Mott MacDonald’s concept design of a new 33,000-seat stadium for the Saskatchewan Roughriders has been unveiled.

The City of Regina had hired the firm in June for engineering, architectural, and public-private partnership (P3) advisory services on the project, which is expected to cost $278 million. The facility replaces the existing Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field, where Canadian Football League (CFL) games are currently held.

The new stadium will be a ‘sunken bowl,’ designed for spectator comfort. Its concept includes a roof to protect fans from the weather while still providing for an open-air facility. This feature is expected to lengthen the time the building can be used each year for other events, such as concerts.

“This is a real innovation in North America—to design a stadium roof so tuned to the local environmental conditions to dramatically improve spectator conditions,” said Mott MacDonald project director, Leon Higgins. “We have worked closely with our architects, Pattern Design, to achieve this.”

The existing Mosaic Stadium has been renovated several times since its initial construction in 1910. The most recent work included the addition of 7000 seats and 27 corporate suites, along with giant video and light-emitting diode (LED) screens intended for the 2013 Grey Cup. Construction on the new stadium is slated for next year, with completion expected in time for the 2017 football season.