MacDonald Island Park – Nexen Stage

International stars, national heroes and local talent will soon grace the Nexen Energy (a CNOOC Limited Company) Stage at SMS Equipment Stadium at Shell Place, filling the air with the shouts of frenzied fans under the vast northern lights. The stadium is part of a major expansion project, which will allow Shell Place to host a variety of large-scale events at the outdoor performance center. It will feature an iconic tensile membrane canopy by Birdair.

Operated by the Regional Recreation Corporation of Wood Buffalo, a not-for-profit company, MacDonald Island Park, in Fort McMurray, Alberta, is Canada's largest community recreation, leisure and social centre. In addition to the Nexen Energy Stage and SMS Equipment Stadium, Shell Place will include a baseball/softball tournament center, field house, conference center and community park. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

The approximately 30,000-square-foot PTFE Birdair canopy structure, which overlooks the Nexen Energy Stage and Molson Outdoor Rink, has become a feature widely identified with the Shell Place project. Designed to mimic the undulating northern lights, the canopy feature creates a strong point of visual interest and will become a focal point for community events and celebration.

Out of this World Collaboration

Architecture: ATB, 360 Architecture, and Clark Builders worked to complete this project. But, they needed something special to make Nexen Energy Stage beautiful, unique and weather-resistant, so they turned to Birdair, the expert on custom tensile structures, to design and construct the iconic canopy. The northern lights inspired structure is made of PTFE fiberglass membrane, with a steel supporting structure.