced today.

“We asked PavCo chair David Podmore to develop a long-term plan for one of British

Columbia’s landmark facilities. What he found was BC Place is in good shape but, like any facility

that age, is in need of upgrades,” said Premier Campbell. “The upgrades pre- and post-Olympics will

significantly reduce energy consumption and extend the life of this world-class facility for another 30

years. It will also give us the opportunity to create a vibrant arts and sporting community for residents

and visitors alike.”

Upgrades to BC Place will occur in two phases. Renovations to suites, seating, washrooms and

concession stands, and enhancement of the existing roof liner will occur before the 2010 Olympic and

Paralympic Winter Games. A new retractable roof will be put in place after the 2010 Games. Both

phases are expected to go out to tender within five months, subject to design, completion of a business

case and cost-benefit analysis and government approval.

“Once we’ve completed our design and planning, we’ll finalize the budget and, subject to

provincial government approval, get a fixed price contract with a guaranteed timeline,” said Podmore.

“As much of the preparatory work on the roof as possible will be done prior to the 2010 Games. The

remaining work to install the new roof will be completed over an estimated eight months after the

Games are over. This is exactly how BC Place was planned and built more than 25 years ago. By

waiting until after 2010 to complete the retractable roof, we’ll get better competitive pricing.”

A retractable roof by itself will cut energy costs for BC Place by one-third, $535,000 annually.

A further $100,000 annually will be saved through operational savings. For example, the stadium will

no longer need air-lock doors to support the roof. Further options, such as solar panels and geothermal

heating, will also be explored.

As part of the new roof and upgrade, which is expected to be complete early in 2011, the

Whitecaps will start playing at BC Place in the summer of 2011, part of a five-year lease with renewals

after 2016. That will give the team the opportunity to apply for a Major League Soccer (MLS)

franchise.

“We are looking forward to playing under the retractable roof at BC Place starting in 2011,”

said Bob Lenarduzzi, president of Vancouver Whitecaps FC. “We are confident that the planned

renovations will make BC Place a more versatile venue, very suitable for soccer and a variety of other

international calibre events. The move to BC Place will allow us to pursue the opportunity for an MSL

franchise and will open up a host of additional opportunities that we are excited to bring to

Vancouver.”

“BC Place has been our home field for 25 years, so we’re thrilled with the plans to upgrade it

and add a retractable roof,” said Bob Ackles, BC Lions president and CEO. “To be able to play

outdoors under a retractable roof is going to make the whole experience even more enjoyable for our

fans. As much as we enjoy playing under the dome, the chance to enjoy a game on a summer night will

be very popular with our fans and players alike.”

As part of the bigger vision for this part of downtown Vancouver, PavCo has been working

with the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Art Gallery and Canadian Metropolitan Properties, the

owners of the Plaza of Nations, to move the Vancouver Art Gallery to False Creek. Currently, less than

three per cent of its collection is on display, because of space restraints.

In return for future development considerations from the City of Vancouver on its False Creek

property, Canadian Metropolitan Properties is providing the Vancouver Art Gallery with a waterfront

site for its new 320,000 square-foot facility. The Province has already contributed $50 million towards

the new gallery.

“The gallery has experienced unprecedented growth in the last decade, and with more than

40,000 members, record-breaking admissions and a growing collection of 10,000 artworks, is now

bursting at the seams,” said gallery director Kathleen Bartels. “The False Creek location presents an

exciting opportunity to imagine a new Vancouver Art Gallery on this beautiful waterfront site, one that

would serve as an anchor for this extension of Vancouver’s thriving cultural community. In addition to

Premier Campbell’s recent commitment of $50 million, we are extremely grateful to the Province of

British Columbia for bringing us another step closer to realizing our dream for a new Vancouver Art

Gallery.”

Development and the sale, or lease, of lands around BC Place are expected to generate more

than $100 million towards the cost of the new roof and upgrades. Additional revenues will come from

new sponsorships and expanded business opportunities.

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BEFORE

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  • 3 months later...

$65-million BC Place Olympic Interior Facelift Contract Signed

Details on new roof to come in February 2009

9/4/2008

A 65-million dollar upgrade of BC Place has started, with the contract being awarded to general contractor Dominion Fairmile.

Operators say the 25-year old stadium needs renovations which include better access for the disabled and improved food services, but Pavco Chair David Podmore is not ready to disclose the price tag of a new retractable roof.

I'm not going to give you a number until we have completed design, we've had the opportunity to go through a detailed costing, we'll then present a budget, we'll explain how that budget is built up," Podmore said.

Podmore says that contract should be awarded in February.

He insists the entire project will be completed by the summer of 2011, just in time for the Vancouver whitecaps to open their first season as members of the major soccer league.

Podmore said the work will include new lighting, refurbished concessions and improved hospitality suites.

Video tour: http://www.cknw.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal...aspx?ID=1024526

Gate Awning Elevation

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Ramps

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Concourse

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Concourse murals

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Concessions

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Typical Suite

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BCP_TypicalSuiteInterior.jpg

Lounge

BCP_EdgewaterLoungeEntrance.jpg

BCP_EdgewaterLounge.jpg

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$65-million contract awarded for upgrades to BC Place Stadium

David Hogben, Vancouver Sun

Published: Thursday, September 04, 2008

VANCOUVER - Patrons attending events at BC Place stadium can look forward to better food, better ambience and improved accessibility for disabled persons, BC Pavilion Corp. chief executive officer David Podmore said Thursday.

Podmore said a $65-million contract to refurbish the stadium has been awarded to Dominion Fairmile Construction as general contractor.

"We will complete that work within the $65-million budget," Podmore pledged during a news conference at the 25-year-old stadium.

Funding for the first phase of refurbishing the downtown stadium will come from cash reserves and more will be financed with revenue from future development of Pavilion Corp. - PavCo - lands around BC Place. He said further revenues will be attracted from sponsorship and increased stadium business.

PavCo is a provincial Crown corporation that manages the 60,000-seat multi-use stadium as well as other assets.

The first-phase of the upgrade is expected to be completed by late 2009.

The $65-million plan announced Thursday does not include a partly retractable roof expected to be installed after the 2010 Winter Olympics, or the structural changes to the building that will be required to support it.

Podmore acknowledged the retractable roof will not offer views of the North Shore mountains or any other local sites except perhaps from a few of the higher seats. But he insisted the stadium will be a brighter, more comfortable stadium than the current one with its air-supported roof.

Both Empire Stadium - demolished in 1993 - and the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team's proposed Waterfront Stadium offered spectacular views of Vancouver's renowned mountain scenery as added attractions.

In lieu of that, the refurbished BC Place will include lots of wood finishing and photos of landscapes from around the province.

BC Place will also include a revamped Edgewater Lounge at its east end with better and more varied selections of food and beverages, Podmore said. Two other lounges are planned as well.

Despite the lack of view, Podmore said, the sunroof-style opening in BC Place would introduce more light and side louvres in the structure would allow air to circulate through the building.

Podmore said the refurbished stadium will include wheelchair access to all levels of the building, something not currently available.

As well as being the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, BC Place is expected to continue as the home of the B.C. Lions and, in 2011, of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

B.C. Tourism Minister Bill Bennett said BC Place has served the province well since it was opened in 1983, but said it was in need of modernization.

"This is the first step in our plans for the next 25 years," Bennett said.

PavCo has yet to announce the total cost of renovating BC Place and installing the retractable sunroof.

Premier Gordon Campbell announced in May that BC Place would be upgraded as part of a development that would include a new waterfront home on False Creek for the Vancouver Art Gallery.

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·Eight new accessible entrances

· Eight ramps will get new flooring, lighting and colour over 35,000 square feet

· 52 washroom blocks totaling 40,000 square feet will be upgraded with new finishes and fixtures

· Provisions added to each washroom group including new stalls, counters and a family washroom

· Disabled seating integrated throughout the stadium

· 40 concessions will get new fronts including accessible counters, new signage, monitors and fixtures

· Six new and six existing grill concessions will be upgraded to gas, complete with new appliances

· 80,000 square feet of concourses on Level 2 and Level 4 will be upgraded with new lighting, wall

treatments and entry points to ramps and seating

· 35 renovated suites and seven new suites, upgraded seating areas including two new lounges, and a

redesigned

Edgewater Lounge will be built

· All internal and external signage will be replaced by new contemporary signage and graphics

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This no edit thing is annoying.

Anyways I wanted to stress this

· Six new and six existing grill concessions will be upgraded to gas, complete with new appliances

Notice that they are upgrading the concessions to gas and this is taking place before the retractable roof. Doesn't seem like they're concerned with having a bunch of burners in the stadium. :P

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  • 2 weeks later...
Are they trying to make it resemble more like the Commerzial-Bank Stadium in Frankfurt? It better have a much stronger retractable roof membrane than it currently has.

Yes, we have the same German enginnering firm that did Commerzbank working on BC Place. The stadium in Frankfurt is the example being used for Vancouver.

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Just back from two weeks in Texas. Was in Houston when the Hurricane Ike hit and almost didn't get out. 4.5 million people were without power the first morning.

But it was only 200 miles to San Antonio so I jogged it in a day.

There is substantial damage to the roof on Houston's Reliant Stadium due to the 100 m.p.h. winds. My Texans game was cancelled.

I really wanted to go inside Reliant Stadium and see the engineering of that Retractable Roof. Hurricane Ike ruined that. I feel quite bad about this.

Had a good look at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX (it's so huge you can see it from DFW Airport 20 miles away!)and studied the elaborate roofing system and I believe B.C. Place could entirely fit inside this new Cowboys Stadium including the new Retractable Roof. Anyone with pics of the new Cowboys Stadium please include here for comparison purposes

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Interesting facts about the new Cowboys Stadium / Retractable Roof to compare BC Place to:

Total Square Footage: 2.3 million square feet. The entire Statue of Liberty and its base could fit into the stadium with the roof closed. The stadium is also the world's largest column-free room. The American Airlines Center in Dallas could fit entirely into the new stadium at field level.

Interior Cubic Volume: 104 million cubic feet. (By comparison, Reliant Stadium in Houston measures 90 million cubic feet.) The Dallas Cowboys stadium will be the largest enclosed stadium (in cubic feet) in the NFL.

Seating Capacity: A capacity of 80,000 plus standing room or additional seating in the end zones, along with ticketed areas in the end zone plazas can increase total capacity to 100,000.

Suites: There will be 200 suites in eight different locations on five separate levels of the stadium. Field-level suites will be available on the sidelines as well as in the end zone for up-close and personal viewing of the games. The Hall of Fame level suites will be 20 rows from the field, making them the closest in the NFL.

Domed Roof: At 660,800 square feet, the stadium will be the largest domed structure in the world.

Retractable Roof: The open roof design that was a unique feature of Texas Stadium will be carried over into the design of the new stadium, with the improvement of a new retractable feature, revealing an opening that measures 256 feet wide and 410 feet long. Two bi-parting mechanized roof panels – each measuring 63,000 square feet – will be driven by a rack-and-pinion drive system consisting of 64 7.5 HP electric motors, making it the first of its kind in the world. The open/close time is 12 minutes.

Arches: The roof is supported by two 35-feet deep and 15-feet wide boxed arch trusses. Each truss spans 1,290 feet – nearly a quarter mile – making the roof the longest clear-span structure in the world. The arches are more than twice the length of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Glass Retractable Door: Each end zone features a five-leaf clear glass retractable door measuring 120 feet high and 180 feet wide, making it the tallest moveable glass wall in the world.

Parking: It is estimated that between parking owned or under control of the Dallas Cowboys as well as the entrepreneurial lots in and around the stadium area, that there will be 30,000 parking spaces available to fans on game day.

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Yes the new Cowboys Stadium is in the middle of nowhere in Arlington, TX a good 20 miles west of the Dallas Metroplex and not near the TRE Railway either. It's apparently not too far from the Rangers Ballpark.

The current Texas Stadium by comparison is relatively close to city center in Irving, TX only 5 miles from downtown. It was $ 15 taxi ride there and back, though the wait for the taxi after the game was 3-4 hours. Ridiculous. So I walked to a Days Inn on the other side of the freeway and got a taxi from there.

So you essentially spend more time waiting for a taxi after a game there than the actual length of the game! And this was the Monday night game vs. the Eagles so whatever crappy bus service they had out that far had stopped by 11 pm.

There's no DART (their version of our SkyTrain) or transit to Texas Stadium and likely even less to the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Either drive or expect an expensive taxi ride.

The Mayor of Dallas had the opportunity to have the new Cowboys Stadium closer to Dallas and proposed renovating the Cotton Bowl but Jerry Jones thought otherwise. So it's less the Dallas Cowboys next year and more like the Arlington Cowboys which ticks off many people I spoke to down there, but the taxi drivers are happy!

By comparison the majority of people going to BC Place and GM Place take Skytrain or just walk as, unlike Texas Stadium, BC and GM Place are in downtown Vancouver much like Qwest Field and Safeco in Seattle, Skydome in Toronto and in many other cities (Montreal's Olympic Stadium is out of the downtown but accessible via the Pie Metro Station).

BC Place's interior volume is 95 million cubic feet. BC Place measures 760 feet by 630 feet and 2,500 feet around the rim, the dome is 200 feet high.

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So Orangevest / JLousa, where's my Hot Dog as per our bet???

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...0c-95d7ef689a3c

$65-million reno to 'add more life' to aging B.C. Place stadium

Frank Luba, The Province

Published: Friday, September 05, 2008

The first $65-million phase of renovations to B.C. Place Stadium began this week.

The 25-year-old building will see upgrades to concessions, bathrooms and suites. It will get a new coat of paint and have the lighting changed, and will have improved accessibility and directional signage.

Renovations are scheduled to be complete late in 2009.

The work we're doing now can be comfortably completed before 2010," said David Podmore, chairman of B.C. Pavilion Corp., (PavCo) the government Crown corporation that runs the stadium.

"It's work we would do irregardless of the Olympics."

Bill Bennett, provincial minister of tourism, culture and the arts, praised the building -- which was the first covered stadium in the country when it was built in 1983 at a cost of $126 million.

"The aim is to add more life to the facility," said Bennett. "It's been a remarkable stadium."

A new roof, which will replace the inflatable dome that deflated during a storm in January last year, won't be installed until after the Olympics. Podmore said the decision not to rush the roof was made to ensure the government got the best value for its investment.

"We know this building can accommodate this particular roof system," he said. "We know we can do it at a reasonable cost."

He was unwilling to divulge the price tag for a new roof, although there have been estimates of up to $200 million.

The renovations will be paid for through several means.

PavCo owns more than a million square feet of land around the stadium that will be developed. Rights to the stadium's name will also be sold, likely for a 20-year term, although Podmore said the intention is to retain B.C. Place in the new name.

There will also be cost savings from energy efficiencies in the renovated building, including as much as $700,000 from no longer having to run fans to keep up the roof.

fluba@theprovince.com

- - -

B.C. PLACE RENOVATION: A TIMELINE

The stadium's facelift will take place in seven stages:

- September 2008 -- $65 million worth of refurbishments that include new concessions, washrooms, suites, improved accessibility and directional signage begin. Club seats will also be added. Everything to be completed by November 2009.

- End of October 2008 -- awarding of contract for strengthening of columns and structure to accommodate a new roof.

- January 2009 -- Information goes out for contract for new roof.

- February 2009 -- Awarding of contract for roof.

- April 2010 -- Work begins on installation of steel for new roof.

- December 2010 to June 2011 -- Installation of new roof.

- 2011 -- Replace artificial turf.

Considering the Whitecaps season starts around May / June of 2011 the new Retractable Roof and new field should be installed in time for the Whitecaps inaugural MLS season!

I am intrigued about the 30,000 bleacher seats that will be installed around the Lower Level to bring the seats closer in for Whitecaps games since the FIFA sized field is narrower that the 65 yard wide CFL field.

And by that time, Texas Stadium in Dallas will be a mound of concrete dust...

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Sorry to dissappoint you Jamie/Harry, but some of us acutally work for a living, I just came back from Copenhagen probably not as exciting as running 200miles in a day and visiting some under utilized stadiums in the middle of nowhere but I had a good time and on the company dime for a change.

I'm a vegan but I'll offer to buy you a tofu dog if you can get your parents to bring you out of your bedroom, bring them along though as i don't want to give of the wrong impression.

Let's hope that the Whitecaps get that MLS team, as rumours are still swirling that w/o the team the pending naming deal is off the table. Without that money and with the reduced zoning granted by the city their funds are getting close to only covering Phase 1, let alone anything else.

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My name is not Harry or Jamie but you Orangevest are clearly JLousa. Just like Mr. x / x2 is Nitronuts on Canucks Forum.

As per our bet JLousa, it's a steak.

You also once said on SSP that you're overpaid. You clearly are a City Planner so since you are overpaid, you can afford to buy me that steak.

I won the bet on the Retractable Roof so don't give us this horse raddish that the Roof deal is contingent on naming rights or the Whitecaps getting an MLS team.

What are you suggesting, the Roof deal is off if the Whitecaps don't get into MLS? Horse raddish.

Since when is the Whitecaps problem suddenly Pavco's problem? The Whitecaps aren't even a tenant in BC Place yet.

Yeah, don't build the Retractable roof cause the Whitecaps can't get their ducks in order. If that's the way Pavco writes their business plan then they should fire the whole lot of them, from David Podmore on down to the janitor.

Podmore has been associated with BC Place for 30 years. He was originally their Marketing manager. He wrote the business plan and he knows what he's doing, much more so than you apparently do.

Where's my steak JLousa?

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You should ask him where your steak is, I'm sure he can afford to buy you one, I'm pretty sure he'd love to meet you.

Like I said I'll buy you a tofu dog, but bring your parents along, I don't want people getting the impression I like 12yr olds.

Not sure why you're so obessed with this retractable roof, I can assure you that it is not a done deal. Podmore is a union boy he runs Concert Properties a union shop, not exactly BC Liberal's core demographic. Don't be at all suprised if things don't work out and he walks.

Rumours are swirling that the whole project is on shaky ground. But don't buy it from me, you can read about it in the paper yourself by year end.

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Hey Harry another open house regarding BC place, your pal jlousa posted this over at SSP.

Open House: BC Place Official Development Plan (ODP) Amendment

Attend a City of Vancouver open house to view and comment on proposed

changes to the ODP for False Creek North (FCN) Area 10 (BC Place Stadium)

which will be the subject of a public hearing in October.

The draft amendments would add residential and commercial development

capacity to the site. City staff and the applicants representatives will be

present to answer questions and receive comments.

Saturday, October 4

12 noon - 4 pm

Roundhouse Community Centre

181 Roundhouse Mews

and

Tuesday, October 7

4 - 7 pm

Vancouver Public Library Promenade

350 West Georgia Street

FOR INFORMATION:

Cory Dobson 604.871.6419

nefc@vancouver.ca or vancouver.ca/nefc

Maybe you can show up, Bob Mackin will the at the Roundhouse meeting, you can ask him in person why he blocked your email accounts. ;)

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Well I'm going to let the cat out of the bag on this. One of the perks of being anonymous on the net. I just learned that BC Place has a sponsorship contract in the works, that they expect to be the richest in Canada. It will be for $100Million over 20years, paid out annually at $5Million/yr. It is dependent on the Whitecaps signing with the MLS though so we probably won't be hearing about it officially until early 2009, or maybe we will now. ;)

The deal is with Dupont, no name has been chosen yet but the forerunner is DuPont field at BC Place. Dupont will be providing some of their building materials for the upgrade free of charge as part of the sponsorship and to show off their new products, that will include the new Teflon roof, new Sentry windows, and a new artificial turf field which they plan on getting FIFA certified and being able to market to other stadiums across the world. Apparently they are claiming it's vastly superior to even fieldturf.

Should be interesting to say the least, not sure I like the name, the money isn't that large either especially with it not paid all upfront.

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