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World-class arena design.
The Gene Polisseni Center is a 4,000-capacity spectator arena at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The facility includes an ice sheet with a seating area, club seating, a club lounge, VIP areas, and two concession stands. The building is used by both men’s and women’s hockey programs and commencement exercises, concerts, and performing arts events.
Smith + Andersen was engaged by the architect (Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects Inc.) to provide mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as communications and audio-visual design. Footprint was engaged to provide sustainability consulting services.
World-class arena design.
The Gene Polisseni Center is a 4,000-capacity spectator arena at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The facility includes an ice sheet with a seating area, club seating, a club lounge, VIP areas, and two concession stands. The building is used by both men’s and women’s hockey programs and commencement exercises, concerts, and performing arts events.
Smith + Andersen was engaged by the architect (Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects Inc.) to provide mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as communications and audio-visual design. Footprint was engaged to provide sustainability consulting services.
Highly-efficient design.
This project was designed using Revit, creating a cohesive design across all trades. The centre functions year-round, with controlled humidity in spring and summer to mitigate fog and condensation. Dehumidification systems utilize gas-fired desiccant technology to maintain the dew point close to the ice surface, resulting in efficient refrigeration plant operation. The rejected heat from the ice plant is used for domestic hot water and building heating, to melt snow from ice resurfacing, and to provide subfloor heating for frost protection. Demand controlled ventilation variable speed drives reduce outdoor air ventilation loads and fan power during reduced occupancy.
High-efficiency lighting is installed throughout the facility, including fluorescent HID and LED luminaires. Local line voltage lighting controls in each space also reduce the electrical load. The lighting control system for the rink is based on a simple relay system that allows dimming at intervals of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Sound systems, broadcast infrastructure, and intercom systems are provided throughout the rink, lobbies, and back-of-house spaces.
