Making a celebration out of unveiling architectural renderings, images were put to the long-discussed downtown Sudbury arena/event centre on Tuesday.
A couple-hundred people gathered for the renderings’ unveiling at the vacant lot on the east side of Minto Street, where the event centre will be built to replace the more than 70-year-old Sudbury Community Arena to its immediate west.
For Atikameksheng Anishnawbek Coun. Vance Nootchtai, it was a “pivotal groundbreaking ceremony” which “represents shared commitment to building spaces where people can come together to celebrate, to create, to learn and strengthen the bonds of community.”
Mayor Paul Lefebvre described the project as something “that will reshape our downtown and reimagine how we gather, celebrate and share experiences as a community.”
“This new event centre is about sparking momentum, not only for concerts, sporting events and community gathering, but also for housing, business and cultural development. It’s about creating opportunities for all residents and their families. It’s about bringing the community together in a space we can all be proud of.”
As Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti put it in conversation with Sudbury.com, the day marked the moment it’s “full steam ahead” for the long-discussed $200-million event centre project, which a unanimous city council greenlit in April 2024.
Among those in attendance was local developer Dario Zulich, who sits on the Downtown Sudbury Business Improvement Area board and owns the sports teams which will serve as the arena’s anchor tenants, including the Sudbury Wolves Ontario Hockey League team and the Sudbury Five Basketball Super League team.
“It takes my breath away,” Zulich told Sudbury.com of the renderings, which he joined the public in viewing for the first time during their unveiling.
“The fans deserve something like this,” he said. “I’ve been to every OHL arena … and it’ll be the No. 1 arena in the CHL for a little while.”
Zulich credited its central location in downtown Sudbury, overlooking Memorial Park and city hall (the future site of the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square library/art gallery project) as key components he’s excited about.
“I can’t even speak, I’m without words,” Zulich said. “I’m so inspired, it’s unbelievable.”
The architectural renderings themselves include rounded corners along the building’s exterior, wooden features and nickel-coloured components which Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects partner Chris O’Reilly described as reflecting both the natural environment and Sudbury’s industrial history.
“I think it’s a nice combination of metal and a lighter complementary quality in the building,” O’Reilly said.
A city-led community engagement campaign inspired many of the building's personalized components, including a special door on the east side of the building for First Nations ceremonial entrances, featuring four ceremonial poles at the building's exterior.
“We took what could be a blocky building sometimes and tried to soften it up from a circulation point of view and an aesthetic point of view,” O’Reilly told Sudbury.com following his public remarks, during which he also described the building as a “large community centre, where more people from diverse backgrounds will come together and forge memories that they’ll keep for a lifetime.”
Inclusivity was touched on a number of times throughout the morning’s public remarks, with Lefebvre crediting “countless voices from across the community who helped bring this vision to life,” which “reflects who we are as a community.”
Toronto-based Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects (also known as BBB Architects) joined J.L. Richards and Associates Ltd. in securing a tender as the project’s architects last year. Based in Ottawa, J.L. Richards has maintained an office in Sudbury since 1974.
On Monday, the city announced that PCL Construction would serve as the project’s construction manager, which O’Reilly described to Sudbury.com as a boon.
“You really have to have done projects like this,” he said, describing arena/event centres as unique builds which require the kind of expertise PCL Construction has gained.
BBB Architects have worked with PCL Construction on a number of projects, O’Reilly said, including a $350-million renovation to Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
“It’s good to have an experienced partner you’ve worked with before,” O’Reilly said.
During his remarks, PCL Construction area manager John Schmalz said the company has deep roots in Sudbury, where they maintain an office and where local staff have a “personal stake” in the project.
“We’re building for our neighbours, our families and our shared future,” Schmalz said.
The design-development phase of architectural work has been completed, O’Reilly said, with architects now ready to start producing construction documents. They’ll work with PCL Construction throughout the process as the construction manager tenders out work throughout its construction.
“You can do a lot of adjusting along the way to make sure you’re on budget or on schedule, so it’s more of a team approach,” O’Reilly said.
Lefebvre said that piles would begin being sunk deep into the ground to hit bedrock to form the building's foundation this winter, and “by next spring and summer we’re going to start seeing things going up.”
The event centre’s grand opening is anticipated to take place in 2028.
During tonight’s city council meeting, city staff will join O’Reilly in providing city council members and the public at large with an update on the $200-million project (approximately $225-million, including land purchases and demolition, plus costs sunk into the since-cancelled Kingsway Entertainment District precursor project).
Tonight’s city council meeting begins at 6 p.m., and can be viewed in-person at Tom Davies Square or livestreamed by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.