Ball Arena
Hosting over 250 events a year, Ball Arena is the largest indoor arena in Denver.
Lead Contact
Project Details
Project Partners
Populous
Owner
COMSAT Inc.
Location
Denver, Colorado
Completion Date
Area
675,000 ft²
Seating Capacity
20,000+
Teams/League
Colorado Avalanche - National Hockey League, Denver Nuggets - National Basketball League
Number of Suites
95
Overview
Hosting over 250 events a year, the Ball Arena is the largest indoor arena in Denver and home to the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. The complex features a six-story glass atrium, a two-story, column-free practice facility and a world-class business center.
We provided structural design services to Populous for the project that was developed on a 4.6-acre abandoned rail yard in Denver’s central Platte Valley. The project was completed in 1999.
Highlights
- One of the main structural challenges was designing a roof that would support large snow loads with minimal structural obstructions.
- We developed a circular roof-column layout that created a unique 450-ft-span, tied-arch roof requiring only 17 pounds per square foot of steel.
- The roof mimics the efficiency of a dome without the need for external buttressing or tension rings.
- The roof supports all of the arena’s functional requirements, including catwalks, lighting, rigging and center stage support.