Acrisure Arena

The client wanted the structure to blend into the desert landscape of Coachella Valley, which limited the building height to 65 feet. 

The arena and the smaller Berger Foundation Iceplex needed to deal with high winds and seismic activity due to the nearby San Andreas Fault. The two buildings also had a height difference of 17 feet.

The venue’s design needed to nimbly switch between hosting ice hockey games, year-round events, and concerts to remain financially stable. 

Since the arena’s funding came from a public-private partnership, the project had to add value to the local community, make judicious use of the budget, and avoid delays that would raise costs.

The venue was set 26 feet below grade with a strategically placed perimeter concrete retaining wall. This eliminated additional retention systems and reduced below grade columns, walls, and footings.

We devised a unique optimized system of Buckling Restrained Braces (BRB) and diaphragm steel trusses to transfer loads and control the relative movements of both structures like shock absorbers. 

We included retractable seating in the arena’s 270-degree bowl to maximize show seats and stage views. We also designed a 200,000-pound capacity rigging grid along the 310-foot span roof to support a wide range of show configurations.

Walter P Moore worked with the builder and steel fabricator to enable earlier roof truss erection and streamlined sequencing using mobile cranes instead of temporary shoring towers. We also designed all steel frame connections to be field bolted for faster assembly.

The arena’s low-lying profile preserves views of the desert landscape. Its basement retaining wall also hosts a permanent soil retention system, permitting future changes to meet the evolving needs of entertainment venues. 

The Acrisure Arena can resist hurricane force winds and some of the strongest seismic forces in California. The project’s BRB system also helps reduce recovery costs if either structure sustains permanent damage in a seismic event.

Acrisure Arena can host crowds of 10,000 for ice hockey games and up to 11,500 for concerts. The venue’s sophisticated and flexible show rigging grid also has a greater capacity than similar venues in larger markets.

Our efforts allowed roof truss assembly to wrap up in two weeks, which allowed Acrisure Arena to open two weeks ahead of schedule.