Facilities

New Bentley U Arena to Double as Learning Lab for Students

• By Rhea Kelly
• 02/14/18

Bentley University has just completed construction of a new multipurpose arena that boasts the latest in sustainable design and green technology. The 76,000-square-foot facility will host the institution's hockey team as well as university events such as career fairs, high-profile speakers and concerts, according to a news release. But it will also provide students with a number of hands-on learning opportunities.

"Think of a marketing student analyzing customer data, a natural and applied sciences student gathering energy usage information, or a math student crunching player stats at a game. The arena is meant to be a live learning laboratory that consistently adds to our students' academic experience in addition to the social one," explained Wiley Davi, Bentley's associate dean of arts and sciences, in a statement.

Features of the arena include:

• Green technologies anticipated to cut utility costs in half compared to ice arenas of a similar size;
• 1,400 rooftop solar panels will generate 40 percent of the building's electricity needs;
• Heat captured from creating the rink's ice will be used to heat water throughout the building;
• An in-house media control room will be operated by Bentley students in partnership with faculty; and
• Building energy stats and other data will be available to students for analysis.

Said Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs J. Andrew Shepardson, "The new Bentley Arena will be far more than a sports venue, providing our students with academic opportunities and our students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends with a 21st century state-of-the-art home."