any sports fan even remotely familiar with the Canadian Football League could tell you , Saskatchewan Roughriders fans are as loyal – and loud – as any you ’ ll find across the major leagues .
Considering Saskatchewan and , more specifically , its capital are among the smaller markets for professional sports in Canada , the green-and-white faithful support their club in greater numbers and with far greater fervor – sometimes wearing watermelons on their heads – than one would ever expect .
As Regina native and one-time Rider guard Ben Heenan once told Vice Sports , “ I think the loyalty between the fans and their team is very representative of the type of people that are in Saskatchewan . Loyalty , dedication , and hard work are all characteristics that Saskatchewan has been built with .”
Those are also characteristics that were integral to the recently completed construction process of Mosaic Stadium , the Roughriders ’ new home field for the 2017-18 CFL season . The $ 278.2-million facility is the product of over 800 construction days and the first landmark project of the City of Regina ’ s threephase , $ 1 billion Regina Revitalization Initiative .
The stadium – easily among the most recognizable buildings in its home city – features visual appointments like a massive spectator roof covering the sunken bowl and a continuous concourse surrounding the sleek , horseshoe-shaped structure .
And to compete with the hoards of fans hoarsely screaming support at their home team , it also features a significant sound system that ensures consistent , even , and yes , loud coverage across every seat in the standard football configuration .
Mosaic Stadium 1910 Piffles Taylor Way Regina , SK S4P 3E1 www . newmosaicstadium . com
In the spring of 2011 , then-mayor Pat Fiacco formally rolled out plans for the Regina Revitalization Initiative with a focus on the new Mosaic Stadium . The new facility would replace the Roughriders ’ longtime home of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field , which hosted its first CFL match in 1936 .
The design aspect of the project was awarded to Dallas-based firm HKS Architects , Inc . in a joint venture with Toronto ’ s B + H Architects , the architect of record . Construction began in early 2016 , with PCL Construction at the helm as the general contractor .
The 33,000-capacity stadium ( expandable to 40,000 in a special event configuration ) was designed to not only connect with the surrounding community , but also to create a feeling of spaciousness while offering an improved level of comfort and in-game experience .
Among the features that contribute to those goals are its spectator roof and open south end zone , the wide main concourse , the majority of the seats being part of the lower bowl , a general admission lounge for patrons , and improved access to concessions and washrooms .
The design flexibility also offers the ability to host different events of different scales and capacities throughout the year – like the recent Regina Rocks Mosaic Stadium concert that featured performances by Bryan Adams , Our Lady Peace , and Johnny Reid .
While such events – particularly music performances – will typically bring in alternate sound systems , the stadium ’ s integrated system is adaptable for several different configurations ; however , its primary goal is to keep Rider Nation informed , interested , and immersed in the game .
PCL enlisted the help of both Winnipeg-based technology integration firm Advance Pro , led by Peter Bernatsky , and the sound system design expertise of Canadian engineering consultancy firm Smith + Andersen , led by Dustin Su .
“ We didn ’ t play what ’ s considered the typical role of the consultant ,” Su explains , noting that he and Bernatsky were essentially working on the same team as sub-contractors of PCL ( along with PCL ’ s electrical contractor of record , Alliance Energy ) overseeing the sound system design and integration . “ Our role was rooted in communication and collaboration , and really about managing everyone ’ s expectations – the client , the engineers , the contractors …”
Thinking back to the outset of his involvement , Bernatsky says there weren ’ t any hard specs in place for the audio system . “ We were given certain baseline requirements – speech intelligibility , SPL levels within the building – but at the end of the day , it was on Advance Pro and Smith + Andersen to come up with a design that would meet those requirements with an accessible , industry-standard system that was within our budget guidelines .”
Su says the high-level goal was to deliver a premium fan experience . “ We wanted coverage at every seat to be even , loud , and get good response for music , but also be very intelligible for speech – when referees make their calls or the PA announcer is giving updates .”
The massive distributed system they designed and later installed covers the entire building , from the main bowl to the concourses , lounges , suites , and other public spaces . The PA – comprised of various JBL models – will accommodate game-day coverage , tying into production with the rest of the facility , but also handle background music and paging requirements , including emergency paging .
JBL ’ s Precision Directivity Series weatherized loudspeakers cover the main bowl , including PD764 high-output mid-high boxes and PD7145 subwoofers . JBL ’ s CBT100LA column arrays are loaded throughout the concourses and various models from the Control Contractor Series cover the back-of-house , including Control 28s and in-ceiling models used for the lounges and suites .
“ The back of house areas are extremely well designed and outfitted with technology to host non-sporting events ,” Bernatsky notes . “ For example , they have some beautifully appointed public lounge areas they could use for conventions or other corporate events .”
34 • PROFESSIONAL SOUND