Building on the Edmonton Eskimo’s Legacy

RJC are structural engineers for a 172,000 square foot addition to the existing Commonwealth Stadium and Recreation Centre. With this addition, the facility, not including the stadium, will exceed 200,000 square feet.

The addition’s design and construction consists of three phases under one roof:

• The Edmonton Eskimo Field House, a new indoor practice facility for the city’s football team.
• A renovation and expansion of the existing Edmonton Eskimo facilities within the existing building.
• The Multi-Purpose Recreation Centre.

The new Edmonton Eskimo Field House houses a half-regulation size indoor football field and will be available to the public for indoor field sports who will benefit from the second level running track, weight room and fitness facilities.  RJC designed the suspended structure, which consists entirely of structural steel, including roof trusses that clear span the 68-metre space, with purlins and steel deck spanning between them.  The running track, fitness and mechanical levels also consist of structural steel framing with concrete-topped steel deck spanning between beams.

The renovation component includes expanded locker rooms, additional meeting and office space, as well as structural upgrades to the existing gymnasium roof, which are required due to the adjacent new construction.  The expansion of the existing building consists of cast-in-place concrete grade beams and slab-on grade, as well as structural steel roof framing with steel deck (with or without concrete topping).

Coordination of the complicated mechanical systems, complex exterior wall geometries and the wide open nature of the enclosed spaces was greatly simplified through the design team's use of Building Information Modelling (BIM). Frank Cavaliere and his design team facilitated the coordination required to combine these items, allowing them to catch and eliminate conflicts as the design process progressed, rather than after the drawings were complete.

Through an efficient design process, the state-of-the-art fitness and aquatics facilities will be housed in a building where the distinct architecture and expansive interior spaces are maximized for the enjoyment of all.