Project Profiles: Sports Facilities

First Niagara Center Hockey Locker Room, Buffalo, N.Y.

Retrofit Team

Designer: Cannon Design, Buffalo

Materials

Owners of National Hockey League team, the Buffalo Sabres, challenged Cannon Design to create a locker room that made a huge statement for the players. The need for bold, high-end design elements in the renovation project was imperative. A drop lantern ceiling centerpiece with the Buffalo Sabres’ logo emblazoned on the bottom serves as a strategic focal point while providing consistent lighting. The installation was completed using a pre-lit custom LED solution, called Chroma. A custom engineered structure bears the weight while minimizing visible hardware. The lighting is accessible along its 6-inch perimeter. The material is structurally bonded edge to edge to create a seamless appearance.

Chroma manufacturer: 3form

The Retrofit

The newly renovated 30,000-square-foot multi-use First Niagara Center needed to be more than just a place for athletes to prepare for games. It also was intended to be a recruiting tool for the small-market city. Potential talent needed to be intrigued, to see the type of investment the city was willing to make in their career. The renovation relocated and expanded the team locker room, player lounge and strength/conditioning spaces, nearly doubling the area previously dedicated to those functions. The entire renovation project was completed in seven months for $8 million.

PHOTO: 3form