The main design intent was to create a facility that could accommodate up to 20,000 spectators, where every single seat (including those with disabilities) would be a “good” seat, with uninterrupted visual access to whatever spectacle was being presented, and with rapid and comfortable ingress and egress.  Another top priority was to provide NHL and NBA standards, maximum flexibility for rapid adaptation (5-6 hrs.) to a variety of configurations, including an ice rink.

The seats form an asymmetrical, rising vessel, covered dramatically with a cylindrical section supported by eight gigantic trusses. The building features an exterior roof support structure in the form of the limbs of a tree, visible on the extreme northern side, which lightens the massive scale of the building. The building as a whole is notable for its various scales, perceptible at different distances, and from afar, the powerful thrust of the roof is particularly striking.

Seating Capacities:

Basketball 17,831 seats

Hockey (Ice Rink) 16,519 seats

Center Stage 18,907 seats

Concert  20,000 seats

Exhibition  13,249 seats