Ball Arena

Overview

Hosting over 250 events a year, the Ball Arena is the largest indoor arena in Denver and home to the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. The complex features a six-story glass atrium, a two-story, column-free practice facility and a world-class business center.

We provided structural design services to Populous for the project that was developed on a 4.6-acre abandoned rail yard in Denver’s central Platte Valley. The project was completed in 1999.

Highlights

• One of the main structural challenges was designing a roof that would support large snow loads with minimal structural obstructions.
• We developed a circular roof-column layout that created a unique 450-ft-span, tied-arch roof requiring only 17 pounds per square foot of steel.
• The roof mimics the efficiency of a dome without the need for external buttressing or tension rings.
• The roof supports all of the arena’s functional requirements, including catwalks, lighting, rigging and center stage support.