When 2025 began, there wasn’t a lot to look at on the Scotia Place site. Well, there was a hole. A gradually growing hole as the construction team excavated the site, digging 35 feet down to accommodate future work.

As 2025 winds down, that gigantic hole has largely been filled with two full levels of poured concrete that will be the basis for the below-grade event and mezzanine levels of the arena. And while there’s still a little bit of below-grade concrete left to be poured, the concrete skeleton for the future home of the Calgary Flames has begun to appear above ground.

12 months ago, there wasn’t much for curious eyes to glimpse at the Scotia Place worksite. Now? There’s a lot.

“I would say everyone’s really excited now,” said City of Calgary Scotia Place project lead Bob Hunter. “And the thing is, it’s really starting to take shape. You know, you’re starting to see high steel. We’re starting to pour some of the concourses. We’re back almost up to grade on the entire site. So, yeah, there’s a lot going on.”

The excavation on the site began back in July 2024. They reached maximum depth in April 2025 and then began below-grade form work and the concrete pour for the two below grade levels. The concrete began reaching ground level at the south end of the site in September, and the structural steel framework for the building began being erected in October. Slowly but surely, it’ll work clockwise around the site until that skeleton has been completely formed.

The tallest point of the steel structure on the south side of the building is about as tall as things will get.

“It’s almost like the steel follows the concrete pouring around the building,” said Hunter. “You’ll start to see more and more structure down the west side that you’re seeing now. But you’re right, in the south, it doesn’t get much higher, and we’ll start to see some of the cladding going on as well. And that’s in the next couple of months. So we’ll start with, I mean, it’s a long way to go, but we’ll start to enclose the building.”

Right now, the primary access point for the site is a ramp on the southeast side, facing the Saddledome’s Telus Club entrance. Once the loading dock access ramp is fully completed, that’ll become the main entryway and the last bit of concrete pouring will be completed. After that, work on the roof of the community rink, located on the southeast corner of the site, will begin.

And while we’re now firmly into winter, Calgary’s volatile weather probably won’t hinder progress all that much.

“Yeah, I think there is certainly there’s a point at which they can’t work because it’s too cold,” said Hunter. “But generally, it just kind of slows down the work. It doesn’t stop the work. It’s really only when we get wet, you know, wet snow or heavy snow where it makes it unsafe. That’s really when you would actually stop the work. But generally, they can work pretty much all winter. And now, you know, you can’t really see it. But now they’re starting to work down below on mechanical and electrical equipment in certainly the southwest corner. So a lot gets done, even in extreme cold weather.”

If it seems like the steel starting to go up is a big deal: it is. Not only does it provide a handy visual indicator of how things are progressing, but once the steel structure is entirely built – which Hunter notes will be in the fall – then it’s time for the roof trusses to be installed. Once there’s a roof, the building can be fully enclosed and the sprint to get the building ready for opening can begin.

“Well, it’s more so the finishing of the steel and then the building being enclosed with its exterior skin,” said Hunter. “And then, and they can’t really see much else beside the landscaping that will be done and the landscaping will generally, as it always is, be sort of the last pieces on the site. But it’ll really be an enclosed arena with a whole bunch of things happening on the inside. And so, as I say, once we enclose it, winterize it, environmentally control everything, that’s when we’ll actually start and finish the exterior. So a lot of pieces to pull together.”

Hunter noted that the project team is currently happy with where things are with the schedule and the budget, but added they’ll have more control over both once the final pieces of the project are tendered out in the spring. They’re still aiming for fall 2027 as “the ultimate finish date” for the project.

As 2025 winds down, we’re starting to see steel go up at Scotia Place. In a year’s time, it’ll start to really look like a building and fans won’t need to use their imaginations much to picture what it’ll look like when the puck drops for the 2027-28 season.

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