| BC Place | |
|---|---|
| Location | 777 Pacific Blvd, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 4Y8, Canada |
| Broke ground | April 1981 |
| Opened | June 19, 1983 |
| Owner | Province of British Columbia |
| Operator | BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCO) |
| Construction cost |
$126 million CAD ($563 million in 2012 CAD dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Stantec Architecture Ltd. |
| General Contractor | PCL Westcoast Constructors Inc. |
| Capacity | Football: 54,320 Soccer: 21,500 |
| Tenants | |
| BC Lions (CFL) (1983–2009, 2011–) Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS) (2011– ) Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL) (1983–1984) Vancouver Nighthawks (WBL) (1988) XXI Olympic Winter Games (2010) X Paralympic Winter Games (2010) Grey Cup (CFL) (1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1999, 2005, 2011) 47th Vanier Cup (CIS) (2011) |
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BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium located at the north side of False Creek, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the home field for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally opened on June 19, 1983 as the world's largest air-supported stadium.[2] In 2010 the stadium closed for a major renovation and reconfiguration. It reopened on September 30, 2011 as the world's largest cable supported retractable roof stadium; it is owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a crown corporation of the province.
BC Place was the Olympic Stadium during the 2010 Winter Olympic and 2010 Paralympics and has hosted the CFL Grey Cup eight times. The BC Sports Hall of Fame is located within the stadium. The Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League used the stadium between 1983 and 1984.
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Construction of the stadium started in 1981 and was completed in 1983. BC Place was built as part of the preparations for the 1986 World's Fair, Expo 86. The stadium was the world's largest air-supported domed stadium until May 4, 2010 when it was deflated for the last time in preparation for the erection of its new retractable roof.[3] Its original air-supported design was similar to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota which is currently home to the Minnesota Vikings National Football League team.
The first major event held in the stadium was on September 18, 1984 when Pope John Paul II addressed an over-capacity crowd for "A Celebration of Life." The celebration was part of the papal visit to the Archdiocese of Vancouver. It was one of the most heavily attended events in the stadium. The Pope's Celebration of Life was followed a few months later by the Canadian Pacific Billy Graham Crusade, which drew similar numbers each night. The stadium was then used for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication (Expo '86). Accepting an invitation by the Province of British Columbia, their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles and Princess Diana made themselves available to take part in the opening ceremonies. To great fanfare, they officially proclaimed the World's fair open on May 2, 1986. The opening and closing ceremonies of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the opening ceremonies of the X Paralympic Winter Games were also held in BC Place Stadium in February and March 2010, respectively. The stadium was the first air-supported structure and 24th venue to host the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.
On January 5, 2007, a tear occurred in the roof's ETFE fabric close to Gate G on the south side where the roof meets the top of the concrete bowl.[4][5] The tear grew quickly as air escaped through it, whereupon maintenance staff performed an intentional, controlled deflation to protect the integrity of the roof's intact fabric panels.[6] As it was designed to do, the deflated roof rested on its steel support cables 6 metres (20 ft) above the seating and the field. Normally, the roof had a rise of 27 metres (90 ft) above the top of the bowl when inflated.[7] No one was injured during the incident, although rain and melted snow flooded the bowl and subsequently had to be pumped out.
An independent report indicated that an accidental rapid pressurization combined with lightly gusting wind and a location of previously undetected damage caused the tear.[8] The damaged panel was replaced with a temporary one on January 19 and the roof was re-inflated.[9][10] The BC Contractors Association held an exhibition in the stadium over the week of January 23,[11] during which the roof leaked in several places when it rained.[12] The temporary panel was successfully replaced with a permanent one in June 2007, prior to the start of the BC Lions 2007 season.[13]
Currently, BC Place's main sports tenants are the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium was also home of the Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League in the early 1980s. The last NASL Soccer Bowl was also held at BC Place.
The stadium has hosted the CFL's championship game, the Grey Cup, eight times: in 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1999, 2005, and 2011 . Perhaps the most thrilling game was the 1994 championship in which the hometown BC Lions defeated the U.S. expansion team the Baltimore Football Club on a last-second field goal by Lui Passaglia, preventing the Grey Cup trophy from leaving Canada (Baltimore would win the Grey Cup the following year). The stadium hosted the 99th Grey Cup in 2011 now that the new roof has been finished.[14]
The stadium hosted the 47th Vanier Cup on the same weekend it hosted the Grey Cup. The McMaster Marauders defeated the Laval Rouge et Or in double-overtime in what has been called one of the greatest games ever played at any level.[15]
In 1987, an exhibition match of Australian rules football was played at the stadium and drew a crowd of 32,789 - a record for the largest AFL/VFL crowd outside of Australia. The stadium also held an NFL exhibition game in 1998 when the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks 24-21 in the American Bowl.
PavCo, which owns and operates BC Place, is governed primarily by the British Columbia Enterprise Corporation Act, which names it an Agent of the government, binds it by the same laws as the government, and gives it the same immunities as the government. On May 16, 2008, it was announced that over $150 million in major renovations would be carried out on BC Place Stadium. These included seating replacements, washroom and concessions renovations, and replacement of the ETFE roof with a new retractable roof.[16] The work was done in two phases. The first phase involved upgrades to seating, washrooms, concessions, and luxury suites, as well as the reinforcement of the existing ring beam at the top of the building[17] and was completed in October 2009. Work on the retractable roof began in May 2010, shortly after the completion of the 2010 Winter Paralympics and the final deflation of the air-supported roof. The official budget for the completed Phase 1 upgrades plus the revitalization project was $563 million.[18] The new retractable roof resembles Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, although it is unique in that it is the largest of its kind in the world and like Commerzbank the new roof was designed by structural engineers Schlaich Bergermann & Partner.[19][20][21]
The updated BC Place Stadium also features the second largest centre-hung high definition scoreboard in North America after the one in Cowboys Stadium. In addition, a new artificial turf developed by Polytan was installed at an estimated cost of $1.2 million. It is designed to achieve FIFA 2-star certification, the highest rating possible. The soccer pitch is 117 by 75 yards (107 by 69 m).[22]
BC Place has been described as one of the most beautiful stadiums in all of North America and the Crown Jewel of the CFL.[23] TSN analyst and former CFL player Chris Schultz praised both the design and engineering of the new stadium.[24]
The opening measures 100 by 85 metres (110 by 93 yd), the same size as the field below. The sky-blue fabric roof retracts into and is hidden by a pod over in centre of the opening.[25]
BC Place is busy with over 200 event-days per year including British Columbia's largest trade and consumer shows, concerts, community events, and motorsports. In 2005, BC Place played host to Vans' Slam City Jam Skateboarding Championships. It has also hosted several MLB preseason games and a handful of Vancouver Canadians Pacific Coast League games. It was the site for a motorcycle stunt scene in the Fantastic Four movie. The stadium annually serves as the finish line for both the Vancouver Sun Run in April and the Vancouver Marathon in May.
The King of Pop Michael Jackson performed exclusive Victory Tour concerts with his brothers The Jacksons in BC Place on November 16, 17, & 18, 1984 to 42,000 spectators each night. Madonna performed in Vancouver for the first time in her career at BC Place during her Sticky & Sweet Tour on October 30, 2008. 50,000 tickets for the concert were sold in only 29 minutes.
The stadium is served by two SkyTrain stations via the Expo Line and Canada Line: Stadium–Chinatown to the East, and Yaletown–Roundhouse to the West. The False Creek Ferries and Aquabus also serve the stadium, docking at the nearby Edgewater Casino.
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