The City of Burnaby has reached a "major milestone" in the construction of Rosemary Brown Arena and released photos and video to mark the occasion.
Workers poured concrete for the slab foundation of two NHL-sized ice rinks at the South Burnaby arena in late January.
The slab pouring is “the most important day on the project,” Burnaby’s senior manager of civic building projects Tim Van Driel told the NOW earlier this year before the pour.
“It’s one big day. They start super early in the morning, start pouring concrete, they have a whole ton of people.”
Each continuous concrete pour, using 240 cubic metres of concrete for each rink slab, took more than 18 hours, according to the city's website.
The concrete slabs were cured with water, which created a "unique, temporary mirror effect that is emphasized by the water."
The arena's feature ceiling wood beams were covered from paint and dust during the construction period.
The facility at 10th Avenue and 18th Street will include a skate shop, meeting rooms, warm-side arena viewing and an outdoor rooftop patio.
The arena is named after former Burnaby MLA Rosemary Brown, who was the first Black woman elected to a provincial legislature in Canada.
While construction delays have hindered the project's schedule, the arena is now expected to be complete by fall 2023.
Watch the city's time-lapse video on the concrete pour below.
We've reached a major milestone in the construction of Rosemary Brown Arena. We recently finished pouring the concrete slabs that will form the basis for many 🏒sports⛸️ on the facility’s 2 NHL-sized rinks. The arena is anticipated to open in fall 2023. https://t.co/jWDyXVDCsB pic.twitter.com/WaYjW6nqZx
— City of Burnaby (@CityofBurnaby) February 10, 2023
