If the new Amsoil Arena's ticket lobby reminds you of ice, there's good reason.
It's all in the design.
Blue globe lights hang suspended from the two-story ceiling like melting ice. The terrazzo floor carries on the icy theme by glittering, along with the reflective windows, like sun on ice.
No wonder it's called the Ice Cube.
"At night, when you see the blue lights on the inside of the lobby, it gives it a lot of pizzazz and sparkle," said Brian Morse of SJA Architects, the project's architect of record.
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The artist-designed floor with images of fish and swirling waves is one of three in the arena and part of the $440,000 of art commissioned for the
$80 million project. The lobby also has floor-to-ceiling pictures of University of Minnesota Duluth hockey players and walls of aggregate-exposed concrete blocks for an upscale look.
"It definitely is designed and built for a high level of fan amenities," Morse said. "It's definitely about having an exciting game-day experience."
The colorful main concourse is lined by concessions, restrooms, lounges and places to mingle. Flat-screen TVs keep fans from missing game action. Some lounge areas feature 1960s retro-style furniture. And the upper-level luxury suites have wood cabinetry, bar sinks and plush seating.
The intent was to design the best possible college hockey facility in Duluth, one that can also be used for concerts and home shows, said Dan Russell, executive director of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
It all starts on the outside, with the Amsoil Arena building's bold asymmetrical shape. Credit that to Jim Chibnall, formerly of Populous, who also designed Target Center in Minneapolis, the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis and Jacob's Field in Cleveland.
Several factors led to the 220,000-square-foot arena's angular shape, including its large scale, its setting and the interior functions, Morse said.
"This is a large building," he said. "We needed to do things to break down the scale, including the height, which led to the variety of roof heights."
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Angular patterns in the old DECC Arena and Auditorium were repeated in the new arena. Intentional or not, the bold design of the Amsoil Arena complements the nearby Great Lakes Aquarium's sharp geometric angles, which won industry accolades but some local criticism.
The new arena's dominant colors are gray and champagne, with a striking mass of highly reflective, energy-conserving windows that appear dark from the outside. Its brick-red accent color not only reflects the color of ore boats but also repeats the red of the Aquarium, as does the green accent color.
Now, the Aquarium seems to fit right in.
"We weren't imitating it by any means," Morse said. "This arena needs to fit into a bigger context than just the DECC site. The Aquarium was a little foreign by itself. Perhaps the arena gives it a little company."
Inside, the bowl-style arena has two decks of checkerboard seating in UMD's maroon and gold colors. Bigger than the old arena, it can seat up to 6,850 for UMD hockey and other sporting events and up to 7,500 for concerts.
Get used to that maroon and gold. That checkerboard pattern is repeated in the small wall tiles of the concession stands. And it's the color of many walls, complementing shades of gray that fit the arena's industrial look of exposed steel beams, girders and piping.
Local and recycled materials were used as much as possible. A solid piece of taconite serves as the counter in the Bulldog Club bar, backed with a shimmering wall of white glass tile. Benches throughout were made from reclaimed wood. Used in the décor were terra-cotta blocks from the old Globe Elevator in Superior and large wood panels with waved surfaces from 120 years of grain pouring down them.
"It's not the Cadillac of arenas," Morse said. "This is nice, but it's not excessive. I think it's what we deserve."
