Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre

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Bird, as part of the Niagara Falls Entertainment Partners consortium, has executed a contract to design, build, finance and maintain the Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre (NFEC) facility for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation in the City of Niagara Falls. Bird took a minority equity interest in the concession responsible for the design, construction, financing, and maintenance of the project through Bird Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary. The facility features a performance space with multiple stage configurations and provides seating for 5,000 patrons. It also features a public lobby and gathering places, box offices, bar, and concessions. Located immediately west of the Niagara Falls Hilton Hotel, the building was constructed above an existing parking structure with limited lot lines. The south end is cantilevered over the top of the Hilton’s main driveway and built off sloped columns. On the north side, the structure is hung off existing corbels that were intended for a future expansion of the Hilton. In addition to the sheer size of the structure, intricate planning was required to seamlessly tie into the Hilton Hotel’s three towers. The fire rating of the two facilities also had to be maintained to ensure that the needs of both the building code and project specifications were met. Another challenge overcome by the Bird team was the movement of materials within the site during construction, especially during the height of the tourist season. To mitigate this, material handling was primarily performed by cranes and hoists within the NFEC building footprint. This exciting project was designed and constructed to LEED® v4 standards and was completed in June 2020.

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