Calgary's $1.22-billion Scotia Place is starting to look a lot more like the arena that will eventually replace the Saddledome.
The final structural steel beam has now been installed in the main arena, completing the building's main steel frame and marking one of the biggest construction milestones since work began.
The City of Calgary announced it in its September construction update, saying crews have now installed approximately 7,760 metric tonnes of structural steel in the main arena.
That's more than 17 million pounds of steel forming the skeleton of the future home of the Calgary Flames.
The final beam went up
The milestone is known in construction as topping off. It marks the point when the last piece of structural steel is installed and the building's primary frame is complete.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy joined workers at the site, signing the final piece of steel and thanking the construction crew before it was raised into place.
The ceremony doesn't mean the arena is close to finished. There's still roughly another year of construction ahead.
But it does mean the massive steel structure Calgarians have watched rise beside the Saddledome is essentially in its final form.
Now the roof is closing
One of the biggest jobs remaining on the exterior is getting the building fully enclosed.
The east side of the main arena roof is now enclosed, and crews are working on closing the centre portion.
That matters with another Calgary winter approaching. Once the building is enclosed, substantially more work can continue inside without being exposed to snow, wind and freezing temperatures.
City project lead Bob Hunter put the timeline plainly.
"Hopefully Mother Nature will be good to us this fall and we'll be able to get a lot of that done and completed before the snow flies."
You can already see where the fans will sit
The inside has been changing just as quickly.
More than half of the precast stadia in the main arena have now been installed. Those large concrete sections form the stepped structure underneath the future seats.
Work is also advancing on the lower seating bowl and the 1,000-seat community arena being built as part of the complex.
That follows another milestone we covered in August, when crews poured the first event-level concrete slab and the location of the future ice surface became visible for the first time.
A month later, Scotia Place looks considerably closer to an arena.
What the $1.22 billion actually pays for
The number attached to Scotia Place is enormous, but there's an important distinction.
The $1.22-billion total is not simply the price of the Flames arena.
The investment in the Scotia Place block itself is $926.4 million. That includes an $800-million event centre, a $52.5-million community rink, a $35.4-million parkade, a $9.5-million indoor community plaza and $28.7 million in outdoor community plazas.
Another $296.9 million goes to broader Culture + Entertainment District improvements, including transportation connections, infrastructure, remediation, public spaces and land.
Together, that brings the overall investment to approximately $1.223 billion.
So what's being built beside the Saddledome is considerably more than a replacement hockey rink.
The project is on time, with one open question
The City says Scotia Place is tracking on both schedule and budget.
"That's what we're working to 100 per cent," Hunter said. "And those two items are discussed on a weekly or even a daily basis. We've always had a target date, and we're feeling comfortable with that target date right now."
"But budget is in good shape. We've got a lot of challenges."
One of those is trade. Calgary city council received an update earlier in September on potential U.S. tariff impacts, with a $30-million figure cited. City officials say that's an estimate and doesn't mean the City will be forced to pay it.
Steel is the obvious exposure on a project that just finished installing 7,760 tonnes of it.
There will be a second rink
One part of Scotia Place won't be reserved for NHL players.
The complex includes a separate 1,000-seat community rink, giving Calgary another facility for community sports and events.
It's being constructed alongside the main arena rather than added later, and steel for its main entrance was already going up by June.
For people who may never buy a Flames season ticket, that could end up being one of the most-used parts of the project.
The seating bowl will hold 18,400 for hockey
When the doors open, the main arena is expected to seat 18,400 for sporting events and up to 20,000 for concerts.
The complex will also include restaurants and dining areas, indoor and outdoor plazas, the community rink and an attached parkade.
That's a major difference from the Saddledome, which opened in 1983 and was designed for an entirely different generation of professional sports and touring events.
Work is happening outside the arena too
The construction surrounding Scotia Place is almost a project of its own.
Work continues on the 6 Street S.E. underpass, intended to create another connection into the Culture + Entertainment District.
The City's September update says crews have completed the lower concrete section, removed forms, and are working on waterproofing and backfilling. Work is also progressing on the stormwater system and lift station.
The historic Stephenson Building is being reconstructed at the site after being carefully dismantled earlier in the project. Crews have started installing structural steel as part of its reassembly.
The Saddledome has one more full Flames season
The timeline hasn't changed.
Construction began on Scotia Place's foundations in January 2025, and the City continues to list fall 2027 as the scheduled opening.
That means the 2026-27 NHL season is expected to be the Flames' final full season at the Saddledome.
The Saddledome has been the team's home since 1983. Once Scotia Place opens, the old arena is slated for demolition.
For now the two buildings sit almost side by side. One nearing the end of more than four decades as Calgary's major arena, and the other finally looking like the building that will replace it.
What happens next
The biggest visible change over the coming months should be the enclosure of the building.
Crews still have to finish closing the main arena roof and exterior before attention shifts to the work happening inside.
That means mechanical and electrical systems, concourses, suites, clubs, concessions, dressing rooms, finishes, seating and everything needed to turn a steel-and-concrete shell into a working NHL arena.
The dramatic part of Scotia Place's construction, watching thousands of tonnes of steel climb into Calgary's skyline, is largely over.
Now comes the part that turns it into an arena.
Sources
City of Calgary Scotia Place September 2026 construction update
City of Calgary Scotia Place financial agreements and project information
Comments from Bob Hunter, the topping off ceremony and the tariff estimate as reported by FlamesNation.
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