Role: Full structural engineering services
Architects: Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects
This multi-use facility includes a 21,000 seat are, an adjacent 15-storey office tower and below-grade parking. The building also incorporates an existing historical façade along the east and west faces. Although this home arena for the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs is primarily for professional basketball and hockey, it can also accommodate concerts, theatrical events and conventions.
The project design was performed in cooperation with the contractors and their subtrades. The design-build process ensured maximum design efficiency, and minimized coordination problems during construction. The structure of the 76,414m² arena consists of a reinforced concrete substructure and superstructure, supporting a long-span roof. The roof is a two way steel truss system, designed for easy erection in one direction along the north-south axis. The 14,457m², 15-storey office tower is a reinforced concrete, flat slab structure, physically separated from the arena with expansion joints above-grade.
The building overhangs the arena structure below, necessitating floor cantilevers up to 4.8m, and the transfer of a perimeter column at the sixth floor level using a sloping column element.