How the NHL Built Ice in Florida | Engineering Behind the Stadium Series
When most people think about professional hockey, they picture frozen lakes, northern winters, and packed arenas in cities where snow is part of everyday life.
Florida isn't usually part of that conversation.
Yet in 2026, the National Hockey League (NHL) transformed Raymond James Stadium in Tampa into one of the most unique outdoor hockey venues ever constructed. What fans saw on game day was an NHL rink sitting inside an NFL stadium. What they didn't see was the months of engineering, planning, climate control, and construction required to make that moment possible.
Creating professional-quality ice in Florida presented challenges unlike almost any other NHL event. High humidity, warm temperatures, intense sunlight, and unpredictable weather all threatened the quality of the playing surface.
The solution wasn't simply refrigeration.
It was engineering.
At the center of that engineering effort was a custom-designed, climate-controlled tension fabric structure developed by GNB Global, allowing the NHL to create and protect regulation-quality ice until just hours before puck drop.
The project became far more than an outdoor hockey game—it demonstrated how engineered fabric buildings can solve some of the most complex environmental challenges in professional sports.
Table of Contents
Why Building Ice in Florida Is So Challenging
Professional hockey is built around precision.
The ice surface must maintain consistent thickness, hardness, and temperature throughout the game. Even slight changes in humidity or surface conditions can affect puck movement, player safety, and game performance.
Building that surface inside a traditional arena is already a carefully controlled process.
Building it outdoors in Florida presents an entirely different level of complexity.
Several environmental factors work against ice production:
High Temperatures
Florida's winter temperatures are considerably warmer than those found in many traditional NHL markets. Even during the cooler months, daytime temperatures can rise high enough to accelerate melting and reduce ice quality.
Humidity
Humidity was arguably the greatest engineering challenge.
Moisture in the air can create condensation, frost buildup, and inconsistent ice conditions if environmental controls are not carefully managed.
Sunlight
Direct solar radiation dramatically increases surface temperatures, even when ambient air temperatures remain moderate.
Without protection, sunlight would make maintaining NHL-quality ice extremely difficult.
Rain
Outdoor weather introduces uncertainty that doesn't exist inside a permanent arena.
A passing rainstorm could interrupt construction, delay ice production, or compromise the finished surface.
The NHL needed a solution that would eliminate all of these variables simultaneously.
The Engineering Problem Facing the NHL
The NHL wasn't simply trying to host another outdoor game.
It wanted to stage the first outdoor NHL game ever played in Florida at an open-air football stadium, creating a unique experience for fans while maintaining the same professional standards expected inside any NHL arena.
That meant engineers had to answer several critical questions:
How do you protect the ice from Florida's climate?
How do you maintain stable environmental conditions?
How do you build inside an active NFL stadium?
How do you remove the structure before game day?
How do you accomplish everything within an aggressive event schedule?
Unlike permanent arenas, the structure had to perform flawlessly for only a short period of time—yet it still needed to meet demanding structural and operational requirements.
The building itself became an essential piece of the event infrastructure.
Why Raymond James Stadium Required a Different Solution
Some outdoor NHL games have been played in baseball stadiums with retractable roofs.
Raymond James Stadium offered no such advantage.
The home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a completely open-air venue designed for football—not ice hockey.
Without an enclosed environment, the NHL faced significant obstacles:
Constant exposure to Florida's weather
No protection from direct sunlight
High humidity levels
Temperature fluctuations throughout the day
Wind affecting construction activities
Limited time available between ice completion and game day
Rather than attempting to fight the environment, engineers chose to temporarily create a new one.
Creating a Climate-Controlled Temporary Arena
The solution was far more sophisticated than a traditional event tent.
GNB Global engineered and constructed a massive clear-span tension fabric building that completely enclosed the future ice rink while construction crews prepared the playing surface.
The temporary arena measured approximately:
34 feet high
125 feet wide
240 feet long
Its purpose was simple in concept but incredibly complex in execution:
Create a controlled indoor environment inside an outdoor football stadium.
Once enclosed, refrigeration systems, environmental controls, and construction crews could operate without being exposed to Florida's weather.
Instead of reacting to the climate outside, engineers controlled the climate inside.
How GNB Global Engineered the Structure
The building itself represented a remarkable example of temporary sports infrastructure.
Rather than using interior columns that would interfere with construction activities, GNB Global designed a clear-span steel frame capable of covering the entire rink area.
The engineered membrane enclosure created a fully protected workspace while allowing the NHL to install specialized refrigeration equipment, environmental controls, and ice-making systems beneath it.
The structure was specifically designed to:
Protect the rink from rain
Reduce solar heat gain
Minimize humidity intrusion
Support climate-control equipment
Allow unrestricted construction access
Accommodate heavy equipment during installation
Be removed quickly before the event
Perhaps most impressively, the building wasn't intended to remain after the game.
Once the ice was complete and conditions were favorable, crews dismantled the structure, revealing the finished outdoor rink that millions of fans would eventually watch on television.
More Than a Building—A Critical Piece of Sports Infrastructure
What made this project extraordinary wasn't simply the size of the structure.
It was its purpose.
The building wasn't the final destination.
It was the enabling technology that allowed the event to happen at all.
Without a climate-controlled enclosure, creating professional-quality NHL ice inside an open-air stadium in Florida would have been significantly more difficult and far less predictable.
The project demonstrated that engineered fabric buildings can become mission-critical infrastructure for world-class sporting events—not just temporary shelters.
How NHL Ice Is Built Outdoors
Most hockey fans never think about what happens before the first puck drops.
Long before players step onto the ice, an extraordinary engineering process takes place beneath the surface.
Unlike a traditional indoor arena, where refrigeration systems are permanently built into the concrete slab, an outdoor NHL rink is completely temporary. Everything—from refrigeration piping to insulation, dasher boards, glass, and the ice itself—must be installed specifically for the event.
The process begins by constructing a temporary refrigeration floor over the stadium surface.
This system typically includes:
An insulated base layer to separate the rink from the stadium floor
Structural decking to support the ice system
Miles of refrigeration piping circulating chilled glycol
Aluminum panels that evenly distribute cooling
Specialized sensors that monitor temperature and performance
Once the refrigeration system is operational, crews begin spraying ultra-thin layers of water onto the chilled surface.
Instead of pouring several inches of water all at once, technicians build the playing surface gradually—sometimes applying dozens of individual layers.
This careful process creates the dense, consistent ice surface required for professional hockey.
Each layer must freeze completely before the next is added.
The final playing surface measures approximately one to one-and-a-half inches thick, depending on league specifications and event conditions.
For an outdoor game, maintaining that surface is every bit as important as creating it.
Why Climate Control Was Essential
Building the ice was only half the challenge.
Keeping it in championship condition was the real engineering achievement.
Florida's climate creates several environmental conditions that directly affect ice quality:
Humidity
High humidity introduces moisture into the air.
That moisture can condense on the ice, soften the playing surface, create frost, and reduce puck speed.
Inside the temporary enclosure, environmental systems continuously managed humidity to create conditions suitable for ice production.
Temperature
Professional hockey requires remarkably consistent ice temperatures.
If temperatures fluctuate significantly, the ice can become too soft or too brittle.
Maintaining a controlled interior environment helped ensure that the refrigeration system operated efficiently throughout construction.
Sunlight
Direct solar radiation presents one of the biggest obstacles to outdoor hockey.
Even when outside temperatures appear moderate, sunlight dramatically increases the temperature of exposed surfaces.
The engineered fabric enclosure shielded the construction process from direct sunlight while allowing crews to maintain much tighter environmental control.
Rain
Rain doesn't simply melt ice.
It disrupts construction schedules, introduces moisture into refrigeration systems, and complicates every stage of rink preparation.
By enclosing the rink inside a fully engineered structure, crews remained protected regardless of changing weather conditions.
Engineering a Temporary Building That Performs Like a Permanent One
One of the most impressive aspects of the NHL Stadium Series project was that the structure itself was temporary—but its performance couldn't be.
The building needed to operate like a permanent climate-controlled facility while existing for only a short period.
That required careful engineering in every aspect of the design.
Structural Engineering
The steel frame was engineered to provide:
Large clear-span interior space
High wind resistance
Equipment access
Safe working conditions
Efficient assembly and removal
Without interior support columns, crews could move refrigeration equipment, aerial lifts, construction materials, and ice-making systems freely throughout the building.
Environmental Engineering
The enclosure functioned as an environmental control system.
Its purpose wasn't simply keeping rain out.
It created a controlled workspace where refrigeration systems could operate efficiently while minimizing the impact of Florida's outdoor climate.
Construction Logistics
Unlike permanent buildings that remain in place for decades, this structure had to be:
Delivered on schedule
Installed rapidly
Integrated with an active NFL stadium
Operated continuously during ice production
Removed quickly before game day
Every phase required coordination between engineers, contractors, NHL operations teams, refrigeration specialists, stadium personnel, and event management staff.
Why Clear-Span Design Made the Difference
Large sporting events demand flexibility.
Construction crews, forklifts, refrigeration equipment, lighting systems, and specialty trades all need unrestricted access to the work area.
Interior columns would have created obstacles throughout every phase of construction.
Instead, GNB Global's clear-span engineering created one uninterrupted workspace.
Benefits included:
Maximum working area
Improved equipment movement
Safer construction operations
Flexible layout
Faster installation
Better coordination between trades
This same clear-span philosophy is one of the reasons engineered fabric buildings have become increasingly popular for athletic facilities, aircraft hangars, warehouses, and industrial operations.
Beyond the NHL: The Future of Sports Infrastructure
The NHL Stadium Series demonstrated something much larger than a successful outdoor hockey game.
It showed that engineered fabric buildings can solve complex infrastructure challenges for virtually every major sporting organization.
As professional sports continue pushing events into new venues and unique environments, temporary and permanent engineered structures will play an increasingly important role.
Potential applications include:
Professional Sports
NFL training facilities
MLB spring training complexes
MLS indoor practice centers
NBA training facilities
WNBA practice centers
Minor league athletic complexes
International Sporting Events
Large international competitions require temporary infrastructure capable of supporting athletes, media, officials, and spectators.
Applications include:
Olympic Games
FIFA World Cup
Rugby World Cup
World Athletics Championships
Commonwealth Games
International tennis tournaments
These events often require:
Athlete training facilities
Broadcast compounds
Equipment storage
Operations centers
Hospitality structures
Medical facilities
Fan experience zones
Motorsport
Motorsports rely heavily on temporary infrastructure that travels from venue to venue.
Engineered fabric buildings support:
Formula 1 paddocks
NASCAR operations
IndyCar garages
Rally service parks
Hospitality suites
Media centers
Technical inspection facilities
Community Athletics
The same engineering principles apply beyond professional sports.
Municipalities, schools, and recreation organizations increasingly use engineered fabric buildings for:
Indoor soccer
Football practice
Tennis courts
Pickleball facilities
Baseball training
Community recreation centers
Youth athletic complexes
Comparison:
Temporary Fabric Structure vs. Conventional Event Construction
Feature | Engineered Fabric Building | Conventional Temporary Structures |
Clear-Span Interior | Large unobstructed space | Often limited by interior supports |
Climate Control | Designed to accommodate HVAC and environmental systems | Limited environmental control |
Structural Engineering | Engineered for project-specific loads and conditions | Often intended for lighter-duty applications |
Weather Protection | Full enclosure against rain, sun, and wind exposure | Varies depending on structure type |
Installation Speed | Rapid deployment using prefabricated components | Varies by system |
Professional Applications | Sports, aviation, military, industrial, and event infrastructure | Primarily event shelter applications |
Lessons Learned from the NHL Stadium Series
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this project wasn't simply that hockey could be played in Florida.
It was that thoughtful engineering can overcome challenges once considered impossible.
The NHL Stadium Series reinforced several key principles:
✔ Engineering should solve operational challenges—not create them.
✔ Temporary infrastructure can perform at the level of permanent construction.
✔ Climate-controlled environments expand where world-class sporting events can be hosted.
✔ Speed and precision are not mutually exclusive when structures are engineered correctly.
✔ Collaboration between owners, engineers, contractors, and specialty partners is essential to delivering complex projects on schedule.
The success of the Stadium Series didn't happen because of one innovation.
It happened because dozens of engineered systems worked together seamlessly—from refrigeration and environmental controls to structural design and construction logistics.
And at the heart of that effort was a purpose-built tension fabric structure that made it all possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the NHL build an outdoor hockey rink in Florida?
Building an outdoor NHL rink in Florida required much more than refrigeration. The National Hockey League partnered with GNB Global to construct a custom-engineered, climate-controlled tension fabric building inside Raymond James Stadium. The temporary enclosure protected the rink from Florida's heat, humidity, rain, and direct sunlight while crews built and maintained NHL-quality ice before the structure was removed prior to game day.
Why couldn't the NHL build the ice without a temporary building?
Florida's climate presents unique challenges for outdoor hockey.
Without a fully enclosed structure, humidity, direct sunlight, temperature fluctuations, and rain would make it significantly more difficult to produce and maintain professional-quality ice.
The engineered fabric building created a controlled environment where refrigeration systems could operate efficiently and consistently.
What is a climate-controlled ice rink?
A climate-controlled ice rink is an environment where temperature, humidity, and airflow are carefully managed to create and maintain high-quality ice conditions.
For the NHL Stadium Series, the temporary enclosure functioned like a giant indoor arena, allowing crews to control environmental conditions during ice construction before revealing the completed outdoor rink.
How long did it take to build the NHL ice rink?
While the structure itself was installed in a matter of days, building NHL-quality ice is a carefully staged process that takes several days.
Crews install the refrigeration system, construct the rink floor, spray dozens of thin layers of water, paint the ice surface, install logos, apply additional layers, and complete final finishing before the rink is ready for play.
Every phase is closely monitored to ensure professional playing conditions.
What made the NHL Stadium Series project unique?
The 2026 Stadium Series marked the first NHL outdoor game played in an open-air football stadium in Florida.
Unlike previous outdoor games held in colder climates or stadiums with retractable roofs, this project required a custom-engineered climate-controlled building to overcome Florida's warm temperatures and high humidity.
It demonstrated how innovative engineering can expand where professional sporting events are possible.
What is a clear-span tension fabric building?
A clear-span tension fabric building is an engineered structure that uses a steel frame to eliminate the need for interior support columns.
The result is one large, unobstructed interior space that provides maximum flexibility for sports facilities, aircraft hangars, warehouses, industrial operations, and temporary event infrastructure.
Can engineered fabric buildings be permanent?
Yes.
Although the NHL project used a temporary installation, engineered fabric buildings are commonly installed as permanent facilities for universities, municipalities, military installations, aviation operations, warehouses, manufacturing plants, sports complexes, and industrial facilities.
Every building is engineered to meet the specific requirements of its intended application.
What sports can use engineered fabric buildings?
Engineered fabric buildings are used throughout the sports industry for:
Indoor football practice facilities
Hockey training centers
Soccer complexes
Baseball and softball training facilities
Indoor tennis courts
Pickleball facilities
Multi-sport field houses
Recreation centers
Athletic performance centers
Olympic training facilities
Their versatility makes them ideal for both temporary and permanent sports infrastructure.
Can fabric buildings support major sporting events?
Absolutely.
Large engineered structures are increasingly used to support:
NHL outdoor games
Olympic venues
FIFA World Cup operations
Formula 1 paddocks
NASCAR events
Super Bowl support infrastructure
NCAA championships
Major concerts and entertainment events
Applications include athlete preparation areas, broadcast compounds, equipment storage, hospitality spaces, and climate-controlled operations centers.
Are fabric buildings engineered for severe weather?
Yes.
Every GNB Global building is engineered according to the environmental conditions of its installation location.
Depending on project requirements, structures can be designed for:
High wind regions
Heavy snow loads
Coastal environments
Seismic zones
Extreme heat
Heavy rainfall
Engineering is customized for each project to comply with applicable building codes and performance requirements.
Why are engineered fabric buildings becoming more popular in professional sports?
Professional sports organizations need facilities that can be delivered quickly, adapt to changing operational needs, and perform reliably under demanding conditions.
Engineered fabric buildings offer:
Faster construction
Large clear-span interiors
Climate-controlled environments
Natural daylight
Lower lifecycle costs
Future expansion flexibility
Durable engineered performance
These benefits make them attractive for training facilities, event infrastructure, and permanent athletic buildings.
Why GNB Global?
Some projects demand more than construction.
They demand engineering, collaboration, precision, and absolute confidence in execution.
The NHL Stadium Series was one of those projects.
Creating a climate-controlled environment inside an open-air NFL stadium required expertise in structural engineering, temporary infrastructure, environmental performance, and accelerated construction schedules.
That's where GNB Global excels.
For decades, we've partnered with owners, architects, engineers, contractors, and developers to solve complex infrastructure challenges across North America.
Our portfolio includes projects in:
Professional Sports
Aviation
Military & Defense
Data Centers
Industrial Manufacturing
Commercial Construction
Warehousing & Logistics
Municipal Infrastructure
Whether the challenge is protecting NHL-quality ice in Florida or supporting mission-critical operations at a data center, our approach remains the same:
Engineer solutions that perform when it matters most.
The 2026 NHL Stadium Series proved that world-class sporting events are no longer limited by geography or climate.
With the right engineering, even one of hockey's greatest challenges—building and maintaining NHL-quality ice in Florida—became possible.
The custom climate-controlled structure engineered by GNB Global wasn't simply a temporary building. It was the critical infrastructure that allowed one of the NHL's most ambitious outdoor events to move from concept to reality.
More importantly, this project demonstrated how engineered tension fabric buildings can support the future of professional sports, collegiate athletics, international competitions, and large-scale public events.
As sports organizations continue searching for faster, more flexible, and more innovative facility solutions, engineered fabric buildings will play an increasingly important role in how venues are designed, built, and operated.
Ready to Engineer Your Next Landmark Sports Project?
Whether you're planning an indoor athletic facility, an NCAA practice center, a municipal recreation complex, a climate-controlled event structure, or infrastructure for a world-class sporting event, GNB Global delivers engineered tension fabric buildings designed for performance, speed, and long-term reliability.
From professional sports leagues to universities, municipalities, architects, and general contractors, organizations trust GNB Global to solve complex infrastructure challenges with innovative engineering and proven execution.
Contact GNB Global today to discuss your next sports facility or event infrastructure project.
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