UBC Thunderbird Arena

UBC Reports | Vol. 54 | No. 10 | Oct. 2, 2008

New Campus Jewel: UBC Thunderbird Arena

This summer UBC and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), in partnership with the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, announced that UBC Thunderbird Arena is the first indoor competition venue in the host region to complete construction.

Construction on the UBC Thunderbird Arena began in April 2006, and involved refurbishing the Father Bauer Arena, built in 1963, and the construction of two new rinks: a practice rink and a 7,500-seat competition arena.

The new facility is home to the UBC Thunderbirds’ varsity hockey program, student and staff programs, and community programs. The venue will host the men’s and women’s ice hockey, as well as the men’s ice sledge hockey competitions during the 2010 Winter Games.

The arena was designed to be highly accessible for athletes and spectators with a disability, and constructed with attention to sustainability and energy conservation. Built to be equivalent to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System) silver certification, highlights of the venue’s environmentally friendly design include the use of an Eco-Chill system (which recycles waste energy used to maintain the ice to heat the building) and the use of energy-efficient lighting.