Talisman Centre
The Talisman Centre, formerly known as the Lindsay Park Sports Centre, is a multi-sports complex in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The name of the facility was changed in March 2002, after the City of Calgary sold the naming rights for 10 million dollars to Talisman Energy for 30 years.
The complex attracts 1.8 million visitors annually, and its initial capacity was 2 million visitors. With the major expansion in 2003, the capacity has increased to 3.5 million visitors annually. It is the second largest multi-sports complex in North America and the largest sports facility in Canada. The Centre opens from 5AM to 11PM Mondays to Fridays, every day of the year except Christmas Day. On weekends, The Centre is open from 6AM to 10PM.
The complex itself is run by the non-profit Lindsay Park Sports Society a 22 member board and semi-autonomous arm of the Calgary Municipal government. Member of board consists of various sporting organizations, government, public and private school board representatives.
Original structure
The structure itself was built in 1983 for the Western Canada Summer Games. The white inverted v-shaped roof, comprises a steel arch spine with a concrete perimeter. The skin of the roof is a Teflon-coated fibreglass outer skin, that achieves 4% transparency reducing the need for artificial light. The original project cost was $24.7 million. The original facility was opened as 130,000 square feet (12,000 m2) area.[1]
The facility was built at the same time as the Pengrowth Saddledome which is just across Macleod Trail. The project site (between the neighbourhood of Mission and Erlton) was chosen because of easy access to the C-Train that began operation in 1981, and access to the Elbow River pathway.
Major Expansion in 2003
In 2003 the facility went through a $22 million face lift and expansion as a 2005 centennial project. Talisman Centre added two olympic sized 50-meter pools, 3 meeting rooms, lounge with latest flat panel TV and personal fitness area. It also built a separate room for drop in classes such as yoga where special lighting is preferred.
The facility holds sporting events both professional and amateur, and all facilities are open to the public. Talisman Centre hosts many regional, national and international competitions in swimming, basketball and other sports. It is one of only three complexes that are capable of hosting swimming competitions in western Canada.
On-going expansions
Talisman Centre renovated Cafe Sante and opened Jugo Juice within the building. Menu items became much better choice for healthy eating, although you can find cold beer and coolers from the menu.
The Talisman Centre has had a few controversies over the years. One was surveillance cameras in sensitive areas, such as change rooms. The presence of cameras throughout the facility was included in the privacy policy.[2] The complex also came under fire when the naming rights were sold to Talisman energy, some lobby groups claim the oil company is responsible for funding atrocities in Sudan when it primarily did business in the country. These controversies never made an impact on attendance or operations.
Other nearby sports facilities in the area are the Stampede Corral, Pengrowth Saddledome and Stampede Park Grandstand, and Shaw Millennium Park.
Roof Replacement
The original tensile roof on the Talisman Centre was constructed in 1983 and remained in service longer than anticipated. After a two-year review regarding options for the existing roof, the City Council approved funding for a new-and-improved roof system. While maintaining the original roof’s iconic profile, the new roof system made use of state-of-the-art materials, such as Nanogel,[3] thus providing better insulation and energy efficiency while also allowing a significant amount of light to filter into the building's interior.[4] The new roof was completed in 2011 and is expected to last 30-plus years.
References
- ↑ Alberta Association of Architects - Information on Construction of the Talisman Centre
- ↑ Talisman Centre - Privacy Policy
- ↑ Wikipedia article - Nanogel
- ↑ Talisman Centre - Talisman Centre - Under a New Roof
External links
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Coordinates: 51°02′04″N 114°03′48″W / 51.03444°N 114.06333°W
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