The Aud

[tomh009]

(...) this building has been used for a mall, office space, educational all of them have failed. It's time to accept this building was poorly designed for most uses.

I have no particular love for the Market Square building. However, the design of the building has little to do with the failure of downtown department stores or the cutbacks in foreign student enrolment.

[ijmorlan]

(...) this building has been used for a mall, office space, educational all of them have failed. It's time to accept this building was poorly designed for most uses.

I have no particular love for the Market Square building. However, the design of the building has little to do with the failure of downtown department stores or the cutbacks in foreign student enrolment.

One might almost go so far as to say that the building is clearly a versatile space that can be re-purposed as needed, which would be a good thing.

[westwardloo]

I have no particular love for the Market Square building. However, the design of the building has little to do with the failure of downtown department stores or the cutbacks in foreign student enrolment.

One might almost go so far as to say that the building is clearly a versatile space that can be re-purposed as needed, which would be a good thing.

A versatile space that has been used for almost every possible use and failed every time.  At some point you need to cut your losses with a building like this. Europro would have to invest $50+million to renovate the building to be a desirable place to set up a business, but who would be the tenant. Office space demand DTK is lower then it has ever been, Conestoga college DTK campus has all but failed. It will never be a viable mall, the Market has its own space, I know the Region is talking about needing more court space, but I think they will look at the old Police station before they chose Market Square.  

This site is one of a small handful that is actually big enough to fit a Downtown arena.  I know people hate the idea of spending money on sports or entertainment, but the Aud is not going to be a viable facility for ever. The renovation was a band aide to extend its lifespan. Similar to the Hospital, our leaders need to start planning the facility now if we want something built in the next 10 years.

[jamincan]

This site is one of a small handful that is actually big enough to fit a Downtown arena.  I know people hate the idea of spending money on sports or entertainment, but the Aud is not going to be a viable facility for ever. The renovation was a band aide to extend its lifespan. Similar to the Hospital, our leaders need to start planning the facility now if we want something built in the next 10 years.

Does anyone know whether there are any clear reasons why they'd have to vacate the Aud in 10 years, or is it just speculation? The player facilities underwent a significant upgrade before the current season, so they clearly must anticipate sticking around there for some time at least.

I have mixed feelings about them replacing the Aud simply because of the history they have there. It's really a well-loved facility by fans across the province and it would be hard to replicate what they have there in a new arena.

I've heard that they don't have the ability to upgrade it further, but I wonder how true that is. Why couldn't they add more seats opposite the blue section? I think it would also help if they could lift the roof over the main section of seats so the blue section is less in the rafters.

[creative]

I recently went to a Titans game and sat in the reds with nobody near me. I’m 5’11” and couldn’t sit comfortably without hanging my legs over the seat in front of me. I wouldn’t have been able to sit there if the seats around me were full. Also one of the reasons that the Rangers lost out hosting next years memorial cup to Guelph was the lack of amenities in close proximity to the arena. Arenas are now built as entertainment districts.

[BormanConstruction]

I recently went to a Titans game and sat in the reds with nobody near me. I’m 5’11” and couldn’t sit comfortably without hanging my legs over the seat in front of me. I wouldn’t have been able to sit there if the seats around me were full. Also one of the reasons that the Rangers lost out hosting next years memorial cup to Guelph was the lack of amenities in close proximity to the arena. Arenas are now built as entertainment districts.

Fair. I mean Guelph does have a great little venue and it does fit neatly into that portion of their downtown core with easy access to bars and restaurants. I can't really imagine a similar setup in K-W, let alone just Kitchener.

[nms]

For easy figuring, the western portion of the Aud that just includes the main ice and supporting infrastructure but that excludes the two other ice pads, is roughly a square 90m on each side. The Scotiabank Centre (née ACC) is roughly 110m on each side. Not being an engineer, the existing ice pad could be removed and/or refurbished and a new buildiing could be dropped in behind the existing façade that faces East Avenue without much trouble. If, for whatever reason, more length was needed for the building, but there was interest in not touching the later additions, the ice pad could be rotated 90 degrees.

[BormanConstruction]

For easy figuring, the western portion of the Aud that just includes the main ice and supporting infrastructure but that excludes the two other ice pads, is roughly a square 90m on each side.  The Scotiabank Centre (née ACC) is roughly 110m on each side.  Not being an engineer, the existing ice pad could be removed and/or refurbished and a new buildiing could be dropped in behind the existing façade that faces East Avenue without much trouble.  If, for whatever reason, more length was needed for the building, but there was interest in not touching the later additions, the ice pad could be rotated 90 degrees.

Interesting! I wonder how much of their 'planning' also centers around parking or lack thereof. It has been a while since I've gone to a game personally, but parking there has always been a nightmare (even before the last set of renovations). Any expansion likely encroaches on what limited parking they already deeply rely on.