Baxter Arena – University of Nebraska Omaha

Omaha, NE
Construction Cost: $86.1 million
Area / Square Feet: 220,000
Occupancy Date: October 2015

Located adjacent to the city of Omaha’s booming Aksarben Village neighborhood, Baxter Arena is the new home of the University of Nebraska Omaha’s hockey, basketball and volleyball programs. The university’s vision for the arena included attracting top student-athletes, ensuring an exceptional fan experience, enhancing connections to the community and elevating campus life.

The facility provides 7,800 seats and two ice sheets: one for competition and another for community use. The main arena can easily morph to accommodate basketball and volleyball, as well as serve as a venue for concerts, graduations and other events. The building is a vibrant representation of the university’s brand, and helps to anchor the southern boundary of the campus while creating a visible link to the greater community. The arena’s industrial aesthetic is reinforced with exposed structure and building systems.

Architecture consists of two primary elements: the arena and the community ice sheet. The community ice sheet was designed as the focal point, and exterior walls enclosing the space feature large expanses of glass to provide unobstructed views of events happening inside. Extra care was taken to ensure direct sunlight never comes in contact with the ice surface at any point during the year.