Almaty Arena
Template:Infobox stadium Almaty Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Arena was opened in 18 September 2016 and seat 12,000 spectators for ice hockey.<ref name="Kazinform">Template:Cite web</ref> Apart from hosting ice hockey matches, the arena is venue for boxing, figure skating, basketball, concerts, and other events. It is one of the venues to host the 2017 Winter Universiade.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The arena is located in the north of punched Ryskulov Avenue, to the west from Momyshuly street in the Alatau District.<ref name="Structure and facilities" />
History
Almaty's successful bid to host the 2017 Winter Universiade, coupled with its bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, drove the need to build an ice hockey arena meeting the standards of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). On 27 March 2014, the city's mayor Akhmetzhan Yessimov announced the building of the new arena for 12,000 spectators and a minor arena for 3,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The arenas were projected to cost $170 million and $89 million respectively.<ref name="Arenas cost" />
Structure and facilities
The Ice palace will be the second largest in the CIS with the area of Template:Convert, similar with the Minsk-Arena and smaller than the Bolshoy Ice Dome.<ref name="Structure and facilities">Template:Cite web</ref> The complex will consist of three units: the ice arena with 12,000 seats, a training rink with a recreation complex, and a swimming pool.<ref name="Structure and facilities" /> The layout of the ice arena will allow it to function as a universal platform for figure skating, ice hockey, boxing, basketball, volleyball, as well as a concert hall with 5,000 seats, in the case of laying thermal insulation covering the entire area of the ice field with about Template:Convert.<ref name="Structure and facilities" /> Special attention is given to the technology of ice freezing. 120 cubic meters of water is needed for each rink pouring. The water is pre-treated from various mechanical impurities, iron, chlorine and the salts, and then falls into the softener system and maintain the desired storage temperature.<ref name="Structure and facilities" /> Ice surface is aligned with special ice machines to achieve the desired thickness - 5 cm after a complete freezing.<ref name="Structure and facilities" />
