Arena Construction
On September 14, 2007, a bid for construction of the INTRUST Bank Arena was submitted by Dondlinger and Sons Construction and Hunt Construction and was accepted.
On December 4, 2007, construction officially got underway with a Ground Breaking Ceremony held at the future site of the INTRUST Bank Arena. The new facility is scheduled to open January, 2010.
All foundation work for the building has been completed, except for foundations for the service yard area and exterior retaining walls. The foundation system consists of 1,222 piles (concrete columns) and 292 pile caps. Very few problems were encountered in drilling the pile (concrete columns) structures 60-65 feet into the ground. The installation of the piles (concrete columns) was initiated on November 29, 2007 and was completed on February 1, 2008.
Watch the construction phase in its entirety on the 360Wichita arena construction cam.
Click on any of the thumbnail images below to enlarge the images.
This is a rendition of the geographical layout "footprint" of the arena for orientation purposes when viewing the construction photos below.
Progress as of February 20, 2009
This view is from the ground level looking up into the seating area.
This view is from the ground level looking west.
This view is from the main concourse on the west side of the building looking
out on the northeast corner of the arena.
This view is from the main concourse on the west side of the building looking
out on the southeast corner of the arena. The large view-out windows that adorn
the south side of the arena can be seen in this view.
This view is from the upper concourse looking east across the floor and seating
area.
Commissioner Dave Unruh looks out over the arena floor from the south side of
the main concourse.
This view is from the main concourse on the south end of the arena looking out
across the arena's floor.
This view is from the upper concourse looking west across the main concourse.
Raising the Spire
The spire's raising is a milestone in the INTRUST Bank Arena project and gives people a chance to stand back and admire the work that has been accomplished, while reminding the public of the grand structure that soon will be.
Progress as of July, 2008
This view is from the main concourse on the south side of the arena looking across the event floor to the main seating. Various buildings from downtown Wichita can be seen in the background. The arena was designed to mimic the look and feel of surrounding downtown buildings with red brick, while embracing modern architecture with the use of glass and metals to create a truly unique, awe-inspiring structure.
This view looks west into the service entrance that leads to the event floor. The service entrance door is large enough for semi trucks and trailers to enter.
This view is of the east side of the arena. The scale of the structure can be better understood when comparing it to the size of the workers pictured. The men are standing on the upper concourse, which will provide entrance to the majority of the arena seating. Concessions and restrooms will be available on this level. Exposed brick and floor-to-ceiling windows will be featured throughout the arena’s interior.
This view looks west across the main concourse on the south side of the arena, above the main entrance. The main concourse will feature two lounges – one public and one private, and entrances to the suites and loge boxes.
Progress as of May, 2008
The view in this picture is looking south from Commerce and is the northeast corner of the building. Pictured is the temporary support structure for concrete at the main and upper concourse floors of the arena. Concrete flooring for the main concourse is scheduled to be 95% complete by mid July, 2008 and for the upper concourse by mid August, 2008.
This view is looking to the west from the raised railroad corridor just east of the arena site and is the east elevation or service yard. The temporary support structure for the concrete at the main and the upper concourse floors is pictured.
This view is taken from Emporia looking east, at the service level (playing floor), just south of the center of the building. To the left will be a stair tower and to the right of the stair tower is the main administration area. The concrete columns here are located in quadrants A and B. (Note: The building footprint has been segmented into four quadrants, going clockwise from the southwest and designated as A, B, C & D.) These columns will support the main concourse at the west side of the building. In the background are the temporary support structures for the main concourse and upper concourse.
Progress as of February, 2008
The view in this picture is looking west from the southeast of the site. This area will feature parking and the service courtyard. This parking area is located just north of Waterman Street on the west side of the railroad tracks. Pictured are the remaining portions of building foundations that will be removed after February 2009. These building foundations were not removed during the building demolition process to accommodate the City of Wichita’s environmental remediation of known soil/water contamination at this location.
This is an aerial view of the arena from the northwest corner of the site. The street along the front of the picture is Emporia just south of William Street. Waterman Street can be seen in the upper right hand portion of the picture. The railroad tracks can be seen in the upper left hand portion of the picture. The foundation system consisting of 1,222 piles and 292 pile caps are nearing completion. Concrete columns, which support the superstructure, are approximately 17% complete. Very few problems were encountered in drilling the pile structures 60-65 feet into the ground. The installation of the piles was initiated on November 29, 2007 and was completed on February 1, 2008. The scaffolding seen in this picture is being installed in preparation for the concrete pours for the main concourse flooring. Ninety-five per cent (95%) of the main concourse flooring will be completed by August 2008.
The main entrance is located at the southwest corner of the building (intersection of Emporia and Waterman Streets) and is shown in this view. The concrete columns are located in the ticketing area of the building and will support the main concourse at the southwest section of the building. In the background is scaffolding for the main concourse. This picture is taken at the service level or “playing floor” level.
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