A New Venue for the Big Game, on the Field and on the Ice

This is it, sports fans: the weekend you’ve all been waiting for. (cue football music) On Sunday all eyes will be on New Orleans for the biggest sports event of the year.

This will be the seventh Super Bowl played at the Louisiana Superdome (now rebranded as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome). This impressive arena opened in 1975 and soon became a major draw for its size and location. More recently, in 2005 it suffered major damage from hurricane Katrina and became the symbol of institutional failure in the wake of a disaster.

But this year marks a new beginning for the aging structure. With a major renovation complete that spanned 6 years and cost $300 million, the Superdome may seem like a brand new building, inside and out, to the millions of fans tuning in.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably wondering what our connection is to this modern architectural landmark. Well, this is the moment in the TruexCullins blog when we roll out our design for the new 70,000 seat sports arena that will soon grace the Burlington waterfront.

Well, not quite. But we can share a sports facility renovation project that’s a little more… Vermont-style.

While modest in comparison to this weekend’s Super Bowl site, this project nonetheless would have made a notable difference for some local skaters. The project is an addition to one of our community ice rinks.

The building currently consists of two ice rinks connected by a long walkway. The design on the drawing board connects the two sides with a new addition that provides a suite of new amenities. A new Pro Shop, concessions, seating areas, offices and locker rooms all occupy a central location, with direct access to each of the rinks. The project improves circulation for players and spectators, and it unites the two rinks under the same roof with a singular grand entrance.

Unfortunately, this project can be filed under ‘Unbuilt Works’ due to a detour on the road to construction. This is a story not uncommon in the world of real estate and development, as many projects never get off the ground. But perhaps some day this addition will be built, and perhaps some day millions of viewers will tune in to watch two teams go head to head on the ice in northern Vermont.