- Project Type: Sporting / Concert Arena
- Size: 230,000 sq. ft.
- Tons of Steel: 2,635 tons
- Architect: Lavallee/Brensinger
- General Contractor: Gilbane Inc.
- Seating Capacity: 10,019 to 11,770 depending on function
- 600 club seats
- 34 suites
- 2 party suites
- Private club lounge and restaurant for premium ticket holders
- 34 concessions locations
- 6 indoor ticket windows
- $45 million construction price
- $70 million total cost including site acquisition and preparation
- Grand opening: November 15, 2001
The Center was built to be a multipurpose facility. Its main functions will be: hockey, basketball, concerts, entertainment events (ice shows, circus), tournaments, trade shows, conventions.
Manchester city's largest construction project
The 230,000-square-foot facility is the largest construction project ever undertaken by the city of Manchester. It is also the largest event arena in New Hampshire.
The exterior colors of the arena were intended to represent the natural beauty of nearby Amoskeag Falls. The interior color scheme is off-white and the seating will be a salmon, almost orange color, for the salmon in the river.
A Big Move for a Small City
Bringing the dream of a new arena to reality in Manchester, NH was the result of an intense amount of political will and civic pride. For a city with a population of less than 250,000, the $70 million project was extremely ambitious, and central to a plan to revitalize the downtown area. As a return on this investment, the community demanded that the center be extremely versatile - hosting everything from hockey games to tradeshows and circuses.
The exterior colors of the arena were intended to represent the natural beauty of nearby Amoskeag Falls. The interior color scheme is off-white and the seating will be a salmon, almost orange color, for the salmon in the river.
Lavallee/Brensinger, a local architectural firm, developed the plan for the project in conjunction with HOK Sports. Central to the plan is an innovative elliptical layout that places the majority of the seats towards the center of the arena, rather than on the ends. The idea of premium seating was always considered essential to the center's ultimate success.
Patrons in the 600 club seats, 34 private suites, and 2 party suites are treated to a truly luxurious experience. Whether cheering from their seats or in the private lounge, they have access to quality dining, an elegant atmosphere, and extraordinary views of all the action and entertainment.
Once seen as a tremendous risk, the center is already creating benefits for the community. Office space in the downtown - once nearly abandoned - is filling up and being redeveloped. Restaurants and hotels have begun opening or expanding in the areas around the center, months before its November opening date. A new parking structure is also planned to accommodate the extra traffic that the area is already attracting.
An Ambitious Design
We dealt with several issues during construction of the downtown civic center. Because patrons actually enter the building at mid-level, nearly 100,000 yards of materials had to be excavated in order to lower the arena floor below street level. With excavation to be completed first, the majority of the structural erection had to be performed during the sometimes-harsh conditions of the New England winter months..
Supermetal won the bid to fabricate steel for the structure and to consult on its installation at the site. The building's unconventional design presented our employees with several challenges.
Huge beams and 150-foot long wide-span trusses were required for the arena's roof. In addition to holding up its own weight, the roof also had to support tons of New Hampshire snow, dozens of heavy overhead lights and a massive center-ice scoreboard.
The center features jagged angles, sweeping curves, and an elliptical layout. This unique design of the building greatly increased the complexity of fabrication, requiring beams of all sizes to be cut at radical angles, and with extreme precision.
From August 2000 to March 2001 a steady stream of trucks moved 2635 tons of steel along the often snowy route between Quebec City and Manchester NH. At the site, our project managers consulted with construction management firm, Gilbane Inc. to ensure the finished pieces were received and installed properly. The building was erected in four sections with the roof added at the end of the process. The last beam was installed on April 3rd - just as the last of the winter snowstorms were coming to an end, and right on schedule.