Langley Events Centre undergoing five-arena expansion in stacked building

Artistic rendering of the Langley Events Centre expansion. (Township of Langley)

The number of arenas at Langley Events Centre is set to grow exponentially to a total of seven arenas.

Currently, the existing 2009-built, 250,000 sq ft facility contains a 5,300-seat, NHL-sized ice arena and a dry arena, along with a 2,200-seat triple gymnasium, a 1,000-seat double gymnasium, and a field house. Since 2016, Langley Events Centre has been the home of the WHL Vancouver Giants.

Currently under construction is an expansion with a building footprint that is larger than the 2009-built complex. The Township of Langley began construction in December 2023 on a major building expansion immediately to the northwest of the existing main building.

You might also like:

Carrying a total project cost of $149 million, the expansion will provide five more arenas, including three ice arenas and two dry arenas. Ice arenas can of course be used for ice hockey, while dry arenas are more multifunctional, and are suitable for sports such as ball hockey and lacrosse.

The existing main arena at Langley Events Centre. (Centaur Products)

langley events centre expansion willoughby community park

Building footprint of the Langley Events Centre expansion. (Township of Langley)

But other than scale, a unique aspect of the expansion is its rare multi-level, stacked configuration. All three additional ice arenas are on the ground level, including one ice arena with about 1,000 seats and two ice arenas each with about 200 seats. The two dry arenas will be on a second level directly above the pair of smaller ice arenas.

Previous Township staff reports note that $25 million of the project’s cost comes from the addition of an underground parkade directly below the new building expansion, and the stacking of the pair of dry arenas over the ice rinks carries an added cost of $15 million compared to a typical single-level facility design.

But both added costs for more efficient land use eliminate the need to use over five additional acres at Willoughby Community Park that could otherwise be used for recreational and green space. A surface vehicle parking lot would take up about three more acres, and a single-level facility design uses an additional 2.5 acres.

Multi-floor layout of the Langley Events Centre expansion, featuring three ice arenas on the ground level and two dry arenas on the second level. (Township of Langley)

Floor layout of the main level of the Langley Events Centre expansion, featuring three ice arenas. (Township of Langley)

Floor layout of the second level of the Langley Events Centre expansion, featuring two dry arenas. (Township of Langley)

Artistic rendering of the Langley Events Centre expansion. (Township of Langley)

Construction on the expansion is targeted to reach completion in 2026. It is jointly designed by TKA+D Architecture & Design and RDH Architects.

“We absolutely need new ice sheets and dry floors to meet the demand from our community’s growth, with a vision to have and enjoy what other communities take for granted, funded from development, not property taxes,” said Eric Woodward, the mayor of the Township of Langley, in a previous statement.

“With the Township of Langley growing like we are, it’s well past the time to start the next phase of the Langley Events Centre. It’s well past the time to finally plan and build not just for today, but for the future, from roads to recreation.”

Last year, a soccer-specific stadium was added to Willoughby Community Park for the home of the new CPL Vancouver FC. Willoughby Stadium, built out of modular components on an existing soccer field, has a grandstand capacity of about 6,600 spectators, with room for future expansion.

Willoughby Stadium (Vancouver FC)

You might also like: