As a national historic monument, Maple Leaf Gardens throughout the project incorporates original elements into the design of the arena, the seating bowl design for example, recalls the original arena configuration; chairs from the Gardens are incorporated in certain sections of the seating bowl .
The renovation gave Ryerson University 220,000 SF of new student fitness, athletic training and multi-use space for the university’s 28,000 students. The facility is the home to the Ryerson Ram’s varsity hockey, basketball and volleyball teams.
A NHL ice rink was constructed on the third level of the facility. Keeping the existing building’s exterior shell and its iconic domed roof, the rink has a spectator capacity of 2,700.
The project includes a 1,000-seat basketball/volleyball double gymnasium, a high performance training gym, fitness studios and fitness centre along with restaurant and retail space.
As part of the design process, our team explored various configurations for expanded seating bowl options and locker room and fitness area layouts with the client, making sure the design would meet the needs of the university and its students.