by Eric Baldwin
Architecture and design firm LPA has designed California's largest ice skating facility in Irvine. Dubbed the Great Park Ice and Five Point Arena, the project combines the largest community ice complex in the region with a training facility for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The $110 million project was designed around the vision of Ducks owners, Henry and Susan Samueli, to create a public resource that promotes ice sports, health and wellness.
The 280,000-square-foot community center includes four sheets of ice, a multipurpose arena with 2,500 seats and a 3,500-square-foot public “beach” with 7,000 cubic feet of sand. In addition to serving as a center for hockey and skating, amenities include a pub, amphitheater, classrooms and outdoor public spaces. Three ice sheets are designed to NHL regulations; the fourth meets Olympic standards and will serve as the training facility for the U.S. Figure Skating team.
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Great Park Ice was financed by the Irvine Ice Foundation, a nonprofit created by the Samueli’s. At the end of the 50-year lease, ownership will revert to the community.
