After years of planning, several false starts and some unexpected lack of support from state officials, the new $80-million Duluth Entertainment Convention Center is on track for a December 31, 2010 opening date following more than two years of construction.

The complex's showcase will be a 6,600-seat arena slated to host home games for the University of Minnesota-Duluth hockey teams.

But what makes the arena notable is the emphasis on sustainability and green practices. Architects and designers say they're going for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification -- and if this is achieved, the new DECC arena will be one of the first in the United States to achieve such a designation.

The route to achieving certification is pretty basic on an arena. First, arena construction will use recycled materials as often as possible, and waste materials from the construction project will be recycled as much as possible. The arena's electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems will be designed as efficiently as possible; you can expect low-flow toilets and low-energy lighting systems that use motion detectors to shut down when not in use. The water-management system will be designed to minimize runoff into neighboring Lake Superior.

The end goal, according to Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon, chair of the Minnesota Senate’s Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee and a DECC board member, is to reduce energy usage by 60 percent over comparable arenas.

Construction on the project has already begun with the erection of a 475-vehicle ramp on what was previously a parking lot in the DECC complex. Work on the actual arena will begin next April. The new arena will not actually displace the existing arena; it will be built away from the waterfront to the northwest of the existing arena in the DECC complex, closer to the Great Lakes Aquarium.

As a college-hockey venue, the new arena should be one of the finest in the nation – especially when compared to the existing DECC arena. The existing arena is one of the few still in use in the college game where the view is better from the second deck than the first-level bowl; season-ticket-holders flock to that level. That will change in the new facility.

The new arena will feature:

• 16 suites (15 standard suites and one party suite). All are located on their own level.
• Expanded concourses: the current arena features 14-foot-wide concourses, while the new arena will sport 18-foot-wide concourses. Fans will be able to watch the action from the concourse a la Mariucci Arena.
• More concession stands: 35 fixed, 6 portable.
• A UMD Club lounge.
• 34 inches of legroom between rows in the lower bowl, 33 includes of legroom in the upper bowl.
• 20-inch-wide seats throughout.
• A video scoreboard.
• Additional restroom space for women.
• Clubhouses for both men’s and women’s UMD hockey teams.
• A UMD team store.
• A slightly larger ice sheet: 85x200, versus 85x195 in the current DECC.

The design is from Kansas City-based HOK Sport and Duluth-based SJA Architects. It’s modern, to be sure; glass will be heavily used to provide views of the harbor and downtown Duluth. In that respect it will represent a mini-Xcel Energy Center – no surprise, as HOK Sport designed both. There will also be an emphasis on natural materials throughout.

The arena will also be integrated into the current DECC convention space, allowing larger conventions and meetings. The DECC is a fairly popular venue, and the new arena gives the DECC 20,000 feet of additional floor space for events and trade shows. In addition, the new arena is designed to hold concerts and other family events.

Funding for the new $80-million arena comes from the state of Minnesota (bonding approved in the last legislative session), a voter-approved increase in the city’s food and beverage tax, UMD and the DECC.