Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Greater Sudbury issued the design-build RFP (DB RFP) for the planned new Greater Sudbury Event Centre on Friday.
Three teams were shortlisted for the RFP process:
- Ball/TESC Construction Inc. (Joint Venture)/Architecture 49 Inc.
- EllisDon Corporation/BBB Architects Toronto Inc., in conjunction with J. L. Richards & Associates Limited
- PCL Constructors Canada Inc./Parkin Architects Ltd.
A Compliance Team consisting of staff, specialist consultants, and a fairness monitor will oversee the process.
The Design-Build procurement process is expected to be complete early in Q3 2022 and one of the teams to be awarded the contract for the design and construction of the Event Centre and the surrounding site.
The new event venue is one of four priority projects for Greater Sudbury. It will feature comfortable seating, modern dressing rooms, vehicle access to the event floor and ample parking. Located on the Kingsway, the facility will be co-developed and sited alongside a casino and hotel in what has become known as the Kingsway Entertainment District.
Construction will begin when the final design is complete, with a planned opening expected in 2025.
The following are estimated next steps for the project. These dates are preliminary and subject to change:
- site preparation – early Q3 2022, subject to project completion agreement approval
- road and intersection construction, plus storm water management pond – Q2 2023
- event centre construction start – Q4 2022+
Meanwhile, work is nearing completion on the 40,0000 square foot $30-million Place des Arts centre, also located in downtown Sudbury is nearing completion.
Construction has been ongoing since 2018 on the building originally expected to open in December 2020, but faced numerous delays due to the pandemic and material delivery delays from the U.S.
This facility will be the first multidisciplinary arts centre in Northeastern Ontario. A focal point for Greater Sudbury, featuring:
- a 299 fixed-seating theatre,
- a multifunctional studio,
- a contemporary art gallery,
- a youth zone,
- an early childhood artistic centre,
- a bistro
- a boutique bookstore and
- office spaces and meetings room.