Trifos Design Consultants prepared the design for the St. Francis Xavier University’s Charles V. Keating Millennium Centre to meet the broadest possible needs of the Community and St. Francis Xavier University, by providing architecturally-suitable facilities for wellness, athletics, concerts, cultural, and Information Technology (IT) training programs. By looking to the future, the design for the new Millennium Centre strives to commemorate and celebrate the culture, architectural language, and traditions of St. Francis Xavier University, and the community of Antigonish, for many years to come.

Architectural design of the St. Francis Xavier University’s Charles V. Keating Millennium Centre is summarily defined by the following:

Preliminary Design Summary (September 29, 2000)
Total gross building area of 114,176 sq. ft.;
Red-clay brick, masonry, main facade, with arched windows and a white, colonnaded portico, with precast cornices to complement the existing vernacular of the campus;
Decorative, precast-concrete, non-load-bearing panels at the perimeter of the arenas and rear service areas;
White-clad, barrel-vaulted roof over the stadium arena;
1,461 fixed-seat stadium arena, complete with a regulation-sized ice surface;
140 bench-seat auxiliary arena, complete a regulation-sized ice surface;

5,450 sq. ft. IT training and multipurpose assembly space;
6,400 sq. ft. wellness/dance/aerobics fitness centre;
2,900 sq. ft. IT conference and hospitality facilities;
Main lobby and stadium concourse food-service facilities;
Designated men's and women's varsity dressing rooms and support facilities;
Year-round walking and fitness track facilities;
Summer ice availability in either the stadium arena or the auxiliary arena; and air-conditioning in all “front-of-house” facilities.

The new complex is physically linked to the existing Oland Centre, and takes advantage of existing movement systems, wellness support facilities, operational staffing, and mechanical infrastructures. The wellness facility, and the new, twin-sheet ice surfaces, are linked to the Oland Centre with a fenestrated gallery, fronting an outdoor “commons.” The creation of a new, pillared portico entrance and fenestrated gallery, embraces the original architectural language of Jens F. Larsen, the architect who was responsible for the design of many of the original campus buildings. The concept further visualizes the incorporation of the palette and geometries of the existing Oland Centre into the new architectural design of the facades.

The design organizes the spaces of the main stadium arena, auxiliary arena, wellness centre, IT training/conferencing, and administration facilities according to their individual programs, functional relationships, and marketing-driven hierarchies. Movement systems (stairs, corridors, and elevator) are carefully placed to facilitate easy wayfinding, and to promote and stimulate revenue-generating opportunities. Back-of-house facilities are organized so as to optimize service, support, and operational functions. The massing of the complex has been optimized, in order to create a square, efficient, floor-plate arrangement.