About Facility
The Great Park Ice Arena in Irvine, California, stands as a premier destination for ice sports enthusiasts and a vibrant hub for community engagement in Orange County. Situated within the expansive Orange County Great Park, this state-of-the-art facility offers a dynamic space for athletes, families, and visitors to enjoy a wide range of ice-related activities.
Featuring four NHL-sized ice rinks, meticulously maintained to the highest standards, the Great Park Ice Arena provides an optimal environment for a variety of ice sports, including hockey, figure skating, and recreational skating. The facility boasts modern amenities such as advanced training and conditioning areas, spacious locker rooms, and a welcoming lobby, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable experience for participants and spectators alike.
As the official practice facility for the Anaheim Ducks NHL team, the Great Park Ice Arena serves as a training ground for professional athletes and a beacon of excellence for aspiring players of all ages. Beyond serving as a venue for elite sports, the arena offers a diverse range of programs and events for the wider community, including public skating sessions, skating lessons, and special events. Its inclusive approach and central location make it a beloved destination for residents and visitors alike.
"Great moments are born from great opportunities."
Herb Brooks – 1980 Miracle on Ice Hockey Coach
Scope of Work
This 280,000 square foot, 4 sheet ice arena facility is the new home to the Anaheim Ducks. B32 Engineering Group, Inc. began working with the Owner group in 2011 developing conceptual layouts and cost estimates related to the ice system for this facility. The design phase started in 2016 and the ice was ready to skate in November 2018. Three of the four ice rink floors are standard NHL size and one is Olympic size. The main arena, FivePoint Arena, has a seating capacity of 2,500 people for figure skating and other major events.
Designing an ice arena facility of this size and being inherently a high energy use, high water use, cold temperature facility, in the desert climate of Southern California had many challenges. The main focus for the ice system design was to minimize energy and water use and minimize the environmental impact, while providing NHL and U.S Figuring Skating level ice quality. Minimizing energy use and the impact on the environment was addressed by evaluating various sources of energy including fuel cell technology, microturbines, solar, natural gas generator, cogeneration, onsite generation, etc. and also by maximizing the efficiency of the refrigeration systems. Two separate ammonia and brine-based refrigeration systems with waste heat recovery were selected. The FivePoint Arena has a dedicated refrigeration system while the three NHL size ice rinks share a common refrigeration system.
Minimizing water use was addressed by using recycled water for grey water applications and making ice. This is only the second facility in the U.S. that uses recycled water for the ice making process. B32’s experience with large multi-sheet ice rink complexes and cutting-edge technology, was key in overall success of this facility. Design solutions were provided that were flexible, cost effective, and efficient from the planning phase through design, construction and commissioning which resulted meeting the high expectations of the ownership group and user groups. Overall, the facility is designed to operate 20 percent more efficiently than California’s Title 24 requirements.