New stadium reaches completion at SFU Burnaby campus (PHOTOS)

Aug 10 2021, 1:57 am

Students returning next month to Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Burnaby Mountain campus will notice the new grandstand addition to Terry Fox Field has reached completion.

Finished earlier this year, the partially covered outdoor seating area on the hillside north of the field has 1,800 fixed seats, an accessible concourse, washrooms, integrated sound system, fully accessible VIP box, coaches booths, and broadcast and media facilities. Spectators have panoramic views of the region from the grandstand, which faces south. The ground floor of the stadium also includes a football locker room, sports medicine taping room, and storage space.

This facility can be further expanded in the future with additional seating and amenities. The Vancouver office of architectural firm Perkins & Wills is responsible for the design of the stadium.

The new on-campus sports venue could have a transformative impact on campus life, boosting the profile of the university’s sports teams.

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

This is the new home field for SFU’s football team, which previously used Swangard Stadium. The new facility would also be used for track and field, the men’s and women’s soccer teams, and special events and entertainment. When not in use for events, the new stadium will be accessible to students as a place to gather and socialize.

Last year, the university’s administration made the decision to discontinue the use of the “Clan” as the nickname for its varsity sports teams. While “Clan” was meant to honour SFU’s Scottish roots, the nickname has at times been confused for the “Klan” of the KKK racist white supremacist group. The university is still in the process of selecting a new nickname.

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The stadium is the first phase of the revitalization of the Lorne Davies Complex (LDC), a student recreation and varsity sports hub, located immediately adjacent to the new venue.

Starting in Spring 2022, work on the 1965-built LDC will include fully renovated washrooms, expanded team rooms for varsity teams with modernized amenities and facilities, a new permanent wrestling centre, seismic upgrades, and improvements to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. This project is also designed by Perkins & Will.

Lorne Davies Complex SFU Burnaby

Artistic rendering of renovations to the Lorne Davie Complex. (Perkins&Will/SFU)

Lorne Davies Complex SFU Burnaby

Artistic rendering of renovations to the Lorne Davie Complex. (Perkins&Will/SFU)

The completed stadium component of the renewal is a partnership between the university and the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), with students covering $10 million of the construction costs through an annual student levy. Construction on the venue first began in 2019.

The levy was approved by students in a 2015 referendum, which also saw the approval of a levy to cover the $55-million cost of building a new Student Union Building (SUB).

After significant delays, the five-storey, 113,000 sq ft SUB will open to students and the general public sometime over the coming weeks, coinciding with the start of the new school year and the restart of in-class instruction.

Over on the western end of Metro Vancouver, the University of British Columbia is in the early stages of planning the construction of a new outdoor 5,000-seat stadium (expandable to 10,000) replacing Thunderbird Stadium as part of a new residential neighbourhood, and a new indoor basketball stadium replacing War Memorial Gymnasium.

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

sfu stadium burnaby terry fox field

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field on July 17, 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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