arena | staging

Freezing floor

The foundation of a multiuse venue

By CARLA SANDERS

"WHAT DID THEY DO WITH THE ICE?" Anyone who has ever attended a concert or event in an arena where a hockey game was recently played has probably wondered that same question. At the new Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, the answer will be this: Nothing. It's still there.

In an intricate process, the floor will be iced over each fall for use by the minor league hockey team Ontario Reign then covered with specially designed materials for concerts, basketball games, public events and other uses.

The floor is the heart of the new Arena, and can be configured a number of different ways to ensure that the venue has the ability to attract myriad shows and events for years to come.

Steve Eckerson, the Arena's general manager, explained the many steps involved in not only creating the ice that will play a leading role, but other surfaces as well.

First, about 13.5 miles of pipe are run under the concrete floor from one end of the arena to the other. A solution of polyglycol — basically, antifreeze — is then sent through the pipes to bring the concrete temperature down to between 10 and 17 degrees.

Once the desired coldness is achieved, a fine mist of water is sprayed on the floor in layers. When frozen, the floor receives a coat of white paint — which is especially formulated for ice — and then the various hockey lines and the logo of the Ontario Reign are painted on. This is followed by more mist and more freezing, obtaining an eventual ice surface temperature of 17 to 20 degrees.

The ice depth will be 1 inch when completed. For figure skating events such as Disney on Ice, additional ice is added, bringing the depth to 11⁄2 to 2 inches, according to Chris Berg, director of operations. The ice temperature also will be a little warmer, as figure skaters prefer the ice a bit softer.

For non-ice-related events, the Arena undergoes what is called a conversion.

First, the floor is covered in 4- by 8- foot sheets of ice deck, a fiberglass and composite material that is about an inch thick and looks like large pieces of charcoal-colored hard plastic. Concert stages and chairs are then put down directly on this material.

Basketball games, such as the Oct. 24 exhibition game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder that will officially open the Arena, require more care. For these, 4- by 8-foot sheets of interlocking ash will be laid on the ice deck for the court.

If a rodeo or other dirt-related show is booked into the Arena, several other steps are necessary to avoid mud, said Eckerson. A layer of the plastic sheeting material visqueen is put on top of the ice deck. The visqueen is then covered with sheets of plywood, followed by the dirt.

Once the ice is made each year in late September, it will remain in place until the hockey season and ice-related events and shows are concluded, usually in April or early May.

Then, the temperature is turned up and the ice starts to pop up off the floor and crack and melt, and it is then removed.

The Arena will have one full-time ice technician, who will constantly oversee the ice, ensuring that it is in tip-top shape for each ice-related event. Two Zamboni machines will keep the ice groomed.

The ice deck, ash flooring and other materials are stored on site, according to Berg, who noted there is plenty of storage capacity under the seats. The seats on the west end of the Arena are retractable, allowing for more room for concert staging and seating.

The Arena can handle a stage as large as 60 by 80 feet or other configurations such as a theater in the round, Berg said; each performer has a different stipulation and the Arena will seek to accommodate the preferences.

While the Arena can hold up to 11,000 people, the scale can also be brought down for more intimate events, according to Sue Oxarart, director of marketing.

Curtains will be used to partition off part of the Arena for events that might have multiple shows and which only fill a small portion of the Arena at each show.

The floor's uses seem to know no bounds, to which one upcoming event offers evidence. According to Oxarart, in a couple months the center of the Arena will be turned into a giant dining room when one company hosts a holiday dinner with seating for 1,500 people.