Populous designs $400mn Quebec City Amphitheatre

Quebec City in Canada is building a new amphitheatre. The $400 million under-construction New Quebec City Amphitheatre, also known as the Quebec Arena (or New Colisée), will mainly be used for ice hockey, and other indoor sports, as well as music concerts.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new arena was held on September 3, 2012. Architecture firm Populous has been chosen to design the arena.

Scheduled to open in the summer of 2015, the arena is being built with the view of a relocated or expansion NHL (National Hockey League) franchise is put in Quebec City, though it is being funded regardless if one comes.

Although Quebec City has a 62-year-old coliseum, “it is maladjusted and inappropriate to welcome an NHL team and international competitions and shows,” according to Jean Rochette, the project manager for the facility.

The 18,482-seat seven-storey arena will feature an array of premium seating options, auxiliary entertainment and dining features. The multi-purpose facility will occupy approximately 64,000 square metres of space, down from the originally proposed 70,000 square metres.

The facility is also aiming LEED Silver certification with features that include 100 per cent LED lighting.

A television studio, valued at between C$30 million (US$27 million) and C$40 million (US$36 million), will be constructed within the arena. The project is being funded 50 per cent by the city and 50 per cent by the province.

Quebecor purchased the naming rights and management of the arena on March 1, 2011. The amount they will pay will depend whether an NHL team moves in, and is expected to be between $33 million and $63 million up front, plus between $3.15 million and $5 million in annual rent. This arrangement was made without public tender, for which the provincial government provided legal immunity.

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