Prince Albert City Council awarded the tender to Graham Construction LP in June of 2022, and on-site work started later in June of 2022. Site preparation occurred last year.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan.
Here's the latest update:
August 2024 Progress
Interesting Aquatic Centre Facts:
Total Nanatorium space is 24,000 sq ft (2223 sq m).
The Translucent blue slide is the faster of the 2 and 70 m long.
Opaque ocean blue slide is 57 m long and has aqualucent bands which adds
bursts of color enhancing the guest rides experience. (18 bands).
The wave pool has the ability to produce 2 types of waves, diamond and parallel.
The waves can reach a height of 0.8m almost 3 ft.
The competition pool has: Eight 25m lanes with starting blocks. Two diving boards: 3 meter and 1 meter.
1,245m3 of water (329,000gallons).
Spectator seating for 200.
Hot tub has seating capacity for at least 30 people.
Lazy river is 35 m or 115 ft long with an additional centre area space.
Dedicated Male, Female and Family or Universal change room spaces.
Toy water features on the deck between the wave pool and competition pool for
zero entry fun.
3.7km of pool piping in Aquatics.
All steel (structural steel, steel studs, metal decking) in the Aquatics portion of the facility is coated with a high-performance paint system to protect it from the highly corrosive environment. Particular attention is paid to the finest details including fastener types to ensure they will not fail prematurely.
Important Project Timelines
June 2022 – Project awarded to Graham Construction LP
June 2022 – Project Construction Began
July 28, 2022 – Ground Breaking Ceremony
December 2024 – On schedule for Substantial Completion of Facility
May 2024 Progress
Contruction Notes to Follow.
March 2024 Progress
Building Construction Progress - March 2024
Arenas:
Structure/Exterior:
Exterior doors & frames install continued.
Cladding installation on the East elevation continued.
Interior:
Mechanical and electrical rough ins continued throughout arenas and change rooms.
Tile installation began on walls and floors in dressing rooms.
Door frames and doors were painted and installed.
Masonry work was completed on 2nd floor.
Steel stud framing began on 2nd floor.
Glazing rail installation began for bleachers.
Boarding and framing of walls continued in both arenas. Lobby:
Lobby:
Structure/Exterior:
LKME panel installation was completed on the West elevation, main entrance area.
Interior:
Mechanical and Electrical work continued.
2nd Floor washroom framing was completed.
Framing for main floor washrooms was completed, boarding began.
Masonry work was completed throughout.
Concrete stair pans were poured.
Elevator delivery arrived.
Fire coatings were applied to structural steel
Aquatics:
Exterior:
LKME panels and corrugated metal cladding installation continued.
Interior:
Basement was painted.
Formed and poured remainder of waterslide tower.
Hot Tub walls were poured.
South Aquatics wood ceiling was completed to 95%
Stucco continued in South natatorium, 75% complete.
Mechanical, Electrical and sprinklers continued installation in all areas.
Steel stud bulkhead framing continued in North natatorium.
Floor and wall tile installation began in change rooms. Motor bed continued and is 70% complete.
Plenum boxes for supply air began installation in bulkheads.
Pool scaffolding for temporary work deck was removed.
Waterproofing and levelling in competition pool for tiling.
January 2024 Progress
The Aquatic and Arenas Recreation Project broke ground in July 2022, and progress on the project remains steady. The facility construction has surpassed the halfway mark and is scheduled for substantial project completion by the end of 2024.
Thursday January 4th, 2024, Mayor Greg Dionne and Councillor Don Cody toured the facility with Graham Construction as the concrete slab for the north rink was poured.
The new recreation facility includes a 51,500 square foot aquatics area featuring a 9-lane competitive pool, combined leisure, splash and wave pool, lazy river, whirlpool and two water slides. The twin arena area is 77,159 square feet and features 2 - NHL-sized rinks, larger player and referee dressing rooms and an expanded seating area.
“The construction of a facility this size is a substantial undertaking,” said Mayor Greg Dionne. “You can see the level of precision that goes into a build like this when touring the facility.”
Interesting arena ice slab facts:
2 - NHL sized rinks (200’ x 85’)
There are 15km of cooling lines on each rink surface.
Total of ~36km of refrigerant piping (heating & cooling) between the two rink surfaces.
Waste heat generated from the ice refrigeration chillers is utilized for in-slab heating in lobby and rink seating areas.
Spectator Seating
South Arena has 264 seats and 7 spaces for wheelchairs = 271
North Arena has 510 seats and 12 spaces for wheelchairs = 522
Other interesting facts about the facility:
Over 4,000m3 of concrete were poured on the project.
725 cast-in-place piles installed for the foundation.
There are over 760 tonnes of structural steel on the project & 400 tonnes of steel joists. These were shipped to the site on 60 truckloads.
3.7km of pool piping in Aquatics.
1,245m3 of water in the lap pool (329,000 gallons).
All steel (structural steel, steel studs, metal decking) in the Aquatics portion of the facility is coated with a high-performance paint system to protect it from the highly corrosive environment.
November 2023 Progress
Arenas
Structure/Exterior:
Framing and boarding of remaining exterior walls of North arena was completed.
Exterior cladding arrived on site. To begin installation after all boarding/insulation is completed.
Translucent panels on both North and South arenas arrived on site and were installed.
Roofing was completed.
Temporary access into the North arena was infilled.
Interior:
Mechanical and electrical rough-ins continued. Ductwork and plumbing continued in change rooms and south arena.
Forming for topping slab and risers continued south side. Rubbing of bleacher concrete was ongoing.
Ice Refrigeration equipment continued progress in refrigeration equipment room.
South arena ice surface work continued. Heating Lines, Insulation, Poly were installed.
Cooling line installation began.
South Arena Periphery slab formed, rebar installed, and poured.
Block Filler (priming) began in change rooms.
North Arena leveling and compaction of subgrade was completed and sand layer was installed.
Lobby
Interior:
Framing completed in soffit area. Boarding began. Sprinklers to the soffit area continued.
Sloped roofing is completed. Roofing has begun on the flat roof at the end of October.
Exterior framing, boarding, and insulation continued.
Glazing was completed on the South clerestorey of Aquatics.
Aluminum framing and glazing was installed on the North clerestorey.
Aluminum framing of East wall completed (ESC009).
Interior:
East and South side of competition pool deck formed and poured.
Pool splash pad area poured.
Wave pool walls poured.
Formed and poured grade beam tie-in behind hot tub.
Masonry walls began on Main Floor in mechanical/change room space.
Mechanical and electrical rough ins continued, including overhead ductwork above change rooms, natural gas line installation, sprinkler piping, buried blue duct, sanitary piping, pool piping, electrical bonding to pool area, etc.
Bulkhead framing began in the pool area.
September 2023 Progress
Arenas:
Structure/Exterior:
- Structural steel for north arena complete.
- Precast Panels installed on north arena and access infill on south arena.
- Metal Decking to north arena was completed and roofing began.
- Exterior framing, boarding and insulation continued on east and north sides.
Interior:
- Mechanical and electrical rough-ins continued. Ductwork and plumbing continued in change rooms and south arena.
- Forming for topping slab and risers continued north side.
- Stairs were installed.
- Ice Refrigeration equipment continued progress in refrigeration equipment room.
- South arena ice surface preparation ongoing.
Lobby:
Structure/Exterior:
- Skylight framing was installed.
Interior:
- Masonry walls were completed in the concession/future retail spaces.
- Mechanical roughins continued.
- Elevator Hoist beam grouted in place.
Aquatics:
Exterior:
- Roofing progress continued and is nearly complete.
- Exterior framing, boarding, and insulation continued.
- Glazing continued.
Interior:
- The change room area slabs were completed.
- West Side of competition pool deck formed and poured.
- Splash Pad area formed.
- Pool splash pad accessory bases were installed and plumbed.
- Wave pools walls forming and reinforcement began.
- Masonry completed on 2nd floor in mechanical space.
- Masonry began in basement and was mostly completed.
- SFRM Fireproofing was completed.
- Air handler installed on 2nd floor.
- Mechanical and electrical roughins continued.
August 2023 Progress
The following work was completed in the month of August:
Arenas:
- Structural steel for north arena mostly complete.
- Vapour barrier and insulation installation continued.
- Mechanical and electrical rough-ins continued. Ductwork and plumbing continued in change rooms and south arena.
- Ice Refrigeration equipment was placed and plumbing work began in mechanical spaces.
- Masonry walls were mostly completed.
- Remaining hollowcore was installed. Forming for topping slab and risers continued on north side.
Lobby:
- Parapet and skylight framing was completed.
- Glazing frames and glazing work continued.
- Precast veneer panel install completed.
- Steel stud soffit framing continued.
- Mechanical above ceiling roughins began.
- Slab preparation began for initial pour.
- Above grade plumbing and sprinkler work began.
- Stairs were delivered and installed.
Aquatics:
- Structural Steel continued. Most structure is in place with infill piece install in progress.
- Exterior steel stud and boarding continued.
- Aluminum framing and glazing progressed.
- Precast veneer panel installation continued and is mostly complete.
- Metal decking installed to roof and 2nd floor mechanical space.
- Parapet framing is mostly complete except for north elevation.
- Roofing install commenced on the south portion of Aquatics.
- Below grade pool piping continued with encasement preparation.
- Concrete Slab and housekeeping pads were poured for 2nd floor mechanical.
- Masonry began on 2nd floor mechanical.
- Underslab mechanical and electrical services in the change room area completed.
- Slab preparation for change areas was completed.
- Blue duct (buried) installation continued.
- Pool filters were delivered to site and set in the basement.
Exterior:
- Utility Installation continued.
- Backfilling to grade continued.
- Formed and poured exterior entrance slabs and generator pad
July 2023 Progress
Arenas:
Structural steel for north arena began
PVC roofing above the South Arena was completed.
Mechanical and electrical rough-ins continued. Some ductwork and plumbing is in progress in change rooms.
Masonry walls mostly complete for both bleachers.
Hollowcore was installed in the North Arena and mechanical/electrical areas.
Lobby:
Main Lobby Stairs were delivered and installed.
Roofing mostly complete.
2nd Floor slab was poured.
Below grade plumbing and electrical installed.
Elevator hoist beam installed.
Exterior precast sandwich and veneer panels were installed.
Curtainwall framing was installed for main floor.
Vapour barrier, T clips and L angles, insulation installation began.
Parapet and skylight framing was completed on the South half of the Lobby.
Aquatics:
Structural Steel continued. Most structure is in place with infill piece install in progress.
Precast veneer panel installation continued in available areas.
Mechanical Roof area metal decking installed and roof slab poured.
Wave pool and Lazy River slab were poured.
Housekeeping pads were poured for basement mechanical.
Underslab mechanical and electrical services in the change room area continued.
Competition Pool piping continued and encasement preparation.
Slide Runout slab poured.
June 2023 Progress
The following work was completed in the month of June 2023:
Arena low roof concrete slab (above Refrigeration Room) was poured.
Exterior steel stud and boarding began. This included roof parapets.
The weeping tile was installed.
Grade beam vapour barrier and insulation continued.
Below slab services (plumbing, refrigeration and electrical) install was going.
Concrete SOG for Change rooms and corridor was poured.
Block masonry began in the change rooms area.
Lobby:
Structural steel is nearly complete (97%)
Backfill to rough grade was completed.
Underslab electrical services were installed.
Precast wall panels on the west elevation continued.
Aquatics:
Basement slab completed, including underslab weeping tile and mechanical services.
Patching to concrete walls and soffit in the basement is nearly complete (90%).
Vapour barrier and insulation on foundation walls continued.
The majority of backfill on the interior and exterior of the Aquatics area was completed.
Structural Steel continued (15%). Most of the Aquatics steel has now arrived on site.
Underslab pool piping for the wave pool was installed, and concrete encasement was poured.
Void form, poly and void protection board installed in the wave pool.
Underslab mechanical and electrical services began in the change room area.
Patching and water blasting of lap pool walls and slab were complete. Pool water-tightness testing started.
May 2023 Progress
The following work was completed in the month of April and May:
Arena South Structural Steel complete
Structural Steel in Lobby (65%) and Aquatics (5%) areas began installation.
Metal Decking was installed over flat portion of South Arena of mechanical spaces.
Backfill in the Aquatics and Lobby areas began.
Precast panel installation began on South Arena.
Weeping tile, waterproofing, insulation, and drainage board was installed around the perimeter of the basement.
Drone footage of the site mid May 2023:
April 2023 Progress
The following work was completed in the month of March and April:
Arena South Structural Steel in progress (90% complete)
Basement foundation walls were completed.
The last elevated Structural Slab above the basement was poured on March 21.
A portion of the basement structural slab was poured (behind the wave chamber).
Precast panels began arriving on site.
Competition Pool Walls were completed.
Video: Drone footage of the site early April 2023:
March 2023 Progress
The following work was completed in the month of February:
Completed 90% of Foundation walls in basement.
Formed and Poured Structural Slab over wave chamber mechanical room.
Scaffolding/Forming for remaining structural slab over basement 70% complete.
Bleacher Steel in Arena areas erected.
Elevator Shaft Walls completed.
Began forming walls for lap pool.
Video: Drone footage of the site end of February 2023:
February 2023 Progress
Here are a few highlights of the construction progress made by the beginning of February 2023 on the Aquatics and Arenas Project:
Aquatics area grade beams continued. Approximately 95% complete (all areas).
Remaining pile caps were formed and poured.
Competition Pool structural slab was completed.
Continued with installing weeping tile around basement perimeter.
Continued basement foundation wall forming which is now over 60% complete.
Main Floor elevated slab in aquatics over the wave generator mechanical room is being formed.
Remaining section of elevator core formed.
Video: Drone footage of the site February 2023:
January 2023 Progress
Here are a few highlights of the construction progress made during January 2023 on the Aquatics and Arenas Project:
The Arena and Lobby grade beams and upstands are complete, and approximately 60% of the grade beams in the Aquatics area are formed.
The Competition Pool below slab piping was installed and encased.
The deep end of the Competition Pool has been poured. Forming of the shallow end and ramp are underway. Pour is expected mid-January.
The weeping tile system was installed in the basement area where required to keep ahead of the foundation wall forming.
The Wave Pool Surge Tank and the concrete base for the Lap/Hot Tub/Backwash Surge tanks were poured.
Basement walls formed and reinforced mostly complete in the wave generator room.
Video: Drone footage of the site January 2023:
December 2022 Progress
Construction on the Aquatics and Arenas Project is ongoing, and here are a few highlights of the progress made during November 2022:
Grade beams in the Arenas are now complete. The Lobby grade beams are 80% complete, and approximately 40% of the grade beams in the Aquatics area are formed.
Excavation of the basement was completed.
Buried mechanical and electrical services began to be installed in the Arenas dressing rooms.
The competition pool main drains and associated piping were installed.
Weeping tile is being installed in the basement and is 95% complete in the competition pool.
Leveling sand and slab edge forming have begun in the competition pool.
The leisure pool surge tank base slab in the basement was formed.
November 2022 Progress
The new Aquatics and Arenas Recreation centre is 10% into construction. Here are some interesting facts about how the construction is coming together:
All 755 Drill Piles were installed, and Graham Construction poured the grade beams for the Arena.
The elevator core is in the process of being formed and poured.
Excavation of the basement began at the end of October.
Grade Beams in the dressing room area.
Slow melt pit slab pour, formwork, and hoarding. A snow melt pit allows the snow to be melted without opening the outside doors and letting cold in.
Beams in the lobby being framed and other mechanical installations.
October 2022 Progress
Update for October 4, 2022:
In this video, you will see the progress made on the new Recreation Centre:
The Leisure pool, as well as the lane pool excavation, is ongoing.
The two hockey rink areas are indicated in the video.
The foundation of the dressing rooms between the two hockey rinks is being laid. The square footage of the dressing rooms will be 7520 square feet.
Video: Drone footage of the site: October 4, 2022
September 2022 Progress
Updates:
Installation of site utilities (storm, sanitary and water) continue on both the East and West sides of site.
350 (of 755) Drill Piles installed. Drilled Piles, also known as Bored Piles are formed through the process of drilling out the soil and earth using a specialist pilling rig. As the drilled piles excavate the soil from the ground through an oscillating motion and action, their application for use is far and wide as they allow for deep foundations to be dug in close proximity to surrounding structure.
In the second video, you can see the drill piles being installed.
On the first video, you can see the excavation of the Leisure pool as well as the lane pool as indicated on the video. The two hockey rinks are also indicated on the video.
Video 1: Drone Footage of the site: September 13, 2022
Video 2: Inserting Drill Piles: September 13, 2022
August 2022 Progress
Updates:
755 drilled piles to be installed
Installation of site utilities (storm, sanitary and water) ongoing on both the East and West sides of site.
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